Introduction

The tax offices that win the season are not the ones that hustle hardest in February — they are the ones that finished setup before January. Use this checklist between October and mid-January to make sure your office is fully ready when the IRS opens e-file. It is split into four areas: compliance and credentials, software and systems, people and operations, and marketing, pricing, and bank products.

Compliance and Credentials

Nothing else matters if your credentials are not current. Start here.

• Renew your PTIN for the 2026 calendar year on the IRS PTIN portal.
• Verify your EFIN is active in good standing and pull a fresh EFIN application summary from IRS e-Services.
• Renew every preparer's state registration (CTEC for California, NYTPRIN for New York, OBTP for Oregon, MD CRTP for Maryland).
• Refresh your Form 8867 due-diligence procedures and confirm every preparer can pass an internal audit.

Software and Systems

A new season is the right time to evaluate the software contract you signed last year. Most offices that switch software do it in October or November — switching in January is brutal.

• Confirm your tax software is licensed for tax year 2025, all 50 states, and all the return types you actually prepare.
• Verify your banking partner integrations (Refund Transfer and Refund Advance) are enrolled and tested.
• Update your client portal, e-signature workflow, and document storage — make sure last year's data is migrated.
• Run a full mock return with each preparer to confirm every workflow works end-to-end.

People and Operations

Staff readiness is the leading cause of February disasters. Train early, document everything, and you save yourself the 11 p.m. phone calls.

• Complete software training for every preparer — not just the new ones.
• Document your office workflow: intake, prep, review, signature, transmission, and disbursement.
• Confirm staff schedules and overtime pay for the January-to-April window in writing.

Marketing, Pricing, and Bank Products

By December your phones should be ringing because of work you did in October. Pre-season marketing converts cheaper than mid-season marketing every single time.

• Update your pricing list for 2026 — and remember: bank-product returns must be priced the same as cash returns.
• Send a "We're Open January 15" message to every prior-year client.
• Refresh your Google Business Profile, Facebook page, and any local directory listings.

“Every January we see two kinds of offices: the ones that spent October getting ready, and the ones that spent February apologizing. The checklist does not change much year to year — but the offices that actually follow it grow every season.” — ETS Customer Success Team

Final Thoughts

Fourteen items, four buckets, one deadline. Print this list, assign an owner to each item, and put a date next to it. The offices that close out this checklist before January 15 are the ones that book record seasons. If part of your checklist is "evaluate switching tax software," talk to the ETS team before October — our lowest-price guarantee and migration help are designed exactly for offices making the switch.