What should an accounting firm automate before tax season starts?
Changes made in January become problems in March. Set up and test in the fall.
- What should be ready by January?
- When should we start?
- How do we test without upsetting clients?
By the end of the year, have these ready and tested: personal document checklists in your portal, reminder schedules, online booking for appointments, status updates by stage, e-signature and payment links, and an intake flow for new clients. Test them with staff and a small group of friendly clients in November and December, then switch on in early January.
Pre-season checklist
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| June to August | Review last season: where time and clients were lost |
| September to October | Build or update workflows, templates and messages |
| November | Test with staff and a few friendly clients |
| December | Fix issues, train staff, write the client season guide |
| Early January | Switch on checklists, reminders and booking |
Update marketing too
Pre-season is also when prospects look for a new accountant. Make sure your Google Business Profile, website service pages and ads are current. Our tax season marketing guide covers timing.
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We run off-season projects so firms enter January with tested systems, and freeze changes during the season except fixes.
- New systems launched in February.
- No test with real clients.
- Staff trained on day one of the season.
- Outdated hours and services online.
- A season review in summer.
- Testing in November.
- A client season guide in January.
- A change freeze in season.
What accountants and regulators say
Here is what practitioners say.
Preparers share off-season checklists and what they wish they'd set up earlier.
Browse the threads →Firm owners discuss when they make workflow changes and why they avoid doing it in season.
Browse the threads →Google advises keeping Business Profile information current, which matters before the season's search peak.
Read Google's guidance →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll build and test your season workflows in the fall.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Is it too late in December?
For small changes, no. For new software or integrations, it's tight.
Should we raise fees before the season?
Many firms announce fee changes with the January season guide.
Do we need a client season guide?
Yes. A one-page guide reduces calls and late documents.