Tax season is officially open, and this is your reminder: move like a professional, not like a hobby. ✅ Check your pipeline first thing (new leads, form submissions, missing docs) ✅ Set your client communication standard (24–48 hour touchpoint, clear next steps) ✅ Protect your process (ID, income docs, dependents, bank info, signed 8879 before transmit) ✅ Work your hours, not your emotions (stay consistent even on the “off” days) This season isn’t about luck, it’s about systems + speed + compliance. Let’s make it clean, profitable, and smooth for every client. 💪🏽📲

If it feels slow right now, that’s normal. The IRS isn’t fully in motion yet, and a lot of W-2s still haven’t landed. So if your phone isn’t ringing off the hook… If your inbox isn’t packed… If it’s feeling “too quiet”… YOU’RE NOT LATE. YOU’RE IN POSITION. This part is for preparation, not panic. Right now, your job is to get your house in order: ✅ update and simplify your intake process ✅ tighten your due diligence checklist ✅ finalize your WISP, SOPs, and workflows ✅ run test returns and confirm software + bank products ✅ follow up with last year’s clients ✅ prep your promo content, scripts, and posts Because when the gates open… It’s not a trickle. It’s a flood. 🌊🔥

A client receiving a 1098-T does not automatically mean they qualify for the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) or the full amount. ✅ AOTC is up to $2,500, but the full credit generally requires $4,000 of qualified education expenses paid out-of-pocket. Scholarships and grants can reduce qualified expenses and lower or eliminate the credit. 💡 Some clients qualify for part, some for none. Income limits apply too. 👉 Best practice: Collect the 1098-T (and supporting payment/expense documentation) and determine eligibility based on the full fact pattern. 📌 Quick Box Tip: If Box 5 ≥ Box 1, it often indicates scholarships/grants covered most/all tuition, which can reduce or eliminate AOTC eligibility in many cases, but it doesn’t automatically disqualify the student.

✅ ChatGPT is a tool - Helps you generate content, draft client messages, brainstorm ideas, write scripts, and speed up repetitive tasks. - It doesn’t replace you. It makes you faster, sharper, and more consistent. ✅ Tax software is a tool - This is how returns get prepared, calculated, e-filed, and how bank products get managed. - It doesn’t make decisions. You do. ✅ CRM is a tool - Helps you organize leads, clients, follow-ups, automations, and communication. - It doesn’t build relationships. You do. ✅ Tools are supposed to work together - ChatGPT = creates the content + messaging - Tax software = prepares + files the return - CRM = manages the client experience That’s not “doing too much” or “being lazy.” That’s called infrastructure. 📌 Bottom line Using tools doesn’t make you fake. It makes you professional and strategic. Every successful business uses tools. The difference is who uses them like a boss.

“Service theft” is when someone gets the work but you don’t get paid, or they use your systems/brand to profit off you. It’s more common in tax than people want to admit, especially during peak season. Protect your time and your name. 💼🔒 1) How tax clients steal services (real-life ways) ✅ The “Free Review” Trap They send docs and want you to “just take a quick look” at: - refund estimates - credits - filing status - deductions Then they disappear and file elsewhere with your guidance. ✅ The “Draft Me Something” Play They ask for a “draft return” or “estimate” to: - shop your numbers - compare fees - get a bank product elsewhere ✅ The “File It But I’ll Pay Later” Lie They rush you to submit, then: - stop responding - claim confusion - suddenly “don’t have it” ✅ The “Chargeback Queen/King” They pay by card, get service, then file a chargeback claiming it was “unauthorized” or “not delivered.” 2) How independent contractors steal services ✅ Taking your leads and poaching clients They use your pipeline to build their own list: - DM your prospects - collect direct payments - move clients off-platform ✅ Filing under your brand but skipping your process They rush returns, ignore intake, and create: - rejections - compliance gaps - messy client experience And guess who looks bad? You. ✅ Keeping the money, leaving you the liability They collect payment directly, but the business: - handles the complaints - fixes rejects - absorbs reputational damage ✅ Using your tools without permission They use your templates, scripts, worksheets, pricing structure, or training… then repurpose it as “their program.” 3) Red flags you should never ignore 🚩 - “I just need an estimate first” - “Can you tell me what I’ll get back before I pay?” - “Send the forms, I’ll sign later” - Contractor won’t document, upload, or follow checklist - Contractor always wants access but avoids accountability 4) How you protect yourself (simple + effective) Client Protection ✅ Paid consults only