I Did 16 Returns Today With Clients Present

[RitaB]

Ok, I didn't, but I've seen that statement out of pros, and I just want to say:  I cannot do 16 returns on a Saturday with the door locked if I manage to pick up the info for my only 16 clients who brought all their $%^&.   I hope those people mean "my assistant and I," because even with a wine per diem, I can only make eight returns look like ten.

[rfassett]

I have completed 13 once - on a Saturday with nobody present - but it was an awfully long day.  (We do not have office hours on Saturday.)  I have heard of guys doing nearly 1,000 returns in a season.  The other day I figured out how they do it.  I had the opportunity to do a return for a Florida resident.  It took me one-third the time that it would take me to do the same return for a PA resident.  That would explain why I can not put out more than 500 in a season and whey they can do over a 1,000 in a season.  Everything is relative to its perspective.

[Elrod]

Ouch...I sad now for Rita...She need time off....Hugs just for her.....

 

I haven't done that many returns, in one day since I did em wit pencils....

[RitaB]

51 minutes ago, rfassett said:

I have completed 13 once - on a Saturday with nobody present - but it was an awfully long day.  (We do not have office hours on Saturday.)  I have heard of guys doing nearly 1,000 returns in a season.  The other day I figured out how they do it.  I had the opportunity to do a return for a Florida resident.  It took me one-third the time that it would take me to do the same return for a PA resident.  That would explain why I can not put out more than 500 in a season and whey they can do over a 1,000 in a season.  Everything is relative to its perspective.

The one I'm thinking of is in NY and can lap me in the mile run.  And I'm no slacker.  I'm also very happy with how I run my business, so there's that. 

 

[Sarypion]

I've seen places with express lane (like in grocery stores!), you can sit/stand next to the preparer if you only have few W-2s and maybe some 1099-INT.

[RitaB]

4 minutes ago, Sarypion said:

I've seen places with express lane (like in grocery stores!), you can sit/stand next to the preparer if you only have few W-2s and maybe some 1099-INT.

I could do 15 of those.  Not 16. 

 

[Lion EA]

Even when I was at a Block Premium office, only four a day was usual.  Maybe eight near deadline, but that would be finishing up returns begun earlier and awaiting info.  I think I completed ten one day.

Just got the partnerships and S-corps and a couple extensions completed the 15th.  Those businesses break my stride, slow me down.  Now I have to pick up speed.  Working on two TN siblings with kiddie tax, so waiting on parents' info.  Seems like everyone sold a house this year, or their teenager was a ref for sports for cash or had multiple part-time jobs, or they sold some of their PTP units, or changed jobs to a new state (the college student dependent on CT parents, working at school in MA, and summer job in NYC), or moved to a new state.

[ILLMAS]

From all my clients, I would say about 5-8% are 1 W-2 only, it's mostly my clients kids.

[Sarypion]

29 minutes ago, RitaB said:

I could do 15 of those.  Not 16. 

 

I think you mean you could do 61 of those   But I prefer to work on those when I'm on a break from the ones mentioned by Lion EA.

[ILLMAS]

51 minutes ago, RitaB said:

The one I'm thinking of is in NY and can lap me in the mile run.  And I'm no slacker.  I'm also very happy with how I run my business, so there's that. 

 

This is what is called BS, I don’t have a large client base like others, but if I get to finalize 4 or 5 days, it was a good day.  FYI I dont don’t prepare returns in front of clients and have no help at all, word.

[JimTaxes]

Other day. did 30.. from about 7:45 am to about 11 pm.. maybe two hours off for dinner and breaks

[RitaB]

12 minutes ago, ILLMAS said:

This is what is called BS, I don’t have a large client base like others, but if I get to finalize 4 or 5 days, it was a good day.  FYI I dont don’t prepare returns in front of clients and have no help at all, word.

I was texting my very good friend, who is a pastor and is also farming now. too.  I have read him the riot act about hobby losses (turns out he made money, I knew something was fishy with my other farmers).  Anyway I asked him what the excavation was for.  He replied, "Barn construction."  Then, "Legit."  

[FDNY]

Being an early riser I amaze myself what I can get done before 9am, then it slows the rest of the day.  But some clients (and all my friends) know I'm in the office very early and think it's time to call and talk about the snow and their latest boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife and kids' problems and oh, some tax/financial issues.  Cutting them off feels really good. And the smart ones don't call back until after April.  In my next life I plan to be a therapist so I can talk to them and charge by the minute.  

[Roberts]

I really have no interest in doing more than 5-6 returns in a day. Today I did two 1041s and two 1040s and will likely do another 2 1040's before leaving.

If I'm doing the return in front of a client - double the expected amount of time required.

[ILLMAS]

3 hours ago, RitaB said:

I was texting my very good friend, who is a pastor and is also farming now. too.  I have read him the riot act about hobby losses (turns out he made money, I knew something was fishy with my other farmers).  Anyway I asked him what the excavation was for.  He replied, "Barn construction."  Then, "Legit."  

