The Pre-Season Tax Business Success Guide: 7 Key Things to Lock In Right Before Tax Season Starts (Part 1)
- Profit Edge Team
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Tax businesses that grow year over year make plans and follow a clear pre-season success guide long before the first return is filed.
Once tax season begins, time flies by, decisions get made quickly, and by the time you realize there's a problem it's often too late.
This pre-season guide focuses on what to lock in right before tax season starts. Make sure you have these things in place to prevent chaos, protect margins, and create a smoother client experience.
1. Finalize Your Intake Process
A smooth intake process is foundational to all successful tax businesses.
Before tax season begins, your intake system should be fully finalized:
Client document checklists
Intake forms and questionnaires
Secure upload or document submission methods
Signature and authorization workflows
When intake is unclear, time is wasted, returns are delayed, and clients become frustrated. You can overcome operational confusion by being prepared.
2. Set Clear Communication Expectations With Clients
Clear communication is crucial for tax businesses, and it delivers immediate ROI.
Every client should understand:
Typical turnaround times
How and when your office communicates important information
How they should communicate with your office
What to bring to their appointments (see our guide in Free Tools)
What to expect during peak weeks
There are many tools out there to help modern tax offices communicate with customers. Ensuring you have clear communications systems in place reduces inbound calls, follow-ups, and misunderstandings during the busiest part of the season.
3. Lock in Pricing & Discounts
Pricing uncertainty creates stress for both staff and clients.
Before tax season:
Finalize pricing logic and discounts
Train staff on how to explain fees and add-ons
Remove discretionary or “we’ll decide later” pricing
Put all pricing into your tax preparation software
Make sure you add-ons (bank products, audit protection, etc.) are integrated
Strong tax businesses do not rely on discounts to win trust. They rely on clarity, consistency, and confidence.
4. Ensure Your Team Is Fully Trained on Tax Software and Core Systems
During tax season, there enough issues that your team will be forced to just "figure it out," not knowing how to operate core systems should not be one of those issues.
Before the rush, every team member should be fully trained on:
Your tax preparation software
Client management or CRM systems
Document management and workflow tools
Follow up and referrals
Key best practices:
Conduct hands-on training, not just video walkthroughs
Test real-world scenarios (amended returns, rejected e-files, extensions)
Ensure staff knows where to find help and when to escalate
When staff is undertrained, small issues become bottlenecks, and those bottlenecks multiply quickly during peak weeks.
5. Update Your Online Presence and Client Touchpoints
Your online presence is one of the most visible parts of your tax business during tax season.
Before the rush:
Update Google Business Profile hours
Confirm website and social media contact information is current
Update voicemail and auto-responses
Prospective clients searching for tax help will not wait for confusion to be resolved.
6. Prepare Your Referral and Review System in Advance
Referrals for tax businesses do not happen by accident. They happen by design.
Before tax season:
Decide when reviews will be requested
Prepare simple referral language
Train staff on when to ask
The most effective referrals for tax businesses occur when expectations are met and relief is felt—usually right after a return is completed.
7. Define Roles, Responsibilities, and Escalation Paths
Ambiguity slows everything down.
A strong tax preparation guide clearly defines:
Who handles intake questions
Who resolves issues
Who communicates delays
When responsibility is unclear, problems last longer than necessary.
Closing Thought
A strong tax season does not start in January. It starts with a clear expectations and disciplined decisions made in advance. We recommend you develop your own tax business success guide to ensure you are ready when tax season hits.
Get your free copy of our Tax Business Success Guide in the Free Tools section of our website.
Profit Edge Tax is an industry-leading software & services company. We exist to help tax business owners and service bureaus put $1,000s in lost profit back into their businesses.
We provide a suite of tools and support designed to help tax businesses operate more efficiently and profitably.
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