‘Lazy’ clients continue to put pressure on practitioners
The self assessment penalty extension until the end of February offers cold comfort to firms dragging clients through one of the busiest times of the accounting year.
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All clients are 'lazy' - accounts, tax returns etc leaves most people bored stupid - and why would it not?
If clients were switched on, accountants would be out of a job.....
Tell us something new.
Quite right - I'm quite lazy but not lazy enough to not to do the 'self' part of self assessment - so not to pay an accountant.
Besides, if you're up at 3a.m. - you've already missed the deadline! All us self-assessors know that!
Will, by the look of you, you are a young go getta, which is admirable. What you don't realise is that there is a window to get your tax return to HMRC. Some clients want it done straight away, some aren't bothered. That doesn't mean to say they are lazy. There are people and institutions around that want everything put in neat little boxes. Unfortunately HMRC is one of them and as you can see from all the hassle with employment status, IR35, MTD etc. etc. it doesn't work. We need to be flexible and use common sense instead of rigidity and compliance.
Every client is different.
Most of the pressure of chasing 'lazy' clients is self-inflicted. Accountants would do well to remember this mantra: "Each client is responsible for their own tax affairs. I will help them with their accounting matters, but I will not make their irresponsibility my responsibility."
I'm looking forward to Monday's webinar to find out where January 2022 is going to land in the all-time list of miserable tax seasons. I thought last year was up there with classics such as 2018, but during an unrecorded portion of this week's podcast session, Easitax's Gary Jacobs ranked this year up with some of the worst.
He also had little time for practitioners who berated their clients' laziness. The issue, he said, "Is not a tax problem, it's a wellbeing problem. People are battered and some are in financial difficulties after the pandemic... It's a time to show some empathy for clients. They're frightened about their tax liabilities. It's the most difficult tax season ever, not from the tax perspective but from the personal view."
To find out more about how Gary manages all his sole trader and private car rental business clients, tune in to Monday's webinar and hear what he has to say about the MTD ITSA pilot in this week's No Accounting For Taste podcast: https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/content/no-accounting-for-taste-ep109-sp...
There's only one thing missing from this article which the author should consider. A one liner in the correspondence to dilatory client, dressed up to suit the individual reprobate :-
............I cannot be held responsible for any HMRC penal consequences for the late filing of your Return..............
As long as your backside is covered , who gives a damn ?
Perhaps I'm lucky but my clients are aware of what is required and know they will have to go elsewhere if they give me grief.
My payroll supervisor in a previous role had a sign above her desk:
"A lack of preparation on your part does not create a priority on my part"
I call it 'shaking the tree'...every February I get rid of the dead wood:
"Dear PITA client, thanks, but no thanks..."
Result being, I've only had to file five SATRs in January...my lowest in over thirty years!
Mental note to self - never have anything to do with Easitax who appear to be smoking something very strong , poor clients ? Some of mine have had their best year ever thanks to ill thought out grant schemes devised by children , while it was the " poor" accountants who had to grapple with dealing with the overcomplicated rules