I Did 16 Returns Today With Clients Present

[RitaB]

13 hours ago, SaraEA said:

This is exactly what is wrong about social media, and about believing everything you see on social media. 

As John Crist says:  Work hard.  Stay humble.  Talk about it all day.

[JimTaxes]

everyone has their own business model.. with me, almost no chit chatting. client asks me how I am, I say welcome.. please have a seat.... lets' see what you have this year.. monitor facing them.. they can see return being built.. clients love it.. works for me... typical family return or set of returns.. 45 minute time slot. single person.. 20 - 30 minutes.. scheduled that way all day. almost every day. .if i return is more complex.. 1.5 hours.. can do rental property, self employment income, multiple states, all of those items in 1.5 hours or less. high volume.. clients must like me.. keep coming back and getting referrals. 

[Richcpaman]

I hope from 3:30pm EST, until about 10pm on Sunday, to get 30 returns done.

Lots of new clients this year, and some hiccups have slowed things down.  Need to catch up....

Rich 

[Catherine]

Twice this week I busted my chops and managed eight returns each of those two days.  NOT complete - but as complete as they could be without the missing info (which was mainly minor, like the driver's license info we keep forgetting to ask about at drop-off - or get for one spouse [the dropper] only).  Ugh.  I can't keep up that pace and do quality work.  But then the only one-W2 returns I see are the high school kids of adult clients.  Everyone else has stock options, rentals, businesses, a zillion trades, foreign accounts - or ALL of those!

[Randall]

I talk too much with some clients.  I like to even though it eats up time.  New client the other day, I saw her name, detected a slight accent.  She's from Russia.  I immediately had a thousand questions.

 

 

[Gail in Virginia]

I went home last Monday feeling great - I completed 10 returns start to finish, and 5 of those were face to face.  But that is a VERY unusual day, and when I say completed  I don't mean that they were ready to hand back.  Someone else in the office double checks them, scans the paper that came in with the return and makes the copies for the client.  Most days, I don't get that many done all the way.  Maybe 5 complete, 2 or three finished when they bring in the last piece of information , and a couple more started that need more information.  If only they would bring me everything I need at once. I do feel better seeing that most of you aren't finishing 16 returns a day.

[ILLMAS]

Does anybody here outsource to India?  

[Randall]

32 minutes ago, ILLMAS said:

Does anybody here outsource to India?  

Are you kidding me?

 

[Lion EA]

I'm also the one that proofreads, prints, assembles, mails, efiles, scans, files, uploads, downloads, answers the phone, etc.

[Richcpaman]

2 hours ago, ILLMAS said:

Does anybody here outsource to India?  

Quote

Randall:  Are you kidding me?

I don't think we can do that anymore...

Rich

[Catherine]

1 hour ago, Richcpaman said:

I don't think we can do that anymore...

Maybe not - but that doesn't mean I don't still get the email solicitations to do it!

[WITAXLADY]

I need to do 30 a day!1 15 even would be nice - my goal is 10!!

[Richcpaman]

Well...  My Goal was thirty.

I got 20 done.  Computer system went down Saturday Evening and I couldn't get anything done.  Started early Sunday, and caught up.

This is Hell Week.  45 returns on the schedule to come in.  Probably another 20 drop offs. Plus the ones that are here...  Not including entity extensions for after April 17th, My "stack" in the office is at 206. 

Lets see, there are 23 days until 5pm on April 17th.  That would mean at least 12 a day right now. 

Slice of Pastry....

Rich

 

[RitaB]

56 minutes ago, Richcpaman said:

 

Slice of Pastry....

Rich

 

I'm going to cut out carbs.  (Slices pie).

[rfassett]

42 minutes ago, Richcpaman said:

Well...  My Goal was thirty.

I got 20 done.  Computer system went down Saturday Evening and I couldn't get anything done.  Started early Sunday, and caught up.

This is Hell Week.  45 returns on the schedule to come in.  Probably another 20 drop offs. Plus the ones that are here...  Not including entity extensions for after April 17th, My "stack" in the office is at 206. 

Lets see, there are 23 days until 5pm on April 17th.  That would mean at least 12 a day right now. 

Slice of Pastry....

