Super busy

I love it when they reply. sorry we have been out of town on vacation.(Good for YOU) I have been stuck in my office trying to finalize tax season while you have been off enjoying time off!!!!

These are the times that try CPAs' souls.

Except for 4 family members waiting on huge trust K-1 for extensions, I've been done since Friday.  Heart-rate finally getting back to normal.

2028 we have both Leap Year and April 15th falls on a Saturday so we get 3 extra days to work that year.

Yaawwn. Retirement is so relaxing.

But not as busy as last year, thanks to TurboTax

Total e-filing returns received (may not equal subtotals due to rounding)

2025   98,184,000    2026  97,969,000 -0.2
E-filing returns received from tax professionals   53,392,000   52,773,000   -1.2
E-filing returns received from self-prepared   44,792,000   45,196,000   0.9

I've been doing crosswords over here, picking the fleas off the dog!  Not really, the dog would fire me if he had fleas.

I've read most of the responses, and I've got to say you guys are SO SO nice!!  I've been doing this for decades - started when I was 5.  My clients know, you bring me stuff the last week, maybe the last 2 weeks, you may be looking at an extension, "you owe last year, you can pay with your extension or expect a penalty if you DO end up owing - your choice."  Believe me, my clients know I bend over backwards for them.  I answer calls no matter where I am because most of the time, it takes 2 minutes to answer.  But they also know our family has a family business and I have a special needs child that requires a lot of my time, and up until a couple of years ago I homeschooled our daughter who is now going to college to be a veterinarian and I helped take care of my grandparents, not to mention serving for various community non profits.  So my clients know poor planning on their part does not mean an emergency on mine.

I say all that to say, yes sometimes we need to use this forum just to vent, but in case your having a hard time with this, its ok to tell your clients you are not going to drive yourself to an early grave just for them.  We're already probably driving ourselves to an early grave for the collective, but you don't have to do it for one client.  It's ok to say no.  Just for those that need someone's permission, now you have it. 

Many years ago a client brought info in on Monday, April 13. I told him we would work on it and probably extend it, and he approved.

We finished the next day, called him and he said he'd be in the next day, but didn't come in.

We extended it. Why bother?

Small 990 client calls IronWoman this morning.  New treasurer for the entity that their 990 was originally due March 15th.  She has been "really busy" and is learning Quickooks and asks IronWoman if she can look at her Quickbooks file before her board meeting tonight.  As Bill Engvall would say ----------------- here's your sign!

As many of you know, I have never taken an accounting course in my life, so to find gainful employment after April 15 I had to go to law school, and now I do a lot of estate planning and probate work because (with rare exceptions) I haven't taken any new clients for 20 years, and I'm just trying to survive the old ones.  

I make sure to tell all my clients that they're not allowed to die before April 15, but one of them didn't make it.  The widow called to report his demise on Sunday, with of course a long narrative about his final days.  That's why I have a sympathetic assistant who patiently listens to such stories.  And passes along the standard advice:  Nothing has to be done right now, except the mortuary arrangements.  We'll get back to you later this week.

Surviving spouse is much younger but recently retired, so after this year may be a nonfiler.  The husband was still working, a W-2 job he could do from home with just a computer, telephone and decades of experience.  Sort of like preparing tax returns.