Office workflow · 1 min read
Getting ready for tax season starts in October
Four things an office can do before January so the busy months feel like the rest of the year.
Most of the stress in a tax office comes from information arriving late: a client who books at the last minute, a W-2 that shows up the morning of the appointment, a question nobody wrote down. The fix isn't working faster in March. It's moving the work earlier.
1. Decide what each return needs before the client asks
A short intake — employers, interest, mortgage, self-employment, dependents — is enough to build a checklist for that return. Clients who know exactly what to bring bring it. Generic lists get ignored.
2. Protect review time on the calendar
Reserve a window before every appointment and keep it. A preparer who has read the packet before the client sits down asks better questions and finishes sooner.
3. Check readiness before the day, not on the day
A readiness check thirty minutes before an appointment flags what's missing while there's still time to send a reminder or offer a later slot. The check suggests; a person decides.
4. Write the consents down once
Disclosure consent (Form 7216), AI-assisted processing and text reminders are separate decisions. Record each one at activation and the question never comes up mid-season.
- Intake before documents
- Review windows on the calendar
- Readiness checks on a schedule
- Consents recorded once
