ADP’s tips for accountants avoiding tax-season burnout

ROSELAND, N.J., Mar. 12, 2026 – The ADP^® Accountant Connect Resource Center™ is sharing practical strategies to help protect energy and reduce stress for tax professionals avoid burnout during the tax filing busy season.

These tips to help avoid burnout include:

• Reclaiming your time- audit your workload, plan ahead and use the right tools
• Working smarter, not harder- automate and delegate where you can
• Managing stress and energy- identify stress triggers and find ways to protect your peace
• Redefining success- focus on what matters most and build sustainable systems

These tips were guided by Dawn Brolin, a seasoned CPA and chief executive officer of Powerful Accounting Inc.

To download the full guide, go to the ADP Accountant Connect Resource Center.

FAQ

What is the busy season?

For accountants in the U.S., busy season typically coincides with tax season, from January through mid-April. Millions of tax returns are processed by accountants for people and organizations during these months.

What are some issues accountants face during busy season?

These are four common issues accountants are looking to overcome during tax season:

• Reactive work- resolving urgent issues for clients rather than planning, often times including repetitive, time-consuming tasks
• Poor boundaries- struggles with work-life balance, including working late and on weekends
• Firm culture- a stressful environment lowers morale overall, leading to future issues growing and maintaining an engaged workforce
• Turnover- overwhelmed staff may leave or become disengaged, leaving other workers with even higher workloads

How can accountants avoid burnout?

The ADP Accountant Connect Resource Center has four tips to help avoid busy season burnout:

• Reclaiming your time
• Working smarter, not harder
• Managing stress and energy
• Redefining success

What is the ADP Accountant Connect Resource Center?

The Accountant Connect Resource Center is a centralized destination designed to help accounting professionals strengthen their advisory services and support client growth. It features a broad range of expert content — from continuing professional education (CPE) opportunities and exclusive ADP-created certifications to timely thought leadership and practical tools.

To explore the Resource Center, visit adp.com/accountantresourcecenter.