Tax Season: Your Organizational Checklist
Tax season, with all of its demands and challenges, presents a unique opportunity to improve processes, efficiency and client outcomes. In our ongoing series for tax season, we're sharing our organizational checklist. With the 5 points below, you can make sure that you and your firm are set up for success:
Prioritize high-value activities. Tasks that directly impact client satisfaction and the firm's reputation, such as accurate filing and providing insightful advisory services, should be at the forefront.
Identify tasks that can be streamlined or automated. Non-urgent tasks like data entry or sorting, while essential, can often consume valuable time that could be better spent on time-sensitive activities.
Continue to improve client education. Client education often takes a back seat during the rush of the season. However, empowering clients with knowledge about their responsibilities and timelines can significantly streamline the process, setting the stage for a more efficient and collaborative tax preparation experience.
Maintain and improve data security. New exploits are discovered daily. Staying ahead of new vulnerabilities and ensuring robust data security protocols is not only about safeguarding information but also about preserving the trust clients place in your firm.
Last, but certainly not least, reevaluate your review process. If you’ve not done so already, implement layered checks where different team members review each tax filing and introduce automated tools for preliminary checks to identify common errors. Regularly update the review guidelines to incorporate the latest tax laws and regulations. This helps foster a culture of precision and attention to detail and ensures that every team member understands the vital role they play in preserving accuracy and compliance in tax filings.
We believe that tax season is not only a chance to deliver but also an opportunity to grow. It's a time to surpass expectations, position your firm for the years ahead, and we hope this checklist helps you achieve that.
