So many changes have happened to the tax code that it's difficult for companies to keep up. While much has been written about the changes, these articles have been scattered among different websites and magazines, making it difficult for companies to ensure they are familiar with all the changes. The easiest way for CPAs to ensure their clients are aware of new policies is to summarize them in a newsletter, and that means having an efficient delivery platform.

Major Changes

The new tax laws have made substantial changes to things like reporting methods for companies that pay freelancers through a third-party system, a new deduction for pass-through business owners, and changes to the withholding rates and tax brackets (which are already shocking some taxpayers by reducing their expected refunds and creating new tax bills). Unfortunately, many people are finding out about these changes after the fact, making their taxes and expected refunds this year very problematic.

Preventing Headaches

As a CPA, you have to deal with the tax issues head on, which means preventing a tax headache wherever possible. The best way to do that is to notify your clients of what's coming up and how they should be prepared to respond, and a newsletter is a handy way to do that. You can also issue special newsletters that focus on just one or two issues, such as a letter dedicated to handling 1099-Ks and 1099-Miscs; given that these tax changes need more than just a blurb to describe and explain, it would be a great idea to discuss one change in depth per newsletter while including a summary of all the changes. And most importantly, the discussion needs to include steps on what to do -- in other words, not just "don't report this here anymore," but "don't report this here, but instead report it there." Otherwise, you may find your clients handing in the same tax mistakes over and over.

Spam Spam Spam

Newsletters and mailing list emails are often thrown into the spam folder in many email accounts, so your platform has to be one that can make the newsletter bypass those filters. Explaining tax changes in detail doesn't help if no one knows you sent an explanation. As a safeguard, periodically send out regular emails to clients to remind them to whitelist the newsletter email address.

Your newsletter can save you a lot of trouble, assuming people know it's there. Find the right platform to deliver your advice. Contact a CPA email newsletter provider for more help.

Share