During January, I didn’t stick exactly to 3 posts a week, but I didn’t do too badly. February was a different story. Busy season for auditors is really busy! The idea behind the name of this blog, Accountant by Day, was to give myself freedom to write about things beyond accounting - because accountants have real lives when they’re not at their day jobs! (So I hear anyway.)

Right now my day job takes 9 - 11 hours of my day, plus at least 1.5 hours of driving each day to get to/from clients. Of course, if there are any employees of one of the big four accounting firms reading this, they’re probably scoffing at my light schedule.

There’s a certain sense of satisfaction to working 10 or 11 billable hours in a day though. All that work must count for something when it comes time for reviews, right?

Plus, my firm is an exciting place to work. We have international clients, but we are a small office. So I have been able to be put out at some engagements all by myself, and really take responsibility for communicating with the clients and figuring out what still needs to be done. That would be unlikely to happen at a Big 4 accounting firm.

Also, around this time of the year, our tax work is picking up. Another unusual aspect of our work is that we have the same CPAs working on both audit and tax. It is an advantage, because after doing the audit, you have a better understanding of the client when you prepare the tax return. However, extensions need to be filed before March 15th, along with estimated tax payments, so someone has to sit down and get those done right in the middle of audit busy season! (I’ll know far more about this process after next week.)

Meanwhile, here in the South we have been having absolutely gorgeous, sunny, warm spring weather. I know about it. I can see it out the window. I’m hoping that anyone who has the oppotunity to enjoy this beautiful weather is taking advantage of every moment of it!

Any auditors out there? As a first year auditor, how swamped were you in busy season?