how many returns do you personally complete

[Philip1117]

Just curious as to volume of returns. I personally do about 800 of the 1700 or so we do. I try to find staff who can do about 500 returns in a season. The staff do the easier drop off returns.

thanks for any input

phil

[TAG]

Phil,

What's your average charge per return?

I do approx 600 returns. The ave $ is $300-500.

[MYDALBASTI]

I do approx. 900 of the 1400 we get.

[michaelmars]

I do 300 but review over 1400 about 1/2 to 1/3 on extension

[joanmcq]

I do all of mine, but only 188 so far this year. My assistant does a lot of data entry.

[JJStephens]

I'm a part-timer. I specialize in clergy returns but take all comers. At one time I was doing about 150 (my best ever was 442 back in the pre-computer hand prep days). I'm currently doing about 110 plus a handful of biz returns and about 40 non-profit 990s.

[Philip1117]

Tag

My minimum appt fee is 300. Drop offs for staff are 110. Its all about balance.

phil

[mcb39]

I also do all of mine alone. So far 225 including extensions. Some of those numbers seem unrealistic, but, of course, it all depends on the complexity of the returns and the time spent in research. I am also training my second year assistant to do more data entry, but the final returns are filed and signed by me.

[ZoomnFinancial]

100 - 110 (business (LLC / S-Corp) & personal. This includes the ones I don't charge for (family). I also work full time for an insurance company which has it's busy season January - May. I really need a full time job that is busy June - December. Fishing / hunting guide sounds just right! I'll have to suggest that to the wife.

[joanmcq]

We'll, I'm adding extensions as I'm typing this. Looks like a decent off season!

[ILLMAS]

I prepare around 100 individuals, 10 corporate (complete bookkeeping which takes a significant amount of time at the last minute) and in between the tax season I do payroll, not for profit accounting and client visits. Keeps me busy.

[gfizer]

I am a one-person shop and this year I will do right at 300 returns which includes approximately 40 fiduciary and non-profit 990/990-PF returns. I'm not sure how many more I could do without some serious help. I tried hiring my 15 year old to do my filing but at this point I'm not convinced he knows his ABC's

[michaelmars]

I am a one-person shop and this year I will do right at 300 returns which includes approximately 40 fiduciary and non-profit 990/990-PF returns. I'm not sure how many more I could do without some serious help. I tried hiring my 15 year old to do my filing but at this point I'm not convinced he knows his ABC's

we actually posted the alphabet and filing rules in our file room for reference. Not sure what they are teaching kids now-a-days

[Catherine]

~165 returns not including the early-season W-2s and 1099s. Complex individuals and about a couple dozen mix of trusts, partnerships, and small S- and C-corporations.

I rarely have a return under 60 pages. Some go over 100.

This year's assistant was only good for document scanning and filing (which was still a huge help). Last year the kid from Accountemps (with a totally useless master's in acctg; couldn't read a balance sheet or P&L, and only learned to reconcile a checking account because I taught him) was up for properly printing out a pdf'd return, keeping the single-side and duplex pages split right. OTOH, Drake's printing is so fast that wasn't nearly so bad a problem.

[RitaB]

I've done 304, but that's very few state returns, only eleven Corps, Partnerships. Thirty extensions, probably get a few more before it's over. Would like to have more extensions; I'm here all year. I'm the entire staff.

Well, my daughter will come in twice for an hour to put files back in the cabinets. I get overwhelmed and let them pile up. She gives me the look, too.

[mcb39]

Oh, good thing you mentioned that! My 225 all include at least one and as many as seven state states as well. So, that ups the ante. Several Partnerships and a ton of Rentals and Sch C returns. My own return is on extension along with many, many more. That late start is a killer.

[Catherine]

States - forgot about those! Whole slew of states - MA, RI, NH, CT, NY, NC, NM, ME... lots of NR and PY returns. Have to watch NY to stay under the 10-return limit. Added another this year but also lost one; client gave up a NY consulting gig as he's too busy. So I'm still under with a bit of wiggle room.

[ZoomnFinancial]

My own return is on extension along with many, many more. That late start is a killer.

Started mine in January but once the season starts it's forget about it... Filed the extension tonight as I might take tomorrow night off completely. Then start working on the 11 extensions I have. Just was contacted today from a client who hasn't filed since 2010 (nasty divorce, etc.)... That looks to be a fun project for June I think.

[joanmcq]

Hell, I have one 9 stater! This year I've done CA, NY, GA, NC, AZ, NM, WI, ND, LA, PA, MI, NJ, MA, OK, CO, HI, OH....and probably a few others I can't remember offhand.

I was counting clients I've filed, not returns....

[JJStephens]

Yeah, I was counting unique clients too. I have clients in about 20 states but a couple are in no-income-tax states. All my Ohio clients also have a state return and most have a city return; about half have a school district return. I suppose that adds up to 350-400 total returns.

[RitaB]

I've done 304, but that's very few state returns, only eleven Corps, Partnerships.

I meant 304 unique clients, too. I wasn't clear about that. 304 federal returns. I think I made it less clear instead of more clear. I know most of you, if you have 300 tax clients, 300 of them have a state return. Only about 30 of mine do. So, you blew me out of the water. I should have said, "I have prepared the returns for 304 clients, but very few of those had state returns."

Honestly, I'm not sure we can compare apples to apples here; if I were behind a concrete wall, not meeting with clients, not processing returns, not copying documents, not stapling my finger, not answering the phone, I could "do" a lot more returns. But, I'd have to pay somebody to do all the other stuff that has to be done, especially the stapling of fingers and ER care. I'm not sure "how many returns do you do" means the same thing to everybody. It takes longer for all the "not preparing" that has to be done than the actual preparing. At least that's my experience.

Also, 300 1040's is not the same thing as 300 1040's with Schedules A,B,C,D,F and Forms 8949, 4592, 2441, etc.

We might oughta give up on this one.

[MYDALBASTI]

My firm used do a lot more returns. But they were 1 W-2 returns. We lost about 300 of them to Turbo.

[RitaB]

My firm used do a lot more returns. But they were 1 W-2 returns. We lost about 300 of them to Turbo.

Yep. I miss the ones I lost to them, too. Evidently, though, if you know you got married, or had a baby, or packed your stuff in boxes, took them to a new place, and unpacked them, you know how to do taxes.

[Catherine]

Yep. I miss the ones I lost to them, too. Evidently, though, if you know you got married, or had a baby, or packed your stuff in boxes, took them to a new place, and unpacked them, you know how to do taxes.

Well, that's what they want 'em to think. We get them back, years later, after they've gotten the IRS notice about that mutual fund "exchange" (=sale/purchase) their broker talked them in to that they didn't report.

[RitaB]

I think nobody ever knows about most of the ones that screw up, and they are gone forever. You know, like putting mortgage interest on both Schedule A and Schedule E, valuing that yard sale crap nobody would buy at thousands of dollars, deducting church donations on Schedule C, deducting gifts to individuals, deducting all your meals, deducting both SMR and gasoline. And multiplying by ten.

Ok, I'm depressed.