Tax season playbook for CPA firms

Each step of the season links to the guide that covers it in detail.

• Outsourcing for CPA firms: the complete guideOutsourcing · complete guide
• Outsourcing SLAs and turnaround times for tax seasonOutsourcing · service levels
• Tax season kickoff email templatesEmail marketing · season kickoff
• Tax extension email templatesEmail marketing · extensions
• How to collect tax documents from clients fastDocument collection · playbook
• Automated document reminders: a cadence that worksDocument collection · reminders
• Form 8879 retention and IRS e-signature recordsDocument collection · retention
• Task list templates for accounting firmsEfficiency · task templates
• Prepare 1099s from your bookkeeping softwareEfficiency · 1099 preparation
• Practice workflow: from document request to filed returnEfficiency · workflow

Decide capacity first. If you will outsource, settle the provider, contract terms and the client consents your model needs, because 7216 consent has to come before disclosure. Update task templates for each return type and refresh the tax law change emails.

• Outsourcing contracts with Safeguards Rule terms
• Consents scheduled into onboarding
• Task templates keyed to due dates
• Client-facing tax law update emails

Send kickoff emails with personalised checklists before forms arrive. For business clients, run 1099 preparation from the books; HelloBooks prepares the filings, and you or your filing agent submit them.

The fourth individual estimated payment for the 2026 tax year is due January 15, 2027, per Publication 509, so put it in the same January reminder run.

Business returns come first. In 2026, partnership and S corporation returns were due March 16, 2026, and individual and calendar-year C corporation returns April 15, 2026. Run the document reminder cadence by named item, and make extension decisions by a firm date with the payment estimate in the same email.

Extended partnership and S corporation returns were due September 15, 2026 and extended individual returns October 15, 2026 in 2026. Once the last return is filed, review the season: where files waited, which clients were late, and which steps to automate before next year.