As you gear up for the new tax season, you’ll need to decide how and where you plan to work this year to accommodate the needs of your clients, any employees, and yourself. In this post, we’ll help you plan for any situation, whether you work fully remotely, fully in-person, or somewhere in between.
Will you be remote?
Going 100% remote may be the best option for your businesses if many of your clients prefer virtual meetings. If you plan to be fully remote this year, here’s how you can set yourself up for success:
Create a focused workspace
It may be tempting to work from your couch, but you’re far more likely to stay productive and focused if you go into the office or create a dedicated workspace in your home. If you currently rent an office space and think remote work will be a long-term solution for you, you may consider cutting costs by forgoing your office in favor of a home office.
Ensure secure document sharing with clients
With no in-person meetings, clients will need a way to share their tax documents with you securely. Scanning and emailing is an option, but it’s tedious and leaves your clients open to security threats. The TaxesToGo Mobile App provides a user-friendly, secure solution for sharing sensitive tax documents.
Clients can upload their documents directly into the app using their phone’s camera, and their information is auto-filled into your tax software. It simplifies the process significantly and is an essential tool for any tax professional working remotely this year.
Get familiar with video conferencing solutions
Since you’ll be taking your meetings virtually, you’ll need to be comfortable with Zoom or another video conferencing software. Ideally, you should be comfortable enough with it that you can offer directions to clients who might be using it for the first time. If you don’t feel particularly tech-savvy, don’t worry – a few simple tutorials like these will make you a pro in no time.
Will you be in-person?
If you’re meeting clients in person, just remember that these interactions may be different than what they were pre-pandemic. Depending on the laws in your state or city, there may be health ordinances you are required to follow.
Regardless, you may consider asking clients and employees to wear a mask in the office if they are feeling ill, and sanitize commonly touched surfaces each day.
Will you do a hybrid?
Most tax preparers will likely find themselves offering some combination of remote and in-person services. In addition to the tips above, you’ll want to focus on staying organized as you balance the two different methods of work.
Go for cloud-based tax software
A cloud-based tax software will allow you to easily work from any, whether that’s at the office for your in-person meetings or from your kitchen table during a virtual meeting. You’ll be able to access your software and get work done from anywhere with internet access. If you’re hesitant to make the switch, this comparison of cloud-based and desktop-based tax software can help you determine what’s right for your business this year.
Automate wherever possible
When you’re taking meetings both in-person and remotely, scheduling and other tasks can be tricky. To stay organized and minimize stress, try to automate these tasks before tax season begins. Scheduling, client onboarding, and document management are just a few of the tasks that can be simplified with free or inexpensive software solutions.
This article is up to date for tax year 2022 (returns filed in 2023).
