You Survived Tax Season

Now Fix What Broke You

Oct 16, 2025

The final returns are filed. The October deadline has passed.
You made it.

Now comes the quiet.
That strange, calm silence that feels both glorious and unsettling.

For the first time in months, you can breathe, maybe even enjoy a full cup of coffee before it gets cold. Or go out for lunch instead of eating at your desk.

I hear some of you do that.

Seriously, go to lunch!

And at least once a week, go to a sit-down restaurant. Enjoy a good meal and some peace.

But here’s the thing: this moment, right here, is when real change happens.

Because no one’s coming to fix your burnout.
No one’s going to redo your client list or magically clean up your systems.
No one is coming to save you.

If you want next season to look different, calmer, more profitable, and more sustainable, then it’s up to you.

The Post–Season Cleanse

Every tax professional has that client.

The one who never sends their documents until the last minute.
The one who complains about your fees every year.
The one who drains your energy and makes you dread opening your inbox.

We all have them.
And we all make excuses to keep them.

But now, with tax season officially behind you, this is your window to be honest with yourself:

Who caused the most stress this season?
Who ignored your boundaries?
Who consistently made your firm less efficient, less profitable, and less enjoyable?

If you had to start your firm from scratch today, would you still take them on as a client?

Letting Go Isn’t Weakness, It’s Control

Disengaging a client isn’t a sign of failure.
It’s a sign that you’re running your business like a professional, not a people-pleaser.

It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll “deal with it next year.”
But that’s how burnout becomes your default operating mode.

Keeping clients who don’t align with your values doesn’t make you loyal. It makes you tired.

And tired tax professionals make poor business decisions.

Here’s a hard truth many don’t want to admit.
If you died tomorrow, your clients would replace you in a week.
Yes, even the ones who like you and say you’re “family.”

Letting go isn’t about anger or punishment.
It’s about control, about curating a client base that supports your energy, your income, and your long-term sanity and goals.

How to Disengage Without Drama

You don’t have to make it messy.
In fact, you totally shouldn’t.

Here’s how to do it cleanly and calmly:

1. Wait until the work is done.
Never disengage mid-engagement, unless the client is being hostile or has provided erroneous information. Finish what’s been paid for. Always get paid up front, always, always, always!

2. Put it in writing.
Send a short, neutral letter or message.

“Our firm is narrowing its focus to better serve existing clients, and we’ll no longer be able to provide services to you going forward. We thank you for your prior business and wish you the best.”

3. Clarify what’s done.
List any deliverables or obligations that have been fulfilled.

4. Offer a soft landing.
Provide a referral or a list of other preparers if appropriate.
If they’re truly a terrible client, don’t refer them to your colleagues, at least not the ones you actually like.

5. Document everything.
Save copies for your records.

It’s professional, it’s final, and it protects you.

Some will disagree and say this is the time to tell that terrible client why you’re done with them.

I strongly disagree.

Adding fuel to the fire is not the way to go.

Consider what your goal is: disengagement, not “getting even.” If you feel the need to seek revenge, then you’d be better off consulting your therapist; if you don’t have one, consider getting one.

Automation Won’t Save You Either

Here’s another truth that’s uncomfortable but freeing.
Automation won’t save you either.

Yes, tools like Ignition, TaxDome, or Zapier can streamline your firm, but they can’t make you enforce your boundaries.

They can’t make you charge what you’re worth.

They can’t stop you from saying “yes” to the wrong clients.

Automation makes your systems more efficient, but if your systems are built around chaos, all you’ve done is make the chaos faster.

Few people say this because it isn’t “cool,” but it’s true: the software isn’t the solution.

You are.

And for all its hype, AI (artificial intelligence) isn’t going to do this for you either.

I love technology, you know that, but tools have their limits.
Use them wisely, not blindly.

Take this time to review your workflows, but more importantly, your habits.
Because no app can replace clarity, courage, or boundaries.

After the Disengagement

The funny thing about “firing” clients is how light you feel afterward.

Suddenly, the mental clutter lifts.
Your team stops dreading certain names.
You can think about pricing, service tiers, and strategy without that one client derailing the conversation.

And the clients who remain? They notice.
They feel the shift in energy.
They appreciate that you’re more present, more grounded, more intentional.

Boundaries don’t push good clients away; they attract them.

It might sound hokey, but the universe tends to send back whatever energy you put out.

The Hard Truth (and the Hope)

You run the firm.
Not your clients.
Not the IRS.
Not the software.
You.

And that’s the best news of all.

Because while no one is coming to save you, you already have everything you need to save yourself: clarity, skill, and experience.

So as this final deadline passes and the dust of tax season settles, take a deep breath and remind yourself:

You don’t have to repeat the same season next year.
You don’t have to keep clients who make you miserable.
You don’t have to wait for someone else to change things.

You have to decide.

The returns are filed.
The season is over.
The slate is clean.

Now it’s your move.

What are you doing differently next year?