Busy Season 2026: 30-Day Pre-Season Plan for Small Tax Firms
Small firms don’t lose busy season in one dramatic mistake. They lose it to tiny frictions that compound: incomplete intake, sluggish signatures, duplicate data entry, and version drift between bookkeeping and tax. This is a pragmatic 30-day plan you can run in December to enter January with clean pipelines, predictable capacity, and fewer “where is my 8879?” emails.
Days 1–3: Define the work and the rules
Client inventory: segment prior-year clients and new leads by entity (1040, 1065, 1120-S) and complexity (A/B/C).
Service playbooks: document the exact steps for each return type. Keep them to one page.
SLAs: intake triage within 48 hours, review within 5 days of complete docs, e-signature turnaround within 24 hours.
Days 4–7: Kill re-entry and version drift
Single source of truth: decide where client data lives and who is accountable for changes.
Chart alignment: map the chart of accounts to tax forms and standardize naming conventions.
Change log: every edit leaves a documented trail and a rollback option.
Days 8–11: Intake clients actually complete
Friction audit: rewrite requests for clarity and split big tasks into <5-minute steps.
Sequenced reminders: schedule polite, time-boxed nudges for missing W-2/1099/bank statements (e.g., 24/72 hours).
Mobile-first: assume clients will complete everything on a phone; test it yourself.
Days 12–15: E-sign and 8879 flow that doesn’t stall
Template once: standard e-sign packets with conditional pages by return type and state.
Send at the right time: batch sends to land in the client’s early evening; avoid mid-workday churn.
Exception queue: any failed identity verification or bounce routes to a human within 4 business hours.
Days 16–20: Build the triage lane
Red-Yellow-Green tags: label work by completeness and blocker type.
Reviewer allocation: seniors take yellows, partners clear reds, juniors push greens through.
Daily stand-down: a 10-minute end-of-day huddle to unstick yellows before they become reds.
Days 21–24: Always-on quality checks
Automated pre-flight: verify required attachments, e-sign status, balance sheet ties, and unexpected deltas vs prior year.
Random sampling: review 10% of greens to prevent silent errors and drift from playbooks.
Continuous improvement: recurring misses become checklist items, not tribal knowledge.
Days 25–27: Communication you can reuse
Template set: welcome, missing docs, ready-to-review, e-sign, filed/accepted.
Tone guide: concise, respectful, action-first. One ask per message.
Micro-tour: one short GIF showing “upload → review → sign.” Reuse it in emails and your portal.
Days 28–30: Capacity model and a February rehearsal
Capacity math: hours by complexity band, reviewer availability, and a 10–15% slack buffer.
War-game: process five returns end-to-end using the exact steps above. Time the handoffs, remove one bottleneck per day.
Cut list: services you will not accept during peak weeks unless priced for the interruption.
The two-hour rehearsal: a step-by-step example
Import prior-year data and confirm entity/complexity tags.
Trigger tailored intake with checklists per entity and state.
Route to reviewer once docs are complete; issue e-sign packet.
Run pre-flight checks and log any exceptions.
Capture metrics: time-to-complete-intake, e-sign turnaround, exceptions per return, review cycle time.
Roles and handoffs
Intake Coordinator: owns completeness and reminders; escalates blockers.
Reviewer: owns technical accuracy and consistency with playbooks.
Signer/Partner: clears reds, approves complex positions, and protects SLAs.
Ops Lead: tracks metrics, runs the daily stand-down, and updates playbooks weekly.
Metrics that matter (track weekly)
Cycle time: days from intake start to “ready to sign.”
E-sign turnaround: median hours from send to complete.
First-pass yield: % of returns that need zero rework post-review.
Work mix: % green/yellow/red and how long items remain in each state.
Reminder effectiveness: completion rate after the first and second nudge.
Intake checklist (copy/paste)
Client identity verified
Entity and state requirements loaded
Prior-year return on file
Income/expense docs checked against checklist
Engagement letter acknowledged
Payment terms agreed
Preferred comms channel set (email/SMS)
E-sign checklist
Packet template matches return type
Correct signers assigned and ordered
KBA or equivalent verification configured
Follow-ups scheduled at 24/72 hours
Bounce/failed attempts routed to exception queue
Quality checklist
Balance sheet ties where applicable
Prior-year deltas beyond thresholds reviewed
State addenda included
Reviewer notes resolved or documented
Final package consistent with playbook
FAQ
How long does this setup take? A minimal flow can be assembled in 15–30 minutes if you reuse templates and focus on a single entity first.
What reduces client friction the fastest? Clear, mobile-friendly intake, short tasks, and respectful, timed reminders.
How do we keep reviewers from becoming the bottleneck? Enforce the triage lane, protect reviewer focus blocks, and escalate reds to partners quickly.
What if clients refuse portals? Offer a backup path, but keep it consistent with your intake checklist and security standards.
One-page “operator view” (pin this)
Today’s goals: reduce reds by 20%, clear all yellows older than 48 hours, ship all pending signatures.
Non-negotiables: SLAs hold, playbooks are followed, and every exception is logged.
Tomorrow’s prep: refresh the cut list, update the micro-tour if clients get stuck, and schedule the next five-client rehearsal.