Streamlining Tax Season: A Guide to Reducing Stress and Improving Efficiency

As another tax season wraps up, many professionals in the Accounting realm are left grappling with the challenges that come with an increasingly demanding workload. This past year was particularly transformative for me, as I navigated the complexities of managing 30 clients (and growing!) alongside the arrival of a new baby at home. With a crowded calendar and personal commitments at an all-time high, I sought effective strategies to ease the burden of tax season.

Reflecting on my experiences during the previous holiday season, I realized that the most significant struggle was not the Bookkeeping itself, but rather the arduous task of gathering necessary documents. W9s, prior year adjusting entries (AJEs), loan statements, and payroll data became the bane of my existence. The endless cycle of sending requests, waiting for replies, following up, and organizing received documents was undoubtedly draining. Email communication, while traditional, became a cumbersome system that only exacerbated the stress of the season.

Once I recognized that the root of my troubles lay in my approach rather than in the inherent madness of tax season, I felt a surge of motivation to make changes. Enter Keeper, the project management tool I had been utilizing for monthly Bookkeeping but hadn’t fully leveraged.

This year, I decided to embrace Keeper’s full capabilities. Instead of relying on emails and texts to communicate with clients, I transformed the document request process. I utilized the portal’s features to assign each client the documents they needed to submit, complete with deadlines and automatic reminders twice a week. This shift meant no more chasing down documents through various communication channels; instead, everything was centralized and streamlined. When documents were submitted, they would automatically link back to the original task for my team to access seamlessly.

I also redefined my approach to handling delays. My new mantra became: collect requests early and process whatever arrives late in batches on designated days. By giving clients ample lead time, I shifted the onus of deadlines onto them and alleviated the stress I previously felt from late submissions.

Thanks to these changes, I was able to send out all document requests by January 3rd. By month’s end, I was over 80% finished with my tax-related responsibilities, and by mid-February, I crossed the 90% threshold. While not every facet of the process became perfect—after all, not every client can be timely—I felt a notable improvement in my workflow. Not only did I manage to get