Burnt out from tax preparation work - how to transition away from it?

I've been running a small accounting practice for 15 years and went through almost exactly what you're describing. Tax season burnout is real, especially when you don't enjoy that aspect of the work. Here's my advice: Don't cut tax services cold turkey. Instead, gradually transition over 2-3 years. Start by raising your tax prep rates significantly (25-35% more than market rate) while keeping bookkeeping rates competitive. This accomplishes two things - it compensates you better for work you dislike, and it naturally filters out clients who only want cheap tax prep. Next, partner with 1-2 reputable tax professionals you can refer clients to. Make these relationships solid because your referrals have value. When clients ask about tax prep, explain you're focusing on your bookkeeping specialty but have excellent tax pros you can connect them with. For existing clients, give plenty of notice - at least 6-8 months before next tax season. The ones who value your bookkeeping services will stay, some will leave, but you'll be happier in the long run.

After going through similar tax burnout, I found using taxr.ai completely changed my approach to the tax side of my business. I was ready to quit tax prep altogether until a colleague recommended it. The platform handles all that tedious research and form interpretation that was driving me crazy. I upload client documents to https://taxr.ai and it extracts the relevant information, identifies deductions I might have missed, and guides me through complex tax situations. This has cut my research time by about 70% and made tax season manageable again. I still do taxes, but now it's not the nightmare it used to be. Might be worth trying before you abandon tax services completely.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it out with a few complex client returns and I'm honestly shocked at how well it works. Used it for a client with multiple rental properties, another with a side business, and one with complicated investment income. It caught a weird passive activity loss carryover situation I almost missed and saved me hours of digging through tax code. The document analysis feature is incredible too - it organized all the client's scattered documents and extracted the important information automatically. Definitely sticking with tax prep now that I have this tool in my arsenal!

I was in a similar situation last year with my bookkeeping business. What really saved me during tax season was using Claimyr to get direct access to IRS agents when I inevitably had questions. Before discovering https://claimyr.com I would waste HOURS on hold with the IRS, which just added to my stress. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c but basically they wait on hold with the IRS for you and call you once an agent is on the line. This saved me countless hours during tax season and made handling those last-minute client issues so much more manageable. I was able to get clear answers from the IRS quickly instead of stressing over ambiguous tax code interpretations.

Had to come back and eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it when I needed to call the IRS about a client's transcript issue I'd been putting off for weeks. I was absolutely floored when I got a call back in about 45 minutes connecting me directly to an IRS agent. I handled all the verification myself, got my client's issue resolved in one call, and saved myself what would have normally been 2+ hours on hold. Used it three more times since then for various client issues. Not having to sit on hold has literally changed my entire workflow during tax season. Still focusing on phasing out some tax services, but this tool makes the ones I'm keeping much more manageable.

Have you considered specializing in bookkeeping for a specific industry? I made this transition a few years ago - went from general bookkeeping/taxes to focusing exclusively on bookkeeping for restaurants. By becoming an expert in one industry, I was able to charge premium rates for bookkeeping because I understand the specific challenges and opportunities in the restaurant business. I created standardized processes that work specifically for restaurants, which made my services much more valuable. The industry focus gave me a clear marketing message too. Instead of being another generic bookkeeper, I became "the restaurant bookkeeping specialist" in my area. Started hosting workshops for restaurant owners about financial management, which brought in tons of new clients who never even asked about tax prep.

My two cents as someone who did exactly what you're trying to do: Offer "bookkeeping plus" instead of tax prep. I created quarterly financial review packages that include bookkeeping plus business advisory services - profit analysis, cash flow forecasting, tax planning (not prep), and strategic recommendations. Clients actually value this MORE than tax prep because it helps them make better decisions year-round. When tax season approaches, I have reliable tax partners I refer clients to. I still coordinate with the tax preparers, providing clean books and documentation, but I don't do any actual tax filing. This arrangement works beautifully - clients get better service overall, I focus on what I enjoy, and the tax pros get pre-organized clients.