How Accountants Stay Sane During Tax Season (Sort Of)
Tax season is to accountants what Black Friday is to retail workers – a chaotic, coffee-fueled marathon of numbers, deadlines, and deep sighs. While most people associate spring with blooming flowers and warmer weather, we associate it with W-2′, 1099s and a never-ending inbox.
So, how do we survive the madness without completely losing it? Here are a few of our secret (and sometimes questionable) strategies for staying sane during tax season!
Coffee. Lots and Lots of Coffee
If you ever see an accountant without a coffee cup in hand during tax season, check on them—they might have fallen asleep sitting up. Caffeine is basically our fuel, and by mid-March, our blood is 30% espresso.
☕ Morning Coffee: To wake up.
☕ Afternoon Coffee: To push through.
☕ Evening Coffee: Because why stop now?
Some of us try tea. It lasts about three days.
Tax Season Playlists 🎶
Music is essential when you’re staring at spreadsheets for 12 hours a day. Some go for classical (to feel smarter), some blast ‘80s rock (for motivation), and some just put on white noise and pretend they’re on a beach somewhere far, far away.
Tax season anthems include:
🎵 “Eye of the Tiger” (for tackling a massive return)
🎵 “Under Pressure” (when the deadline looms)
🎵 “Take It Easy” (to remind ourselves to breathe)
The Art of the Desk Snack
Tax season is not the time for elaborate meals. We survive on a mix of protein bars, trail mix, and whatever candy clients leave behind. The ideal tax season snack is:
✅ One-handed (so we can still type)
✅ Non-greasy (to avoid smudging receipts)
✅ High in sugar (because energy is fleeting)
By April 15, we’ve consumed enough goldfish crackers to last a lifetime
The Tax Season Stretch
Sitting at a desk for hours on end is brutal, so we’ve developed some highly advanced stretching techniques:
- The “Receipt Reach” (digging under the desk for a dropped document)
- The “Spreadsheet Squint” (leaning in way too close to the screen)
- The “Refund Celebration Fist Pump” (reserved for big refunds)
- The “I Can’t Anymore Slouch” (self-explanatory)
Some of us go wild and take actual walks outside. But let’s be real, the furthest we go is the coffee machine.
Laughing through the Madness
If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry—so we embrace the humor of tax season:
🤣 “Can I claim my dog as a dependent?” (Sadly, no.)
🤣 “I made a donation… to my friend’s GoFundMe. That counts, right?” (Nice try.)
🤣 “The IRS won’t notice if I round up my expenses, will they?” (Yes. Yes, they will.)
We’ve heard it all, and by April, even the most serious accountants have developed a solid sense of humor.
Counting down to April 15th
The biggest motivation of all? The glorious moment when April 15th is over. Some of us take a vacation. Some sleep for 48 hours straight. Some just stare into space, wondering what life was like before tax season.
But one thing is for sure – by the time next year rolls around, we’ll be right back at it. Because deep down, we LOVE what we do (even if we survive on caffeine and sarcasm).