Tax season prep: a checklist for solo CPAs

Solo practitioners have no backup. When the April 30 deadline approaches and a client is still missing three documents, there is no junior associate to chase it. There is just you.

The practitioners who get through tax season without burning out are not the ones who work harder in February and March. They are the ones who set up their systems in December and January.

Six weeks out (mid-January)

Review your client list

Pull up your complete client list and do a quick status review:

• Which clients are new this year and need onboarding?
• Which clients had issues last year (late documents, incorrect information, difficult communication)?
• Which clients may no longer require your services?

Update your document checklists

Your standard T1 checklist from three years ago may not reflect current reality. Review and update for:

• New slips or schedules
• Clients with changed circumstances (new rental property, started a business, marriage, children)
• CRA authorization documents you need for new clients

Set your client communication schedule

Decide in advance when you will send document requests, when you will send reminders, and when you will cut off new intake. Put these dates in your calendar now.

A typical schedule for T1 season:

• February 1: Initial document requests go out
• February 22: First reminder to non-respondents
• March 15: Second reminder
• April 1: Final reminder — late submissions may not be completed by April 30
• April 15: Intake closes for guaranteed April 30 filing

Four weeks out (late January)

Prepare your intake system

Whether you use a document collection platform, a client portal, or email, make sure your system is ready:

• Test the upload flow yourself
• Verify that notifications are working
• Confirm that template checklists are up to date

Prepare standard communication templates

Draft the emails you will send repeatedly throughout the season:

• Initial document request
• First reminder
• Final reminder
• "Received, we're processing" acknowledgment

Having these written in advance means you spend less time composing and more time reviewing.

During the season

Daily habits that matter

• Process documents the day they arrive, not in batches at the end of the week
• Send clarification requests immediately, not after three days
• Update your status tracking system in real time

Schedule rest days in advance

Block one day per week that is not available to clients. If you do not do this now, it will not happen. A practitioner who is exhausted by mid-March makes errors that a rested practitioner does not.