Tax Return Triage: 60-Minute Setup & Daily Ritual

When the clock is ticking, triage = routing the right returns to the right people in the right order. Use this 60-minute setup and a 20-minute daily ritual to keep work moving, unblock fast, and ship on time—without burning out your seniors.

Why triage beats “first-in, first-out”

Busy season creates simultaneous “urgents.” FIFO ignores complexity and blocker risk. Triage optimizes for impact and time to unblock, reducing idle WIP and context switching.

Before → After

• Before: scattered spreadsheets, unclear priorities, manual follow-ups, mystery blockers.

• After: one prioritized queue, standard statuses, scheduled reminders, clear owner per task.

The 4×4 Triage Grid (prioritize in this order)

Score each return on two axes. Total = 0–8. Work top-down.

Axis A — Filing Risk (0–4)
0: extension filed; 4: imminent filing with penalty exposure if late.

Axis B — Unblock Time (0–4)
0: fully ready; 4: blocked by client/third party with >48h lead time.

Tie-breakers: client tier (A/B), revenue impact, contractual SLAs.

Roles & swimlanes (keep it simple)

• Intake Lead: validates completeness, tags blockers, triggers reminders.

• Preparer: drafts, ties out, updates status; flags issues in comments.

• Reviewer/Senior: reviews high-risk items first; approves or loops back.

• Admin/Client Ops: runs daily reminder queue, handles e-sign and missing items.

Goal: seniors spend time on judgment, not hunting files.

60-minute setup (one-time)

1. Centralize the queue: list entity, due date, blocker status, client tier, assignee.

2. Standardize statuses: Missing Docs, Ready for Prep, In Review, Client e-Sign, Ready to e-file, Filed.

3. Define blocker tags: W-2/1099 missing, bank statements, 8879 not signed, K-1 pending, GL mapping, third-party confirmations.

4. Reminder rhythm:

   • Missing docs → email/SMS cadence every 24h (then every 48h) until resolved.

   • 8879 pending → initial request + reminders at T+24h and T+72h.

   • Third-party items (e.g., K-1s) → request + calendar follow-up date.

5. Dashboards to watch: (a) count by status, (b) 4×4 score distribution, (c) items aging >3 days.

20-minute daily ritual (Mon–Fri)

• 0–5 min: sort by total score, then due date; assign top 10 clearly.

• 5–10 min: unblock: queue reminders, request K-1s, ping clients/third parties.

• 10–15 min: review yesterday’s loop-backs; escalate two oldest blockers.

• 15–20 min: sanity check: waiting e-signs? anything >3 days in one status?

Example: three returns, one hour

• Smith S-Corp — Risk 4, Unblock 1 (needs reviewer only) → Review first; file today.

• Gonzalez 1040 — Risk 3, Unblock 3 (W-2 missing, e-sign pending) → Send reminders now; move off the critical lane.

• Harper Partnership — Risk 2, Unblock 0 (ready for prep) → Assign preparer a 2-hour focus block.

Outcome: you ship the sure thing, automate the blocked case, and keep a preparer productive—no idle time.

Metrics that matter (track daily)

• % returns with clear status (target ≥95%)

• Age-in-status median (target ≤2 days)

• Blockers resolved within 72h (target ≥80%)

• On-time e-files vs. plan

Communication templates (fill-in-the-blank)

Missing docs (email/SMS):
“Hi {{First}}, we’re ready to proceed. Still missing: {{Doc List}}. Upload by {{Date}} to stay on schedule. Reply if you need help.”

8879 reminder (email):
“Hi {{First}}, please review and e-sign Form 8879 for {{Tax Year}}. This takes <2 minutes. Signing by {{Date}} keeps your filing on time.”

Third-party request (email):
“Hello {{Firm/Contact}}, we’re awaiting {{K-1/Statement}} for {{Client}}. Please send by {{Date}}. Thanks for confirming receipt.”

Risk controls (don’t skip)

• Checklist on handoff (preparer → reviewer) to reduce ping-pong.

• Two-person review for high-risk returns (score ≥6).

• Escalation rule: any item stuck >72h gets partner visibility.

• Stamped timeline of status changes to preserve auditability.

Common pitfalls & fixes

• Everything feels urgent: anchor on ship-ability (risk + time to unblock).

• Status drift: lock to the standardized list; no free-text.

• Client stalls e-sign: shorter emails, mobile-friendly flow, consistent timing.

• Seniors doing admin: reassign reminders and chases to Admin/Client Ops.

Checklist: your triage, ready to run

• One prioritized queue with due date, blocker tag, assignee

• 4×4 score on every return

• Standard statuses applied consistently

• Reminder cadences live for docs & e-sign

• Daily 20-minute triage calendar hold

• Dashboard for age-in-status + at-risk returns

• Tie-breaker playbook (tier, revenue, SLA)

FAQs

How is this different from FIFO?
FIFO ignores unblock time. Triage prioritizes what can ship today and schedules actions to unblock the rest.

Won’t scoring add work?
Initial scoring takes ~30 seconds/return and prevents hours of context switching and stale WIP.

What if everything is “urgent”?
Use tie-breakers and focus on ship-ability: risk + time to unblock beats “who shouts loudest.”

How do we keep clients from stalling e-sign?
Short, specific reminders + mobile-first experience, sent at the right times, every time.