When it comes to taxes, everyone dreads the same thing—busy season. We all know it’s coming, and we all know what it involves: piles of paperwork, mountains of calculations, and endless hours behind a desk… But do you really know when busy season starts? Or how to prepare for it?

Thankfully, in this blog post, we'll explain everything you need to know about when busy season begins, what tasks you should expect during this time, and some hilarious tips on how to make the entire process a little less stressful (and maybe even enjoyable)!

What Is Busy Season?

Busy season is typically defined as the time of year in which tax professionals are most often inundated with accounting and tax tasks. It usually starts around January 1st and continues through April 15th, or sometimes even longer if there are extensions or other complications. Generally, the closer you get to the April 15th deadline, the more intense the workload becomes—which makes sense since that’s when taxes must be filed!

How Has Busy Season Changed Over Time?

Taxpayers in ancient civilizations were paying taxes for many centuries, but it wasn’t until the early 1700s that the modern concept of a ‘busy season’ began. Back then, taxpayers had to ride their horses (or sometimes even oxen!) to their local government offices and carry armfuls of paperwork. It could take weeks or sometimes even months just to get all their tax information together and filed on time!

In 1851, Congress passed the first federal income tax law—known as The Revenue Act—which allowed taxpayers to file their taxes by mail instead of having to make the trip in person. This made things much easier for taxpayers and helped kick off what we now know as “busy season.” However, because there were no computers at the time, filing your taxes still took quite a bit of effort and patience. You had to fill out individual forms with data from your sources (like W-2s) and then mail them off with payment for any applicable taxes owed.

By 1913, the IRS was established and automated filing systems started popping up throughout the country—but these weren’t available for individual taxpayers yet, so most people would need an accountant or other professional help filling out their forms each year. In 1934, however, Congress blew everyone away when they introduced electronic filing (or "e-filing"). This allowed individuals to submit their returns directly from their computers—finally giving every taxpayer direct access to filing comfortable at home!

Today's busy season looks much different than it did back when it first started hundreds of years ago. Thanks to technology like cloud computing and artificial intelligence that can help you jump through all those complicated hoops required by the IRS, you don't need an expert accountant by your side anymore during busy season—you can file your own taxes easily online without breaking a sweat!

And while technology has certainly made things easier overall during busy season, that doesn't mean it isn't still stressful – especially if you wait until April 15th to start doing your taxes...and trust me when I say I've been there!

When Does Busy Season Officially Start?

For business accounting services, the answer is usually around end of January or early February.

Of course, as with any good accountant worth their salt – there is no official start or end date for the busy season. Every client has their own unique set of financials and deadlines that can contribute to a chaotic schedule. Therefore, the best advice we can offer is to stay on top of it!

That's why we recommend signing up for our business accounting services NOW if you want to make sure everything goes smoothly during busy season. Our team of dedicated professionals will help you track all your expenses in one place so you don't miss anything in the rush of tax filing season! Plus, we'll also make sure to keep your books balanced and up-to-date so you don't have to worry about any surprise bills coming out at the last minute.

But what if you wait until it's too late? Well, let's just say that busy season officially starting in January or February doesn't mean those are the only months when work needs to get done! If you wait too long and then try cramming everything into a few weeks – chaos awaits! That's why we suggest getting ahead now by signing up for our business accounting services. This way, everything will be ready and waiting for you when tax season does arrive.

So don’t procrastinate – even though it may seem like a distant dream right now, busy season will be here before you know it! Get started today with our business accounting services and rest easy knowing that all your finances are taken care of ahead of time.

Preparing for Busy Season

There are many tips and tricks that you can use to stay organized, keep your stress levels in check, and make sure you don't miss a single deadline during this busy season!

For starters, staying organized is key to making sure all of your tasks are completed on time. Create a checklist of all the tasks you need to complete before busy season starts, and cross them off as soon as they’re done. Make sure to break down big projects into smaller tasks - this will make them more manageable. You can also create folders for each client or project so that you have everything in one place.

Another way to stay organized is to set clear goals for yourself throughout busy season. This might look like setting specific deadlines for certain tasks or working through different sections of large projects every day. This will help keep you focused and motivated throughout the process. Additionally, try not to multitask too much - it’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re trying to do too many things at once!

When it comes to managing stress levels during busy season, regular breaks are essential. If possible, take a few minutes every hour or two just to step away from your work and relax your mind. Even small breaks can help reduce stress and refocus your energy back into the task at hand. Additionally, exercising regularly is a great way to relieve stress, improve concentration, and increase productivity - all important elements when preparing for tax busy season!

Are Personal and Business Taxes Filed Separately?

To put it simply, yes, they are. And why is that, you ask? Well, imagine you’re a business owner and you go to a fancy restaurant for dinner. The restaurant has to pay taxes for the food, drinks, and all the other fancy things they serve. But you, as a customer, also have to pay taxes on the food and drinks you consume. That’s how it works.

Just like the restaurant, your business has to pay taxes on the income it generates and the expenses it incurs. On the other hand, you as an individual also have to pay taxes on your personal income. So, two different entities, two different taxes. Clear as day, right?

But here’s the mind-blowing part, folks: the taxes you pay as an individual are not the same as the taxes your business pays. And here’s where the humor comes in: think of it as going to two different schools. You go to school to learn math, science, and all that boring stuff. But your business goes to business school to learn how to make money, pay taxes, and not get sued (the three most important things in life).