Tax Season Marketing for CPAs: A Month-by-Month Calendar

Tax season marketing for CPAs usually happens at the worst possible moment. A firm notices in late January that new clients are thin, posts a few ads, and then spends February turning away people it can't fit in. By May the team is exhausted and nobody wants to think about marketing until next January. The cycle repeats.

The fix is to run marketing on the IRS calendar, a few months ahead of the work. Prospect when you have time and clients are planning. Run the season itself on autopilot. Use the quiet months to sell the recurring work that evens out your cash flow.

This guide gives you a 12-month calendar starting in October, the key IRS dates that drive it, email templates for each window and a capacity plan for knowing when to stop taking clients. It's one part of our larger system for AI marketing for accountants and CPAs, which covers niches, Google Maps, advertising rules and referrals.

The IRS dates your calendar runs on

Every marketing window below is tied to a federal deadline. The IRS publishes the full list in Publication 509, Tax Calendars. For calendar-year taxpayers, the ones that shape client behavior are:

• January 15: fourth-quarter estimated tax payment for the prior year.
• January 31: W-2s and 1099-NECs due to recipients and the government.
• March 15: partnership (Form 1065) and S corporation (Form 1120-S) returns.
• April 15: individual returns, calendar-year C corporation returns and first-quarter estimates. It's also the usual last day for prior-year IRA and HSA contributions.
• June 15: second-quarter estimates.
• September 15: third-quarter estimates and extended partnership and S corp returns filed with Form 7004.
• October 15: extended individual returns filed with Form 4868.

If a date lands on a weekend or legal holiday, it moves to the next business day. In 2027, for example, January 31 is a Sunday, so the W-2 and 1099-NEC deadline falls on Monday, February 1. The IRS also postpones deadlines for taxpayers in federally declared disaster areas, so check announcements for your region. The IRS estimated taxes page explains the quarterly schedule if you want to link it in client emails.

The 12-month calendar at a glance

Here's the whole year on one table. The sections that follow explain each window and give you the emails.

October to December: prospect for next season

This is your most important marketing window, and most firms skip it. Prospects who had a bad experience last spring are still annoyed. Business owners are thinking about next year. And you finally have time to answer the phone properly.

October: open the waitlist

As soon as the October 15 extension deadline passes, announce that you're taking new clients for the coming season. A waitlist works better than "we're accepting new clients" because it creates a clear next step and lets you choose who to take.

Put a short notice on your homepage and Google Business Profile, and add a simple form: name, email, type of return or entity, niche questions that help you qualify. Our guide to contact forms that convert covers which fields help and which scare people off.

Email template: waitlist launch

Subject: We're opening spots for the 2027 tax season

Hi [First name],

Each year we take on a limited number of new clients so we can give everyone proper attention. We're now booking for the 2027 filing season, and we're focusing on [your niche, for example rental property owners and small contractors].

If you'd like a spot, reply to this email or join the waitlist here: [link]. We'll schedule a short call in November or December to see if we're a good fit.

[Name], [Credentials] [Firm name], [Postal address] [Unsubscribe link]

Send it to past inquiries who didn't sign, prospects who opted in to your list, and referral partners who can forward it.

November: year-end planning content

November is when planning-minded clients want ideas. Publish one useful article or checklist on your website and send it by email. Good topics for most firms:

• Making employee 401(k) deferrals before December 31, since those must go through payroll in the calendar year.
• Timing equipment purchases or income for business owners (with "talk to us first" rather than a blanket recommendation).
• Organizing records now so January is painless.
• What changes for the coming year in your niche.

This content does double duty. It reminds existing clients you're thinking about them, and it gives prospects a reason to book a call before they've picked a preparer. Pair it with partner meetings. Attorneys, financial planners and bankers all see year-end questions they'd rather pass to you.

December: confirm and close

By early December, your goal is to have next season's new clients signed. Send engagement letters through your practice management platform, confirm the waitlist and close the year with one reminder.

Email template: before December 31

Subject: Three things to check before December 31

Hi [First name],

A few year-end items are easier to handle now than in April:

1. If you have a workplace retirement plan, check that you've deferred what you meant to this year.
2. If you run a business, gather receipts for any equipment bought this year.
3. If you made estimated payments, note the dates and amounts so we have them in January.

If you'd like to talk anything through before the year ends, book a short call here: [link].

[Signature, postal address, unsubscribe]

January to April: deliver, collect reviews, protect capacity

During the season, marketing should run quietly in the background. The work is delivery. Your only goals are a smooth client experience, a steady stream of reviews and not overcommitting.

January: onboarding and reminders

Send your document checklist in early January, before W-2s and 1099s arrive, so clients know what to watch for. Send a separate reminder before January 15 to clients who make estimated payments.

Email template: document checklist

Subject: Your 2026 tax documents checklist

Hi [First name],

Over the next few weeks you'll start receiving tax forms. Here's what to watch for and upload to your portal once you have everything: [short list tailored to the client type]. Please don't email documents. Use the secure portal link here: [portal link].

Our goal is to file your return by [target date] once we have everything.

[Signature, postal address]

Keep sensitive documents out of email and out of marketing tools entirely. Your practice management portal exists for that. The IRS's Publication 4557 on safeguarding taxpayer data is worth rereading before every season.

