Seasonal Work

I started my seasonal job yesterday.  I work during tax season only for a CPA firm across town.  There are 3 partners plus 3 other CPAs and support staff of 4, one of which works part time.  This is my 12th tax season with them.  Yesterday I worked over 6 hours.  Most of my time was spent getting up to speed and adjusting to a temporary computer.  They promise my old one will be back in place come the end of the week.  So to scan and print I had to use the network.  That means printed items came out on the huge specialty copier in the center hall.  Scanned items took 6 or 7 steps.

I think I handled 16 or 17 returns yesterday.  I only handle the 1040s (individual returns, not corporations or partnerships).  I will process nearly 800 by April 15.  I am the last one to check wages, withholding, preparer's letter against the return.  I complete our computer file by scanning different types of documents.  I prepare the invoice and assemble everything into a nice neat package for the client.

Because the IRS prefers efiling, we efile most of our clients.  We can not do that without their signature(s) on certain forms.  Those forms are provided in their package and we await receipt of the signed forms before we electronically file their returns.

That's the second half of my job.  I share the responsibility of efiling the returns upon receipt of client signatures.  It's a multiple step computer process with a couple of verification steps.  Then we scan the signature page and file the paper copy for our records.  The IRS can knock on the firm's door any day and audit our process and our files of signed forms. 

That happened to me in another accountant's office about the second year we offered efiling.  I had the required signatures but they demanded copies of W2s which we did not keep before that surprise audit.  Our procedure changed that day.

I enjoy the work for the most part.  I also enjoy working part time.  Come April 1, I will be seeing nearly full time hours.  I will be so happy to see April 15 come.

'til later