How CPAs recover from tax season.

Denise Hanley, director, computer support, Kraft CPAs, Nashville.

Unwind? Not in my job. As soon as tax season is over, we hit the ground running. I'm in charge of computer support for my firm. During tax season, my department is on call practically 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there's a computer problem, we get beeped for immediate action. We can't afford to have computer downtime during tax season.

But right after April 15, when the crushing need for computer use eases, my department gets down to its real job: technical support. We start work upgrading our IBM AS/400 minicomputers. We also upgrade the networks and all the computers in the firm. These are jobs we can't do during tax season. Our department also handles training and marketing for our computer support services.

The most difficult job we have is analyzing what went wrong with the software or the hardware during the frenzy of tax preparation. We have to figure out how to fix things. That may mean upgrading software, evaluating new software and determining whether and how to make the change.

Complicating this process is the fact that our firm does many audits: Once tax season is over the staff shifts gears and gets heavily involved in auditing. Thus, there are no real slow periods at our firm.

Anne M. Yamamoto, CPA, tax partner, Frank, Rimerman & Co., Menlo Park, California.

My husband and I are both CPAs, and this year we did something a little different: We took off the week after tax season for the first time. We stayed home with our two kids and took day trips because planning a big trip seemed too much like work.

In our firm, we focus initially on administrative items on e tax season is over. The thing I always hate is that we have to prepare bills right away. We also do performance evaluations.

We've realized there are a lot of administrative things that we're really on top of during busy season and then tend to let slide once it's over. This year, we've decided to change that. For example, during tax season, we have weekly tax partner-manager meetings in which we review personnel scheduling and any other important items. It really is a very effective management tool, so we're going to do it year-round now. If we can make the time to do it in our busiest time, why can't we continue doing so when work slows down? During the summer, we're going to focus on evening out work flow and coordinating training, vacation and maybe even marketing efforts.

Connie Brezik, CPA, PFS, senior consultant McGladrey & Pullen, Casper, Wyoming.

Tax season really begins around February 1, after our clients receive their 1099s and W-2s. I work about 60 to 70 hours a week, which is the norm for everyone in this office. Employees have a choice of putting in their hours over a five-, six- or seven-day week. I usually work seven days because it's easier for me.

During tax season, I put my personal financial planning practice somewhat on hold in order to prepare income tax returns. In this particular McGladrey office we prepare a lot of returns and everyone in the office is involved. Many of the returns I prepare are for our financial planning clients. After tax season, I start to pick up from where I left off with all my PFP projects. The remainder of the year I spend on my financial planning practice.

To wind down after tax season, several couples take an after-tax-season trip. All the women are CPAs. We usually pick a good location and play golf One of the couples now lives in Reno, Nevada, so this year we went to see them. We usually take the trip within a week or two after tax season and wine, dine and relax!

Frank M. Percuoco, CPA, managing director, Gerald T. Reilly & Co., CPAs, Milton, Massachusetts.

In a firm like ours, partners who don't have other commitments usually disappear for a week or so. This year, one partner went to Jamaica and another to Cape Cod. In my own case, however, I have a choice of professional activities. The association our firm belongs to, Associated Accounting Firms International, schedules meetings immediately after tax season and I try to attend them. In addition, I serve on the American Institute of CPAs private companies practice executive committee, which usually schedules conferences and executive committee meetings right after the tax season ends.

One way or the other, I'll get away from the office and combine some continuing professional education with a little social activity. Still, I really can't think about unwinding for another month or so. In the meantime, I look forward to playing some golf and getting work done around my house. I like to relax by getting my hands dirty landscaping.

At the office, we give our employees an extra day off to make a long weekend at the end of the season. We also have an "end-of-the-season bash," an office party during the week following April 15. We have some staff members with families who cut back from a five-day week to perhaps a four-day or even a three-day week.

Before long we'll be gearing up for our own mini-busy-season, which starts in the latter half of June. We audit a number of not-for-profit clients, and their fiscal years end on June 30. That business extends into the middle of September and, in some cases, October.