February and March: reviews and the capacity check

Your earliest finishers are your best review source. They're relieved, often getting a refund, and they remember your help. Ask them right after their return is accepted, with a direct link to your Google review form. Ask every client the same way, without offering anything in return. Our guide on getting more Google reviews has more scripts.

Then check capacity honestly. If you're near full by mid-February, stop taking new individual returns rather than pushing everyone into extensions.

When you close intake, update your website, Business Profile and contact form auto-reply on the same day. A clear, kind no keeps the lead for next year.

April: extensions and a strong finish

Some returns will need extensions. Tell affected clients early, explain that an extension extends the time to file, not the time to pay, and confirm what they owe or should estimate. This is a client-service message, not marketing, but it protects your reviews more than anything else you'll send in April.

May and June: thank, debrief and ask for referrals

When the season ends, everyone wants a break. Take it. Then use May for three quick wins.

1. Send a thank-you email to every client. Keep it short and human.
2. Ask for referrals in the same email. "If you know a fellow rental owner who'd like help next year, we'd be glad to talk with them." Clear niche wording gets better referrals than "tell your friends."
3. Debrief as a team. Which clients were easy? Which niches were most profitable? Which lead sources signed? Write it down. It shapes your fall prospecting.

Email template: thank you and referral ask

Subject: Thank you for a great season

Hi [First name],

Thank you for trusting us with your taxes this year. We know handing over your finances takes trust, and we don't take it lightly.

If you know another [niche, for example small contractor] who's looking for a firm that answers emails, we'd be glad to help. Just forward this note or have them book here: [link].

[Signature, postal address, unsubscribe]

In June, send the Q2 estimate reminder and offer a midyear check-in to business clients. Midyear reviews catch underpayment early, and they're a natural opening for advisory work.

July to September: advisory, recurring work and the extension crunch

Summer is when you build the revenue that doesn't depend on April. Many firms sell monthly bookkeeping, payroll, quarterly tax planning or CFO-style advisory in this window, because business owners have time to think and you have time to onboard them.

The chart is made up, but the shape will look familiar. Recurring work fills the valleys from May to August. Market it then.

July: offer recurring services

Send one email to business clients who don't already use your recurring services. Make it specific: what's included, what it typically costs (or a range), and one problem it solves. "Know your profit every month, not just every April" is clearer than "comprehensive accounting solutions."

Careful with segmentation here. If you choose recipients based on what's in their tax returns, IRC §7216 consent rules may apply, especially for non-tax services. The IRS Section 7216 information center explains the rules, and our pillar guide covers why it matters for marketing.

August: content and website work

Use the quietest month to improve your website and publish the content you'll promote in the fall. One strong niche page or question-answer page each month adds up over a year. Our accounting firm SEO guide shows how to structure those pages so they rank in Google and get cited by AI assistants.

August is also a good time for a 30-day marketing plan refresh and for scheduling a few months of social posts in one sitting, following a simple social media content plan.

September: the extension crunch and fall prep

September 15 brings extended business returns and Q3 estimates, then October 15 brings extended individual returns. Marketing goes quiet again, except for one teaser to your list: "We'll open next season's waitlist in October." It warms people up for your most important email of the year.

Making the calendar run itself

The calendar only works if the emails go out when you're busy. Set it up once, in a quiet month.

• Build your list properly. Only email people who gave you permission or are existing clients, and follow CAN-SPAM: honest From and subject lines, your postal address and an unsubscribe link honored within 10 business days. The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide covers the details.
• Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC before you send volume. Our email deliverability guide walks through each record.
• Write a welcome sequence for waitlist signups so they hear from you within minutes. Our welcome sequence guide has a structure you can adapt.
• Schedule campaigns ahead. Draft the whole year's emails in August and schedule them by date.

Growvia sends campaigns and follow-up sequences from your own mailbox (Gmail, Outlook and others), checks SPF, DKIM and DMARC, warms up new addresses and pauses automatically if bounces spike. Its website forms feed a leads pipeline, so waitlist signups don't sit in an inbox. It doesn't send text messages; if you text clients, use your practice platform and get proper consent first.

Common calendar mistakes

• Starting in January. By then, the good clients have booked.
• Saying yes to everyone in February. Overcommitting leads to extensions, unhappy clients and bad reviews.
• Going silent from May to September. That's when you sell the recurring work that pays for the slow months.
• Sending documents by email. Use your portal, every time.
• Generic newsletters. One niche topic per email beats a roundup of tax news everyone else sends.

If you want to see how this calendar fits with Google Maps, reviews, advertising rules and referral partners, read our complete guide to AI marketing for accountants and CPAs.

Frequently asked questions

When should accounting firms start marketing for tax season?

Start in October, right after the extension deadline. Open a waitlist, send year-end planning content in November and have new clients signed by December.

Should a CPA firm advertise in February?

Only if you have spare capacity. Most firms are near full by then, so paid ads mostly create leads you can't serve. Move those inquiries to next season's waitlist instead.

What should accountants send clients after tax season?

A short thank-you email with a specific referral ask in May, then a Q2 estimate reminder and a midyear check-in offer in June.

How do I market bookkeeping and advisory services?

Pitch them in July and August, when business owners have time and you can onboard properly. Be specific about what's included and the problem it solves, and check §7216 consent rules before segmenting by return data.

Do the IRS deadlines change every year?

The standard dates rarely change, but a deadline on a weekend or holiday moves to the next business day, and the IRS can postpone deadlines for disaster areas. Check Publication 509 each year.