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We get the same call about three times a month.
Business owner. Usually been working with their CPA for five, maybe ten years. Something feels off, but they can’t name it. They’re not angry. They’re just… wondering.
“Is this normal?”
The “this” varies. Sometimes it’s a tax bill they didn’t see coming. Sometimes it’s a question that went unanswered for two weeks. Sometimes it’s just the nagging sense that they’re leaving money on the table and nobody’s telling them where.
Here’s what we’ve learned after hundreds of these conversations: the warning signs were there long before the breaking point.
Most business owners ignore them. Not because they don’t notice. Because switching feels harder than staying.
And look, we get it.
We’d rather watch paint dry than deal with switching accountants, and we’re accountants. It’s tedious. You think it’ll be expensive (it’s not). There’s the awkward conversation. The loyalty guilt.
But here’s the reality: you’re probably wasting thousands of dollars every year with an ineffective CPA. The average business incurs an additional tax burden of $3,000 to $15,000 annually due to reactive planning alone.
So if you’re feeling that nagging sense that something’s off, here are the signs when should you switch CPAs and make a change.
Tax season hits. Your CPA surfaces. You exchange documents. They file. Then silence until next April.
This is the most normalized dysfunction in the entire industry.
Few things create more anxiety for business owners than an unexpected tax bill. Tax surprises are almost always the result of poor visibility and planning. When you only connect with your tax preparer once a year, you’re essentially operating in the dark for the other 364 days.
We’re not talking about monthly meetings for the sake of meetings. We’re talking about contact when it matters.
Before you make the hire.
Before you buy the equipment.
Before you take the distribution.
If your CPA isn’t in the room when you’re making decisions that affect your tax position, they’re not doing tax planning. They’re doing tax reporting.
There’s a difference.
Here’s the pattern we see most often:
You send a question.
They answer it.
You ask what to do next.
They tell you it depends.
You ask what it depends on.
They say they’d need to look into it.
Nothing moves forward unless you push it.
This isn’t incompetence. It’s a business model. Most CPAs are trained to respond, not initiate. They’re built for compliance, not strategy.
What is the main complaint from small business owners about their accountants? They’re more reactive than proactive. The issues that follow are timelines and a lack of advice.
When it comes to tax planning, most people look backward instead of forward. Proactive planning shifts the timeline by evaluating income, expenses, investments, and business decisions throughout the year.
The key distinction lies in control. Proactive planning shapes outcomes rather than simply responding to them.
If you’re always the one initiating, something’s broken.
You have a question. Time-sensitive.
You call. Voicemail.
You email. Radio silence.
Three days later, you get a response that doesn’t actually answer what you asked.
Some business owners get frustrated when they can’t reach their accountant on the phone or even by email. Being able to easily contact your accountant helps you make the most informed business decisions in a timely manner.
We’ve built our entire practice around accessibility. Not because we’re naturally more available than other CPAs. Because we’ve watched what happens when business owners can’t get answers.
They make decisions anyway.
And those decisions often cost them thousands because nobody was there to flag the tax implications in real time.
If your CPA treats communication like a scarce resource, you’re paying for expertise you can’t access when it matters.
You get an invoice. It says “tax preparation” or “advisory services.” The number seems reasonable. You pay it.
But if someone asked you what specific value you received, you’d struggle to name three things.
This happens when the relationship defaults to transactional. They file. You pay. Repeat.
The best CPA relationships have clarity on both sides. You know what you’re getting. They know what you need. There’s no mystery about where the value lives.
If you can’t articulate what you’re paying for, the relationship has drifted into autopilot.
Most small business owners assume their CPA has them covered. If there’s a deduction to be taken, it’s already handled.
That assumption costs people real money.
One in five tax filers will miss out on a tax deduction for an average cost of $460. For small businesses, the numbers get bigger. Property owners typically miss 20 to 35 percent of available depreciation deductions when they rely on standard depreciation schedules.
For a $2 million property, that translates to $400,000 to $700,000 in accelerated depreciation left on the table.
Most CPAs focus on compliance, not optimization. They’re making sure you don’t get audited. They’re not necessarily making sure you got every deduction you should.
If you’re not having proactive conversations about tax strategy, you’re probably missing something.
You’re a plumber. Or you run an HVAC company. Or you own a salon.
Your CPA treats you like every other small business. Same advice. Same deductions. Same generic tax strategy.
But your business has specific dynamics. Seasonality. Equipment depreciation. Subcontractor relationships. Inventory considerations.
If your accountant isn’t fluent in how your industry works, they can’t give you relevant advice.
We work with trades and professional services because we’ve learned the patterns. We know what matters for a real estate agent versus an insurance broker versus a salon owner.
Generic advice produces generic results.
You don’t need a CPA who knows everything. You need one who knows you.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
This isn’t revolutionary. It’s just rare, unfortunately.
So, what should you do next?
Evaluate your CPA relationship with the same rigor you’d apply to any other vendor. Ask yourself:
Are you getting what you’re paying for?
Do they understand your business?
Can you reach them when you need them?
Are they helping you make better decisions, or just cleaning up after you make them?
If those answers make you uncomfortable, you have options.
You can have a direct conversation with your current CPA, sometimes relationships improve when expectations get clarified.
You can start exploring alternatives.
Or you can do nothing. That’s a choice too. But understand what it costs.
We’ve built our practice around business owners who got tired of feeling behind on their own numbers. The ones who wanted someone in the room when decisions got made, not just when taxes got filed.
If you’re interested in seeing how we can help, head over to our Contact Page now and book a quick call. It’s what we’re here for.
Until next time!
If your CPA only contacts you at tax time, doesn’t return calls within 2-3 days, gives the same advice they did 10 years ago, charges hourly for basic questions, or you’ve had unexpected tax bills two years in a row — those are clear signs your CPA isn’t doing proactive work. The average business overpays $3,000-$15,000 per year with a reactive CPA.
A reactive CPA prepares your return after the year ends, based on what already happened. A proactive CPA models scenarios throughout the year and helps you make decisions before year-end that change your tax outcome: timing of equipment purchases, retirement contributions, S-Corp election adjustments, charitable giving, etc.
Research shows the average small business incurs $3,000-$15,000 per year in additional tax burden from reactive (vs proactive) accounting. For high-income earners or complex businesses, the gap is larger. The cost of switching is usually one-time and well below a single year’s overpayment.
Order: (1) Choose a new CPA and sign their engagement letter. (2) Request your records from the current CPA (you own them legally). (3) Notify the current CPA in writing (a brief email is fine). (4) Transfer QuickBooks access and prior-year returns. Most switches take 2-3 hours of your time across one or two weeks.
Yes, if needed. CPAs can take on new clients mid-year and pick up from existing records. The longer you wait, the more planning opportunities you miss. A mid-year switch lets the new CPA model strategies for the back half of the year. April-September is actually the easier window to switch since tax season volume is lower.
Adam Traywick, CPA is the President and founding CPA of Adam Traywick, LLC, a Fort Worth small-business accounting firm. He has over 20 years of experience helping small business owners across home-services trades, hair salons, real estate, and insurance agencies optimize taxes, run cleaner books, and avoid the surprises that come from once-a-year accountants.
