Tax practitioners will be girding loins to deal with the inevitable last lap of the 2016-17 self-assessment filing season.
There are few firms who can boast that all clients’ returns are filed before the Christmas break.
January remains, for most advisors, a high-pressure period; a time when staff and partners are focussed on the 31 January filing deadline, on badgering clients to bring in missing information. To some extent this has been eased this year as most tax software has a link to download P60, P11D and other details directly from HMRC, but have HMRC recorded the information correctly?
Which is why practitioners should have some regard for those of us who may need advice unrelated to tax returns.
Gatekeepers are sharpening their swords, keen to keep all at bay while their over-worked tax professionals battle to meet the impending deadline. But is this prudent?
Should we not step back from tax compliance at least once a day, to return calls, keep in touch?
Practices that close the door to outside communications unconnected with tax filing matters during January run the risk that clients and other business prospects give up trying to contact them and open new lines of communication with an alternative advisor.
Clearly, we should not aspire to join the ranks of those described as “never in” or “never calls me back”.
If you would like to see how our online services could help you develop business for your firm, and keep your clients in the loop, call us any time for a demonstration.
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