Tax season. Two words guaranteed to make most accountants wince—or even despair. Right now, the chances are that you are staring down another 80-hour week, the looming 3/17 deadline, a mountain of client expectations, and the nagging feeling that this is not what you signed up for. If you're feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or even a bit resentful, you're not alone. But here's the reality check: this isn't going to fix itself.
The next five years are about to amplify challenges you've been feeling for years, and the accountants who get ahead will be those who confront reality now.
First, there's staffing. Talent shortages aren't easing; they're intensifying. The best candidates have options—lots of them—and they're no longer willing to put in unreasonable hours, even during tax season. If your firm can't offer meaningful work-life balance, flexibility, and professional growth, you'll find yourself scraping the barrel for talent or watching your best people walk out the door. That’s why Renew firms prioritize working a 40-hour week year-round, ban overtime and have no mandatory tax season hours.
Then there's client expectations. The transactional model of yesteryear isn't just exhausting; it's becoming obsolete. If you're stuck chasing volume, you're losing ground to firms that prioritize fewer, deeper, and more profitable client relationships.
Technology isn't slowing down either. AI isn't a futuristic idea—it's here, and it's showing signs that it will be capable of reshaping the profession. (If you looked at ChatGPT when it came out in December 2022 and thought it was useless, you were correct then, but it’s come SO FAR since). Firms clinging to old ways of doing things, fearing technology rather than embracing it, will find themselves stuck doing low-value, high-stress work, forever trapped in what we refer to as the Insanity Zone.
And let's talk pricing. Many accountants are still underpricing their services, underestimating their value, and tolerating clients who drain resources while in some cases CONSUMING profit (i.e., it costs more to serve them than you bill them). Without clearly defined minimum prices, and an ability to say NO to non-target clients and work that doesn’t make sense for your business model, firms will continue chasing revenue at the expense of their sanity and their weekends.
Finally, there's your personal reality check. If your firm's business model is built around tax season chaos, long hours, and endless firefighting, it's not sustainable. You're risking burnout, damaged relationships, and missed personal milestones you'll never get back. For you and your team.
Here's the tough truth: Change isn't optional anymore—it's essential. Firms thriving five years from now will have fundamentally reshaped how they do business. They'll have clarity on their business model, set clear boundaries around pricing and clients, invest deeply in their teams, and lead with advisory services that can be leveraged.
You can keep riding the exhausting rollercoaster of tax season after tax season, or you can decide right now that you're done settling. The next five years don't have to be painful. But that choice—and what you do next—is entirely yours.
Most accountants reading this will do nothing. And nothing will change. A small number will make a commitment to transform their firm. We hope you’ll be one of them. Schedule a call now and let’s chat about your firm and your goals and show you a blueprint to better way. (Appointments are open for after 4/15 if you’d prefer to wait till then, but either way, schedule something now while you remember!)
