Client Management

  • Boosting Client Retention: Essential Tips for Tax Preparation Businesses

    Client retention is key to the long-term success of any tax preparation business. Keeping clients happy and loyal contributes to a steady revenue stream and helps build a strong reputation. Why Client Retention Matters When it comes to staying ahead of the tax prep competition, maintaining a loyal client base is crucial. Not only does…

  • 6 Practical Tips for Managing Difficult Tax Clients

    6 Practical Tips for Managing Difficult Tax Clients Tax season can bring out the best—and worst—in your clientele. Stress, deadlines, and complex financial issues may cause some tax customers to act impatient, defensive, or outright combative. As a professional tax preparer, knowing how to handle difficult clients is essential for maintaining professionalism, protecting your time,…

  • 5 Tips for Tax Pros: Client Satisfaction and Retention

    Client satisfaction and retention are some of the basic building blocks for tax preparers looking to establish a sustainable and profitable practice. After all, happy clients return year after year and refer others, while dissatisfied clients may not only leave but also share negative experiences. Fortunately, there are strategic ways to keep clients engaged, satisfied,…

  • Tax Preparer Questions for Clients

    For tax preparers, obtaining precise information from clients is necessary to properly compile and file their returns. Tax professionals can proactively retrieve this information by asking critical questions and strategically seeking specific client data. In doing so, preparers can identify clients’ extenuating circumstances and support a successful tax preparation process.   We at Drake Software understand…

  • Business or Pleasure: Determining if Your Hobby is Considered a Trade

    What is a Trade or Business? Simply put, a trade or business must satisfy the need to make a profit.  If you don’t plan to make a profit, then this is not a business, it is a hobby.  The reason for opening a business is to provide a livelihood for you (and your family). If…

  • Deducting the Cost of Looking for Work

    What You Need to Know When Deducting Job-Hunt Expenses Last week the IRS released information pertaining to deducting job search costs, including a list of nine “key tax facts” on the subject.

  • How to Handle Cash Intensive Businesses

    The purpose of this article is to explore the methods for analyzing cash-based businesses.  We will explore techniques for uncovering unreported income.  I will take you into the new digital world for hiding cash transactions through cellphone transfers, EFTs, PayPal, and WebMoney.  We’ll discover how barter and bit-coins are finding common alliances.  Reference is made…

  • If the Customer Can’t Pay The Tax VI If You Receive an IRS Notice, Here’s What to Do

    Each year the IRS sends millions of letters and notices to taxpayers. Although some people may feel anxious when they receive one, many are easy to resolve. Here’s what to do if you receive a letter or notice from the IRS: Don’t panic. Follow the instructions in the letter. There are many reasons the IRS…

  • If the Customer Can’t Pay the Taxes III-The Collection Process

    If you do not pay in full when you file your tax return, you will receive written notice of the amount you owe, a bill. This bill starts the IRS collection process, which continues until your account is satisfied or until the IRS may no longer legally collect the tax; for example, when the time…

  • If The Customer Can’t Pay The Tax – Part II

     Offer in Compromise  An offer in compromise (OIC) is an agreement between a taxpayer and the Internal Revenue Service that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. If the liabilities can be fully paid through an installment agreement or other means, the taxpayer will in most cases not be eligible…