When do you stop chasing?

Deadline looming, when is enough enough!

Didn't find your answer?

Ok, (my) tax return submission deadline of 30th is looming. All done bar a few stragglers - two of whom I've given up on.

Question is, when do you stop chasing clients for the information?

Replies (24)

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By cheekychappy
25th Jan 2017 16:45

No reminders in January. They've had enough by that point.

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abc
By Kim Jong Un's Hair
25th Jan 2017 17:24

Finals went out first day in Jan with a caveat saying not committing to submitting by 31/01.

Unfortunately I'm one of those idiots that will give up his personal life to get the work done.

Maybe my life is [***].

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Replying to Kim Jong Un's Hair:
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By hesparks
27th Jan 2017 17:09

I'm the same I'm still chasing today on 27th, work all 31 days in January but it has to be done. Good job I charge by the hour :)

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RLI
By lionofludesch
25th Jan 2017 17:34

I'll do their return if I'm doing nothing else.

But if I've got something else on, maybe that £100 will prompt them to get their stuff in earlier next year.

My firm motto is, "Nil tu in rushum, nil me eiterum" which translates as "If you're not in a rush, I'm not either."

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By raybackler
27th Jan 2017 11:45

Gave a client notice last week that I would not be doing his return next year. He turned up with the usual last minute carrier bag. I have been reminding him every couple of weeks since mid-November and then he failed to turn up at his first appointment earlier in January. Why should we put up with people who can't be bothered?

I'm with you on your philosophy.

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By Mr_awol
25th Jan 2017 18:13

I'll keep chasing until the last minute. Even tomorrow I'll chase one up. TBH he's a driving instructor with basic records and it's not a bad fee considering the low amount work involved.

Obviously I wont promise it'll get done, wont work til midnight to get it done, and wont care if it doesn't get done - but I'm not going to leave him to be late and then potentially end up twiddling my thumbs on Tuesday when I can get an easy bill out.

I've only got about twenty left to do now, and another twenty or so out with clients waiting to come in, so should be able to have Tuesday afternoon off anyway.........

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Chris M
By mr. mischief
25th Jan 2017 18:49

"As per my previous letter, this is the new price for your 2015-16 tax return and any necessary accounts to produce this.

Temporary 50% Price Increase - £100 minimum plus VAT from 31 December 2016

I encourage all clients to file tax returns well before official deadlines because:
1. This gives time to resolve any tricky issues in the accounts.
2. Tax payments are known well in advance.
3. There is no danger of fines for late filing. The fining regime is very aggressive.
4. There is no danger of HMRC flagging up clients as “persistently just in time” filers.

In my view, most accountants are going to be under extreme pressure of work in January 2017 because of the high penalties for late filing. I prefer not to work “under the gun” like this, desperately calling people to chase up information in the last days of January. I won’t let any client down who asks me to “deadline chase” after Christmas, but the above price increase will apply.

Please also note that this price must be paid in full before I start 2015-2016 tax return work where source records are sent to me after 31 December 2016.

So please send me your records now!"

This method works. I filed an average of 0.3 tax returns per day in January, ALL bar 1 from people who had sent their information in December. My last filing was on 20th.

YOU are in control of this process but only if you want to be.

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By Ian McTernan CTA
25th Jan 2017 19:14

I tried the price increase method one year, it made zero difference to most clients who then said they would rather pay me the extra than HMRC!
I know which clients will be last minute.
They know I will try to get them in on time, but they accept if a fine arrives, it's their fault.
January is the only month I work most days, and that's the price I am happy to pay for having plenty of work/life balance for the rest of the year.
I'll be working on getting back to my handicap of 12 that I finished on last year from 1st Feb. And maybe aim for 10 if I can play twice a week every week and a couple range sessions a week:-)

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Replying to Ian McTernan CTA:
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By Mr_awol
26th Jan 2017 09:27

Ian McTernan CTA wrote:

I'll be working on getting back to my handicap of 12 that I finished on last year from 1st Feb. And maybe aim for 10 if I can play twice a week every week and a couple range sessions a week:-)

I'd rather be doing Tax Returns.............

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Replying to Ian McTernan CTA:
RLI
By lionofludesch
26th Jan 2017 10:37

Ian McTernan CTA wrote:

January is the only month I work most days

That's impressively part time.

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Red Leader
By Red Leader
25th Jan 2017 19:24

Last chasing email was November.
Extra 10% if I get the tax return info in December, +15% if received in January. This did result in a lot of work being received in the last week of November.

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Replying to Red Leader:
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By Mr_awol
26th Jan 2017 09:28

Red Leader wrote:

Last chasing email was November.
Extra 10% if I get the tax return info in December, +15% if received in January. This did result in a lot of work being received in the last week of November.

Did you turn it all around promptly, or did your clients pay 10% less if you took more than four weeks to spin it out

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Replying to Mr_awol:
Red Leader
By Red Leader
26th Jan 2017 10:08

My surcharge applies so long as I got the return done by 31 Jan. In practice they were all turned around within 4 weeks.

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By bernard michael
26th Jan 2017 09:33

I have one who last year turned up @ 5.00 on 30th January. So I'm expecting him to try that again.
Tough - as I'm with a beautiful client all day having completed all my returns on Sunday

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
26th Jan 2017 17:44

I give clients 3 months for tax return and accounts sending reminders 2 & 1 months before my deadline, 90% comply and it's up to the others if they forget, or can't be bothered.

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accountant in london
By Accountant in London
27th Jan 2017 10:39

To be honest, i rather not have these type of clients.
Fortunately I dont't have many as I have them all on cloud accounting software, so the data is shared with me at all times.
However, i did have one or two who despite training them with cloud software, just can't handle it. I get a bag of receipts in January. I got rid of these type of clients few months ago. To be honest, its not worth the headache.

I do have a handful who are on cloud accounting, so no issue with deadlines, but always late with monthly payment, or don't approve the accounts on time, or just go A-wall and don't return your calls/emails. These will go next.

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Replying to Accountant in London:
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By Ian Lawrence
27th Jan 2017 11:13

We all moan but late clients are very lucrative. Or they should be. I imagine there are many accountants who charge a minimum of £150 plus VAT for a tax return and when it is just two boxes, dividends and salary, this cannot be more than 10 minutes work. And their client doesn't have complete it, find the logon, recover a password, get stressed - and doesn't get a penalty either - so they are happy too.

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Replying to Accountant in London:
RLI
By lionofludesch
27th Jan 2017 11:20

Accountant in London wrote:
...or just go A-wall ....

A-wall ?

[chuckle]

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By Brend201
27th Jan 2017 15:19

At the risk of insulting you (or loads of other readers), what you thought was "A-wall" was, in fact, "AWOL", a military acronym standing for "absent without leave".

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Replying to Brend201:
RLI
By lionofludesch
27th Jan 2017 15:28

Direct your comment to Accountant in London.

Cheered me up no end on a foggy morning.

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
27th Jan 2017 11:48

I was sittng smug the other day then remembered I hadnt actually submitted my own, which for some reason I always do last to bring silly season to a close.

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By The Naked Accountant
27th Jan 2017 11:54

I tell clients to ignore HMRC deadlines. My deadlines are the ones they need to focus on which are 31 Oct for personal tax returns.

Since Oct, I've only had one tax return to do. That was last week from a new client in a panic and who was charged accordingly.

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By SteveHa
27th Jan 2017 12:00

I'm sending my final two reminders today.

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Replying to SteveHa:
RLI
By lionofludesch
27th Jan 2017 12:50

You're very tolerant.

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