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I/we have never computed such a number. More items are far more important. The last 10 years, at the firm, 30,000+ returns, 5 total audits for returns that we prepared. Preparing returns is different than a factory production line. I have a higher regard for our business than that. Therefore, ratio, and all the other indicators I see used in this kind of discussion seem to trivialize my profession. These discussions feel like the method the big box stores use with their "customers." I have clients, not customers. There is a difference, and I will ALWAYS have clients instead of customers.

He can obviate the estimated tax problem by taking a salary/bonus check in December and allocating most of it to withholding taxes. (for example, $10K salary, less $765 SocSec/Med, less $8K Federal Withholding for a net check of $1,235. Adjust as necessary for state tax, etc.) The withholding paid via W-2 is considered as being paid in equal amounts throughout the year.

You can follow the big box stores and pay a percentage of the bills as a bonus after deducting the amount you already paid during the season. You can adjust as necessary so you get your requested 3X what your preparers get. YOU have the info you need to create your multipliers for next season. WE don't treat our employees that way.

OP Sounds like you run an H&R....or JH.....where the customers come in for simple returns and big refunds. You don't build relationships...you focus on turnover. This isn't what most of us are about. I do everything myself. Some of my more complex returns are quicker than some of the simple ones, where I have to do explaining and/or hand holding. That's because I focus on the person and what that person needs. I don't want the "one shot" deals.

I use my phone/tablet a lot, because it would be a huge pain to drag my laptop everywhere and it can't take decent pictures. I have been to 4 doctor appointments with my mom in the last week and it's so much easier to take a picture of doctor orders, her new doctor referral, etc and then drag it into Evernote/and her folder, which then syncs to my tablet and laptop. I know that I could be much more efficient if I took some classes at the local community college. Any technical skills that I have are totally self taught as they were still teaching typing when I went to high school. Today I was doing group texts to my siblings giving them the updates and the new appointments that are coming up.My phone is password protected and running three different anti-virus and malware programs. It will mostly self destruct if I lose it.

I agree with Jack and KC. Tax returns and taxpayers are too varied to come up with an average time or cost. You can have two clients with Sch Cs, one with all receipts neatly summarized, another with a shopping bag full of every piece of mail that looks financial he got all year, including birthday cards and the life insurance bill he threw in the bag instead of paid. Of course you charge the shopping bag guy a lot more because it takes so long to organize his mess. You still end up with two Sch Cs, so an average makes no sense. Then there are the clients you have to chase for missing info. Some of these people are missing half their tax data, and they piecemeal it to you so you never know where you are in the return. Others are missing something simple like their car taxes and get the number to you the next day (or two months later). The preparer not only has to input the data but be thorough enough to know what's not there and communicate with the client. Takes time, but again the fees will reflect that. At the chains the model is pretty much to get every client in and out in an hour or less. I wonder how often things like car taxes are ignored because the client doesn't have them with him or her and no one wants to put a return on hold. In a professional practice, it can take a whole season to determine how much an employee brings in per hour. Some days I put more returns on hold than I complete--looks like I didn't cover my pay. Then one day a dozen clients provide that last bit of info and I collect thousands. Again, averages don't work. Perhaps instead of calculating ratios and averages, you should offer a reasonable hourly rate. If you only have a only few employees it won't take long to see who is earning their keep and who is texting all day. Remember too that experience with each client's quirks will help to speed things up in the future. I have a couple of shopping bag clients who used to take me hours to sort and categorize. Now that I know them and what to expect in those bags, I can separate the wheat from the chaff in no time.

I agree with Jack on this part. No two Sch C's are the same, ditto Corps and Partnerships and LLC's. The time is going to depend mostly on how complete and how well organized the records the client provides are, plus # of partners/members, etc. Even 1040's can vary widely. Say four returns, all 1040's, and say 3 W-2s each. But Taxpayer A has education credits, interest income, and a 2106. Taxpayer B has a Sch B, a Sch D and a retirement plan rollover and RMD calculation. Taxpayer C has Sch A, with 6 non-cash contributions, significant medical expenses, and they refi-ed their home mortgage. Taxpayer D has nothing but those W-2s and a little UI. Are you going to pay the preparers the same for each of those? Or expect each to take about the same time?

This was moved [Judy? Eric?] but I moved it back for a reason. It's not a political piece, it gives arguments for both sides, it's from Accounting Today, and I'm really interested in hearing opinions from all here. I have mixed feelings about it myself so hope for thoughts from the group. Few read the Politics forum, which is fine, but I'm hoping for input from more on here. Please give your thoughts on the tax issues, and, as much as possible, leave the 'politics' out of it.

I still like paper. I read real books. I highlight and write margin notes in my texts and reference books. I read cheap paperback books on vacation or at the beach or anyplace my Nook or an iPad might get ruined or lost. If I finish a book or magazine, I leave it behind if there's a place someone would pick it up and read it, like a waiting room. If it's a subscription, I tear off my name and address. I consider where to take electronics, the risk/reward of having them lost or stolen or soaked or overheated in the sun vs. the need to receive a phone call from a client in the midst of an issue, for instance. I can pack lighter with a Nook on a long trip than a bunch of books. And, sometimes I just have to have my laptop, that monthly spreadsheet is due while I'm gone. But, I do try to consider what media is necessary &/or more convenient.

If every tax return was exactly the same, your question could have a valid answer. Given the reality of our world, an accurate answer to your question is not possible. I prefer a knowledgeable, precise and ethical person to a fast person.

We still subscribe to the newspaper, but most of the time it sits in the plastic delivery bag until garbage day, then it goes out of the bag and into the recycle bin. If my wife didn't occasionally look for coupons, and if our paper didn't add the online version for an extra $10/yer, I'm not sure we would even renew. I get more info, and faster, online than I ever could get with the newspaper. Your nephew is pretty much on target.

I was at my young nephew's house. I said: "Give me a newspaper." He said newspapers are obsolete and handed me his I-Pad. The fly never knew what hit him!

If you want to consume information (books, photos, social networking, websites, documents, etc while in bed or on the couch, I find the tablet form factor is more comfortable than a laptop.   Some people attach keyboard covers to them and use them as laptops, but as someone who types about 90 wpm on a desktop keyboard, and 70 wpm on a good laptop keyboard with decent key travel (like a mac or a thinkpad), I find doing anything more than a quick message on a tablet/phone to be a horrible experience.   So, for me, a tablet isn't so great for creating content, but it's fine for reading/researching/learning.    Catherine, as to your worries about privacy: You're screwed.  Not just with tablets, but anything digital.  No doubt you're using Windows, and Microsoft has most likely added a backdoor.  I'm pretty sure I saw some headlines over the past week or two about Apple and the backdoors they've added to their devices.  I doubt the NSA has to work very hard at all to access whatever they want.   You don't sound interested in having a tablet/smartphone, but if you were, this is how I would go about it to maximize security/privacy: Get an Android device with a big developer following.  Any Nexus device, for example. Replace the pre-installed OS (Android) with CyanogenMod, which is still Android, but built from AOSP (Android Open Source Project).  The source code is available for all to scrutinize.  Cyanogenmod also adds additional features. Disable GPS and other Location services. Note that every time you install any app, you are told exactly what access to the system the app is requesting, whether it's your contacts list, location info, local storage, etc.  So pay attention to that and don't install apps that ask for more access than they need to do their task. Cyanogenmod has features that allow you to block app access to the system, so even if you installed an app that wants access to your contacts, you can choose revoke that permission.

Looking at the various responses to this question, I begin to think of how my life has changed with this tool. A friend who is very high-tech kept telling me it would change how I organize my life, both work and personal. So I gave in and bought my first iPad 4 years ago. At first it was a novelty - I used it occasionally to check email and look stuff up. (The original iPad didn't have a camera). Nevertheless, I began to realize how much freedom it provided, increasing my efficiency and helping me stay in touch. Eventually I came to realize just how useful it was, especially when I bought an iPad II with a camera. It also helped that data plans kept improving and at the same time wifi became more prevalent. Better and more useful apps kept coming along as people began to see the power of this technology. Today, I can get by with just my iPhone for many tasks, but I still want the iPad handy when I'm doing something that requires lots of keyboard work or a bigger screen with more detail. I think some people never get past the gaming and hobby use of their tablet. For them, a tablet is a toy or a status symbol, and that's all it will ever be. For others it's a business tool as well as a way to stay in touch with friends across town or around the world. And when I'm in India, it sure is nice to call my wife on Facebook and speak with her face-to-face on a screen big enough to actually see the other person. So I'll have to say that gaming and hobby use aside, for some of us the tablet has become an integral part of how we function on a daily basis.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. I use it quite a bit. I use it to take notes in client meetings, and they sync with my desktop. I can send tasks directly from my client meetings to my staff or myself. I also use it daily for the reasons discussed by JohnH. Finally, I have Teamviewer on it and can access my desktop in a pinch if I really need to look at a tax return, etc. I don't absolutely NEED it, but I don't want to do without it. Also, from a leisure standpoint, I can access my Nook and Kindle libraries from the tablet, so I no longer carry my old Nook (first generation), and I've never purchased a Kindle. It's also a good way to entertain my 9 year old (books, games, access to netflix, etc.) if we're stuck somewhere. (Not relevant to many on this Board, but nevertheless a lifesaver sometimes.) I agree with Marilyn, and treat it as I treat my handbag.