Rich

 

You are nuts man.  I have 35 in house with an anticipated 75 to 100 being dropped off over the remaining days.  Our cutoff was last Thursday.  So the only ones I feel any pressure about are the 35 - which I hope to have done by Friday.  It is coast from here on out.  We were not even going to open on April 17th, but that is a big payroll day for us, so we will be here - but not doing anything tax return related. Returns will all be picked up, e-filed, and extensions done by the time we close at 6:00 on Friday the 13th.

[Lion EA]

The big ones I have now take at least 45 minutes to print and shove into folders to look presentable.  To meet RIch's goal, I'd spend 22.5 hours just printing and have only an hour and a half to prepare returns each day, with no spare time to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, return emails (seldom answer the phone), add paper to the printer, change the toner, attend the out-of-state funeral I had Saturday, go to Easter Sunday service, oh and I guess I'd better shower for that and get dressed, etc.  I would love to get through five today, because they're all one family (two trusts for sons set up by grandparents with mom as trustee, two working sons with multiple states, and joint return for parents with multiple states, lots of investments on all five).  I'll go close to 11:59 on the 17th, then have my hip replaced &/or spinal surgery (doctors arguing over why I'm in pain), and then dig into extensions.  Thank you all for being here and sharing your knowledge and humor.

[Margaret CPA in OH]

Whew!  You all work so hard.  I am not envious but am grateful that I never let my practice grow to that size.  Seven years ago when I was 65, my other CPA employee retired so I just spun off all her business/bookkeeping/financials clients and kept individuals - well, a few rentals and small Sch C's, but nothing like it was.  This has allowed me to continue while still enjoying the other aspects of my life. 

I thought I would retire end of 2019 but now, with the trusts gone this year and one PITA client that thankfully chose not to come back, I think I will go for another 3 year license.  I've gotten several lovely (the Germans are really nice folks!) new clients by referral and am not ready to let go.

Lion, I wish  you all the very best medical care and healing so that you might come to TN for the pahty.

[rfassett]

1 hour ago, rfassett said:

  We were not even going to open on April 17th, but that is a big payroll day for us, so we will be here - but not doing anything tax return related. Returns will all be picked up, e-filed, and extensions done by the time we close at 6:00 on Friday the 13th.

Meant to say that we were not going to open on the 16th.  That is the big payroll day.  That will be a very laid back early done day.  We will not be open at all on the 17th.

[Catherine]

We will spend next week filing extensions for everyone who did not meet our 3/15 deadline, then get back to work to see who we can actually get finished up.  But after next week, all pressure will be off and we'll do our best for everyone.  Today I did eight returns - and not one of them are done-done (although three only need the new bleeping driver's license info that we keep forgetting to ask for!) because of missing info.  Stock basis.  One downloaded W-2 with every bit of information EXCEPT the employer, EIN, and address (?!?!).  Books for college.  Little bitlets.

[Gail in Virginia]

23 minutes ago, Catherine said:

We will spend next week filing extensions for everyone who did not meet our 3/15 deadline, then get back to work to see who we can actually get finished up.  But after next week, all pressure will be off and we'll do our best for everyone.  Today I did eight returns - and not one of them are done-done (although three only need the new bleeping driver's license info that we keep forgetting to ask for!) because of missing info.  Stock basis.  One downloaded W-2 with every bit of information EXCEPT the employer, EIN, and address (?!?!).  Books for college.  Little bitlets.

I could do two or three times as many tax returns if all the information was present when I pick up the folder to work on the return, and if people would quit calling to ask if their return is ready.  Some days I want to scream at them that I told them I would call when it was ready, and I don't get paid until it is ready so I will call them as soon as I can.  By the end of tax season I want everyone to just go away and leave me alone.

[Catherine]

1 minute ago, Gail in Virginia said:

if people would quit calling

We usually put up an auto-respond on email saying we're working hard, trying to finish but can't if we keep answering emails; we'll get to you!  Haven't done that yet this year but it might be time.

[Abby Normal]

I've finished zero returns today!

[RitaB]

I'm just glad my clients run copies of the five pages of instructions and the page intentionally left blank when they run the copies of the 1099s for me. You know, since I can't be trusted with originals and may not know what I'm doing.

[Catherine]

1 hour ago, RitaB said:

since I can't be trusted with originals

And then they staple everything together so we can't get it out of order, too.  SO thoughtful of them..... it's a wonder you have ANY room left in your back acreage.  

[Richcpaman]

2 hours ago, Abby Normal said:

I've finished zero returns today!

Same with me... met with 14 clients, however.

 

So, there is THAT!