ETax847 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 Just curious as to whether fellow tax preparers send out their Tax Organizers to clients in December or January of next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 I was waiting for the 2014 mileage rates to be announced so my final edits will be done by end of week and I am planning tp mail out on the 18th. This year I decided to do a week sooner because I was getting a lot of calls about next year based on TV news coverage about Obamacare and taxes in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 We don't normally send organizers until January. That way people have started getting their informational statements from their employers and investments to use in completing the organizer. I usually try to send out a newsletter in December, with a pocket calendar enclosed. I have been waiting for the mileage rate to complete that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Gail has a good compromise. Few people really want to even think about taxes during the holiday period, but a newsletter is sort of a lower-level reminder. If they get the organizer too soon, many misplace it, or else file it 'for later' without even opening it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I normally send out a letter in December; more of a reminder that I am still in business. In it, I offer the option of an Organizer which can be e-mailed, mailed or picked up. Just had one picked up today. New client is leaving for Az next week and wants to work on it while he is gone. Really, I find that if they want an organizer they will not be shy about asking for it. For years I sent them to most of my clients and always to businesses. However, I found that only certain clients filled it out consistently. Many brought it back empty, which was OK. What was not OK was the ones who didn't even bring it back for me to use. After a few years, you find out what most of them are going to want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Whether you send out the Organizer in late December or early January does not really matter because during the holidays they will NOT deal with it. The advantage of sending in December is a minor one to let them know that you are still in business. As you can imagine your competitors go full steam with their ads starting January. For my established clients I really don't care if they fill it out completely. What I am doing is helping them remember the questions they should ask themselves and get me the documentation. I really hate it when someone forgets a 1099 or a other piece of documentation that is critical to preparing the return correctly, but the client was not aware of its importance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I usually send out a letter talking generally about the next tax season, etc in late December, followed in a couple of days with a privacy notice, followed in a couple of more days with an engagement letter. These are all done via e-mail. When I get back the Engagement Letter I send out the Tax Organizer. I also send out an e-mail 2/1, 3/1 and 3/15 for those that have not yet responded. Any response to the 3/15 contact is automatically put on extension....maybe the 2/15 based upon the workload that is alreay in the pipeline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 How many pages is your typical 1040 organizer? Do you expect them to e-mail or fax the competed organizers? Most of my clients will not scan or fax the completed questionnaire. Those who complete it either mail it to me or deposit it in my drop box. I do ask them to call me to confirm that they got it, ask any questions etc. and that gives me an idea how many clients are at risk of going AWOL! It really works most of the years as a good indicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 My entire practice is internet based. I do not have any office appoiintments, therefore, they all complete the Tax Organizer. I have transferred the ATX organizer to an Excel document. It is a little long and I am in the process of shortening it up. Last years organizer was 26 pages, including the intro letter, the two pages of questions and two pages of clergy info. All my communications is also via e-mail. I generally do not answer phone calls (emergency calls yes. I do give all clients my phone number). If I get a call, generally off a recorder, I usually just send an e-mail response. There has been no real resistance to this and it also gives me a written record of the questions and answers to all queries, regardless of how I received it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Very interesting. How do you market yourself? Internet ads? Website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I do not do any advertising. I tried it about 5 years ago for 2 years running. The ads only netted barely enough business to cover the advertising costs. I get all my business growth from referrals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 I gave up on local newspaper ads because i was competing against other preparers in town who were offering $20 coupons to walk in clients (mostly EITC eligible) and selling bank products with jacked up fees. Now 100% is client referral, no walk in and I want to build a lasting business relationship with my good clients, so I will do FAFSA forms, respond to CP2000 etc. without any additional charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 Very interesting. How do you market yourself? Internet ads? Website? I have a niche practice. I only prepare returns for clergy or religious works, current or retired. In my case my advertising is through word-of-mouth, denominational mailing lists (e-mail only) and denominational print media such as magazines or newspapers/newsletters. While this only produced 40 referrals for 2012, 26 turned into tax returns. I do have a website, however, it is hurting right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W Ristau CPA Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 End of December is when we send ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJStephens Posted December 14, 2013 Report Share Posted December 14, 2013 Like MAMalody, my practice is almost exclusively internet based and clergy-centric. Most of my clients are scattered all around Ohio but I have clients in 21 other states. Many started out here in Ohio but moved; others somehow heard about me and contacted me. I created my own organizer many years ago and just update it each year (still working on the 2014 update). It's a 9-10 page fillable Word form. I'd be happy to share it with anyone who wants to take a look at it. Just PM me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted December 15, 2013 Report Share Posted December 15, 2013 I would be interested. Sent you a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CathysTaxes Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 I don't think any of my clients would use an organizer (well, maybe one or two). It's an effort to get most of them to sign the engagement letter, the bank account verification document, and the 8879. They think I'm their personal assistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 I don't think any of my clients would use an organizer (well, maybe one or two). It's an effort to get most of them to sign the engagement letter, the bank account verification document, and the 8879. They think I'm their personal assistant. You can change that perception in a hurry!. When I first started I used to sort through shoe boxes of receipts, neatly stapling them in bundles by category with a tape of the totals. No more. If they want that service I have an assistant that will do it for $15/hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted December 19, 2013 Report Share Posted December 19, 2013 Like MAMalody, my practice is almost exclusively internet based and clergy-centric. Most of my clients are scattered all around Ohio but I have clients in 21 other states. Many started out here in Ohio but moved; others somehow heard about me and contacted me. I created my own organizer many years ago and just update it each year (still working on the 2014 update). It's a 9-10 page fillable Word form. I'd be happy to share it with anyone who wants to take a look at it. Just PM me. Did you get my PM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 Would any of you who send out letters be willing to share them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshtax Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 We send them out when requested now. So many clients didnt even open them we decided we were wasting paper and postage. Trying to find a way to put them online so clients can access and complete electronically but havent got that one figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 That is a problem that haunted me for a long time. Finally I did a survey of my clients and figured out who is going to use an Organizer or checklist and who will just show up at the appointment with a shoebox full of stuff. I have a fellow that likes to use a milk crate for his tax document filing system! I mail the organizers to those who find it helpful, and if they do it right their fees reflect my appreciation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAMalody Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 We send them out when requested now. So many clients didnt even open them we decided we were wasting paper and postage. Trying to find a way to put them online so clients can access and complete electronically but havent got that one figured out. Sinply make it a downloadable document on your website. You can make it a Word doc, an Excel doc or even a fillable pdf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 I don't send Word or Excel files to gather information because the user could change it. I prefer Pdf that can not be edited, except for the fillable part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 We send them out when requested now. So many clients didnt even open them we decided we were wasting paper and postage. Trying to find a way to put them online so clients can access and complete electronically but havent got that one figured out.I send my yearly letter and tell them to notify me if they want an Organizer. There are a handful who I know want it and some have already picked them up. Otherwise, yes, a lot of paper and toner was being wasted. Yearly letters went out today.; as did four Organizers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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