Sorry Rita, I quoted the wrong post

[RitaB]

4 hours ago, ILLMAS said:

This is what is called BS, I don’t have a large client base like others, but if I get to finalize 4 or 5 days, it was a good day.  FYI I dont don’t prepare returns in front of clients and have no help at all, word.

 

3 hours ago, RitaB said:

I was texting my very good friend, who is a pastor and is also farming now. too.  I have read him the riot act about hobby losses (turns out he made money, I knew something was fishy with my other farmers).  Anyway I asked him what the excavation was for.  He replied, "Barn construction."  Then, "Legit."  

I was going for clever street talk savvy there. 

[Lion EA]

I don't have any clients with one W-2.  Well, unless they also have a Schedule C and a few K-1s and sold their vacation home in NY.  Even those college kids have multiple W-2s from multiple states.  I do almost no returns with clients sitting at my desk.  Prepared a couple returns for two cousins yesterday who always want to be here, because they drive a long way.  And, one little old man early every season.  Used to have a gal who brought me lunch; we'd eat and then prepare her return and then have dessert, but she moved to CA.  I'll prepare her return next week; then we'll have a phone conference.

[SaraEA]

This is exactly what is wrong about social media, and about believing everything you see on social media.  I've heard about gals going broke buying the latest fashions so they'd look good on their social media posts.  People can brag all they want about their grades, the huge gains in their brokerage accounts, their number of  scores, meeting famous people, and even the number of tax returns they completed in one day, and there is no one doing fact checking.  To anyone who thinks s/he is a super preparer because of their volume, I'd respond that the accuracy surely suffered.  I don't think a single one of my clients would return next year if I told them that.  Heck, if 16 of my clients whose returns were all done, checked, and scanned brought in that single piece of missing info, I couldn't get them all printed and assembled in one day.  And if I did, I'd probably be sleeping instead of bragging about it on Facebook.

[JimTaxes]

all returns double checked for accuracy, responding to a thread which is of interest is not bragging, simply stating facts. 

[jklcpa]

11 hours ago, RitaB said:

 

This all reminds me of a former coworker who would hear things like this, about any subject and not just tax return volume, and he'd laugh and ask the person "bragging or complaining?"      Thanks for the laugh and reviving a fond memory!

Everyone has their own comfortable speed and rhythm at which they work best and most efficiently.  Never make a mistake? Maybe the person is working too slow.   Too many and the person is either incompetent, over his head, sloppy, or working too fast.  We are only human, and each of us makes some mistakes now and again.

[Randall]

I don't feel so bad now.  I thought I was slow, long days, slow progress.

 

[FDNY]

Of course in a perfect world to get a lot done,  we would receive a client's tax package with questionnaire and organizer adequately filled out.  Then you would call or email with any questions and responses would be timely and you're done.  My workload comprises of about 90% of those, they are longtime and well trained clients.  But these next few weeks most of the PITAs surface.  Working on one idiot, sorry, that's harsh....moron right now.  Like pulling teeth to get SE expenses and documentation because he likes fairytales and has a wild imagination.  Then it's the waiting, and having to go back over my notes, more than once.  My favorite defense....surcharges.

[RitaB]

10 hours ago, jklcpa said:

 

This all reminds me of a former coworker who would hear things like this, about any subject and not just tax return volume, and he'd laugh and ask the person "bragging or complaining?"      Thanks for the laugh and reviving a fond memory!

Everyone has their own comfortable speed and rhythm at which they work best and most efficiently.  Never make a mistake? Maybe the person is working too slow.   Too many and the person is either incompetent, over his head, sloppy, or working too fast.  We are only human, and each of us makes some mistakes now and again.

My first thought was that this preparer turns out a lot of incorrect returns.  He claims this is his average day.  My last thought is that he turns out a lot of incorrect returns.  Yesterday I managed to do six returns and talk to eight people in eleven hours, just me.  Word, @ILLMAS.  I had a fun conversation with a client about SNL and "Land Shark!" (He yelled that coming in the door.}  He said SNL made more sense when he smoked marijuana.  Also listened to a precious friend talk for one hour about the stress her family is under going thru a very terrible, terrible messy thing.  I vacuumed the waiting area.  Dishes are still in the kitchen area, but I'll get them today.  My life is so good.  I'll stick to it.

[ILLMAS]

2 hours ago, RitaB said:

My first thought was that this preparer turns out a lot of incorrect returns.  He claims this is his average day.  My last thought is that he turns out a lot of incorrect returns.  Yesterday I managed to do six returns and talk to eight people in eleven hours, just me.  Word, @ILLMAS.  I had a fun conversation with a client about SNL and "Land Shark!" (He yelled that coming in the door.}  He said SNL made more sense when he smoked marijuana.  Also listened to a precious friend talk for one hour about the stress her family is under going thru a very terrible, terrible messy thing.  I vacuumed the waiting area.  Dishes are still in the kitchen area, but I'll get them today.  My life is so good.  I'll stick to it.

This me after completing a tax return:

 

 

[RitaB]

This was me listening to my precious friend talk for an hour on Friday afternoon: