Despite tax season being a time of great stress and strain for many CPAs, some firms are still able to show consistent growth every year, and have even been able to increase their work-life balance.

While this might seem inconceivable to many small accounting firms, the answer lies not in some sort of wizardry, but in outsourcing CPA work.

Why should your CPA firm outsource?

Although CPA firms naturally specialize in tax preparation and accounting, and are experts in it, the demands of tax season often leave them woefully burdened, as smaller firms struggle to keep up with the workload, and can’t afford to hire temporary in-house accountants to help them out.

Preparing tax returns, keeping on top of accounts, and calculating payable taxes are all tasks that an experienced outsourcing agency can easily and efficiently deal with. This then means that CPA firms are able to focus on growth, even at this notoriously busy time of the year, and address any work-life balance issues that may be hindering morale.

Here’s how to guarantee a successful experience with tax prep outsourcing

Firstly, while you may be able to find an outsourced accounting firm who can handle the more complex tax returns, such as 1040s and entity returns, it may be that you wish to handle these yourself; leaving them with straightforward returns.

With this in mind, it can be helpful to talk with your chosen third party provider early on in the relationship, to determine exactly what you will be outsourcing, and what you won’t. Knowing the capabilities and expertise of your outsourced team can of course help you decide what they should take care of, and what should be left to you and your team. Ideally, they would take care of everything routine (and likely mundane and time consuming!), leaving you free to focus on complex cases, or higher value advisory services.

Your outsourcing partner should complement your existing team as much as possible, so don’t be afraid to ask for detailed information regarding their experience and training.

Secondly, your chosen outsourcing agency must be able to offer you the flexibility to scale up and down as needed, since this is a major concern for all CPA firms. Tax season may bring with it a huge increase in workload compared to other times of the year, so being able to have help at times when it’s needed, but not necessarily all year round, is essential for them.

Being able to grow your firm while giving every employee enough time away from the office, might seem like a pipedream for smaller accounting companies, but with the right CPA firm outsourcing, it can easily become a reality. Gone would be the days of long hours at the office and bans on all but the most essential of absences, followed by sleepless nights worrying about losing clients due to rushed, inaccurate returns, or a simple inability to complete all work by the necessary deadlines. Outsourcing lets you satisfy your existing clients, while also having the capacity to offer higher value services that might attract new clientele, making your business more profitable, and your reputation as an industry leader, far enhanced.