Welcome to “Get Work Done,” where we discuss the complexities of efficiently running accounting and bookkeeping firms. This newsletter is brought to you by Financial Cents and delivered to your inbox every 2 weeks.
Small Change, Big Results
If you’re in the U.S. reading this on October 15, you’re either done, almost done, or heroically pretending the extension deadline isn’t today. Either way, breathe. 😮💨 The second-biggest deadline of the year is behind you (or about to be), and you’ve earned a minute to think about something bigger than the next return.
So here’s a question for you to chew on: as AI makes your work faster, should your clients pay less for it?
On the surface, it sounds fair. But it’s actually a trap—and it’s the whole subject of “Time Is Not Money,” our new deep dive into how AI is reigniting one of the oldest debates in firm pricing: hours versus outcomes. We talked to firm leaders who’ve lived it, and what they told us is tough to argue with: time was never really the product. You got faster, sure—but a client who wants to pay less because the software did the typing was only ever buying the deliverable. Not your judgment, your review, or your expertise.
Inside this piece:
The subtraction problem: Why “we got faster” doesn’t have to mean “we charge less.”
What you’re actually selling: 90% of surveyed pros say human judgment matters more, not less, as AI spreads (the single most agreed-upon finding in our State of AI in Accounting & Bookkeeping report).
How to make your firm irreplaceable as plain-vanilla compliance gets commoditized.
A 5-step method for backing into a fixed fee billing structure.
As Juna Financial Solutions’ Jean Zick puts it: “Even if AI is doing the work, someone still needs to look at that work.” That look (a.k.a. your judgment) is the product. Price it accordingly!
Community 🫶
Connect, grow, and thrive with CPB Canada
If you’re a bookkeeper practicing north of the border, the Certified Professional Bookkeepers of Canada (CPB Canada) is where the profession comes together to connect, grow, and thrive. It’s a diverse, inclusive community that celebrates bookkeepers from every background and region, all united by a shared dedication to advancing the profession. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll find mentorship, regional networks, and real opportunity waiting.
Become a 21st-century bookkeeper with the DBA
The Digital Bookkeeper Association (DBA) sets out to be an instrument of change in bookkeeping—serving its members, helping business owners find great bookkeepers, and advocating for the profession itself. For members, the goal is to become a distinguished 21st-century bookkeeper: one who delivers proactive advice, brings real value, and attracts the kind of clients who recognize it. If you’re ready to level up how you work (and who you work for) it’s a community worth exploring.
H🔥t Today
Your 2027 PTIN clock starts this week
PTIN renewal season opens in mid-October, which means it’s time to get the preparers in your firm squared away for the 2027 filing season. Two things that often trip people up: every current PTIN expires December 31 (no grace period), and renewals now require you to affirm that you have a written data-security plan in place. So, it’s a natural moment to dust yours off. Don’t wait for the January scramble; it’s a 15-minute task per preparer, and doing it now means avoiding any gaps between renewal and your first return of the season. Renew early, renew everyone, and move on.
Extra extension period for disaster areas
Today (October 15) is the extension deadline for most of your clients, but not all of them. The IRS has postponed filing and payment deadlines for taxpayers across a string of federally declared disaster areas, including parts of Michigan, Mississippi, and Wisconsin (now November 2, 2026) and Hawaii County (now February 1, 2027), among others. Relief is applied automatically based on a taxpayer’s address of record, so if a client recently moved—or they’re outside the zone but their records live inside it—you may need to call the IRS Special Services line (866-562-5227) to get it applied. So, take a few minutes to scroll through the IRS’s covered-disaster list so nobody gets slapped with an unnecessary penalty.
Swipe this workflow template
Swipe this IRS Notice Workflow template from Maurice Birt.
Get more templates from firm owners like you in our community template library.
Meme
Relatable? 😆
Firm Spotl💡ght
How Capovario became a firm that can function without its founder
Dave Kersting started Capovario in 2020 with a goal that had nothing to do with accounting: he wanted to make sure his mom would never have to work again. When she passed in 2023, he was left with a difficult question: what is this firm for now? Eventually, he discovered that the answer was something he’d been doing all along: building a firm on a foundation of generosity and trust, where team members set their own hours, passion projects get funded, and 15% of annual income goes back to the community as free or reduced-cost work.
The reason a model that flexible can thrive? Everyone can see the work—all the time. Kersting credits Financial Cents for making this level of trust operationally possible: when the whole team has visibility into what’s happening, anyone can step away without the firm skipping a beat. (You can catch Dave on the WorkflowCon stage next month, too—more on that below!)
Events
📍 Intuit Connect 2026 — October 26–28 (Las Vegas, NV)
Intuit’s flagship gathering returns to Las Vegas for three days of CPE-accredited sessions, hands-on product demos, and big-stage keynotes (this year’s lineup includes Lupita Nyong’o and Grit author Angela Duckworth). It’s built for multi-service firms who want a front-row look at what’s next on the Intuit platform, a chance to shore up their tech stack, and a few thousand peers to compare notes with. Group passes drop the per-seat price if you’re bringing the team, and CPE credits are available throughout.
📍Accountex Canada — November 3–4 (Toronto, ON)
Canada’s biggest accounting and finance gathering takes over Toronto for two days of CPD-verified sessions and a packed expo floor where you can actually put your hands on the software, automation, and AI tools reshaping daily workflows. Expect 31 sessions built for the real pressures on Canadian firms, up to 24 CPD credits, and a thousand-plus peers to swap notes with. If you’re north of the border, this is the one to block off.
📍 WorkflowCon 2026 — November 9–10 (Virtual & Free)
Our own two-day virtual conference is back, and this year’s theme says it all: Focus is the New Flex. Most accounting conferences are built for firms trying to get bigger. WorkflowCon is built for firms betting on depth: better-fit clients, sharper services, and systems that hold up. Five tracks with 20-plus sessions spanning AI in practice, workflow automation, pricing, client selection, and team operations. Plus, recordings for every registrant. Did we mention it’s 100% free?
Noteworthy
WorkflowCon 2026 is in 3 weeks—save your spot now!
It’s an event so nice, we featured it twice! ICYMI in the Events section above, our two-day, flagship virtual conference is happening November 9–10, and the entire agenda is built on a single idea: Focus is the new flex. Any firm can do more; the best firms do better—by picking one growth lever and going all in on it.
Five tracks (Workflow, AI, Client, Revenue, and Team) across 20-plus practitioner-led sessions mean there’s literally something for everyone on your team. And the Revenue track picks up right where this issue’s pricing story leaves off (Logan Graf’s “Pricing Is How You Say No” is worth the registration by itself).
Four keynotes anchor it all: psychologist and bestselling author Ethan Kross, Little Fish Accounting’s Keila Hill-Trawick, SmartAccountant.ai’s Jan Haugo, and Conscious Accounting’s Nicole Davis. Every session is recorded for anyone who registers, so block the dates even if you can’t attend the whole conference. (But try to stick around for all of Day 2, when the Small & Mighty Awards winners are revealed live on stage!)
That’s all for now. See you in two weeks. 💚