Between February and April, your phone doesn’t stop. New clients want to know if you’re taking on T1s (or 1040s). Existing clients have questions about documents, deadlines, and refund status. And every call that goes unanswered during a working session is a potential client relationship that frays a little.
Tax season is the window where accounting firms either grow their client base or lose ground to competitors who respond faster. This guide covers how AI phone answering helps accounting practices manage the call volume without adding administrative headcount.
Why Tax Season Is a Phone Problem
Most accountants run lean operations. A CPA in solo practice or a small firm of three to five staff can’t dedicate someone to phone management full-time, especially when that same staff is needed for return preparation.
The math is unfavourable: February through April produces roughly 60% of a firm’s annual call volume in about 90 days. Staff capacity doesn’t scale with that spike. The result is:
- New client inquiries going to voicemail and not converting
- Existing client calls going unanswered, creating anxiety about their returns
- After-hours calls from clients who can only call evenings and weekends
- Staff interrupted mid-preparation to answer routine questions
Each of these has a cost. Missed new client inquiries are lost annual revenue. Anxious existing clients require longer callbacks. Staff interruptions reduce preparation accuracy and throughput.
What AI Phone Answering Handles in an Accounting Context
A well-configured AI answering service handles the high-volume, routine calls that dominate tax season while keeping complex matters for your staff.
New Client Intake
When someone calls asking whether you’re accepting new personal tax clients, the AI gathers their information: name, contact, type of return needed (simple T1, investment income, self-employed, rental property), approximate income complexity, and whether they have an existing accountant.
This intake filters and qualifies leads so you can prioritize callbacks to the most valuable prospects and manage capacity more deliberately.
Appointment Scheduling
The AI books initial consultations directly into your calendar. Rather than a back-and-forth of “when are you free?” emails, clients get available slots and book immediately. This is particularly useful for new client first meetings in February and early March before the peak crunch.
Document Checklist Delivery
When a client calls asking “what do I need to bring?” or “what documents do you need?”, the AI answers with your standard checklist (T4s, T5s, receipts, last year’s notice of assessment). For firms offering digital document collection, the AI can direct clients to your secure upload portal.
Status Updates
“Has my return been filed?” “When will my refund come?” These calls spike in late March and April. The AI handles the general ones: explaining typical processing timelines, CRA processing windows, and where to check refund status. This frees your staff from repetitive explanations.
After-Hours Inquiry Capture
Clients who work during the day often call evenings and weekends. Rather than leaving a voicemail that waits until Monday, the AI captures their inquiry, provides whatever immediate information is relevant, and queues a callback if needed.
Tax Season Call Volume: A Realistic Picture
| Call Type | Volume Share | AI Handles? |
|---|---|---|
| ”Are you taking new clients?” | High | Yes |
| Document / checklist questions | High | Yes |
| Appointment booking | High | Yes |
| ”What’s my refund status?” | High | Yes (general info) |
| Specific return questions | Medium | Escalate to staff |
| Complex tax planning inquiries | Low | Escalate to staff |
| Upset clients / disputes | Low | Escalate to staff |
The majority of tax season calls are routine and repeatable. AI handles those; your CPAs focus on the work that requires their expertise.
How It Works in Practice
Setup takes about an hour. You train the AI on your firm’s specifics: what services you offer, what types of clients you accept, your document checklist, your pricing structure (or whether pricing is by consultation), your secure document portal, and your escalation rules.
Integration with scheduling. Most AI answering services integrate with popular calendar tools and practice management software, allowing direct booking without double-entry.
Escalation rules. Define what goes straight to a staff callback: anything involving CRA audits, late filing penalties, complex business returns, or a client who explicitly requests to speak with their accountant. The AI captures everything else.
After the call. You receive a summary of every call: who called, what they asked, what the AI said, whether it booked an appointment or took a message. This keeps your team in the loop without listening to recordings.
The Off-Season Value
One underappreciated benefit: AI phone answering for accounting firms provides year-round value even outside tax season.
For the July to January period:
- Corporate tax deadline calls (June and September)
- HST/GST remittance questions
- Year-end planning inquiries from business clients
- New client inquiries that come in steadily through the year
Maintaining 24/7 availability year-round means capturing those inquiries when they happen rather than when you’re in the office.
Comparing Your Options
| Voicemail | Part-Time Admin | AI Answering | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax season coverage | No | Business hours only | 24/7 |
| New client intake | No | Yes | Yes |
| Appointment booking | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cost (monthly) | $0 | $2,000–3,500 | $59–195 |
| Scales with volume | No | No | Yes |
| Consistent responses | N/A | Variable | Always |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the AI answer questions about Canadian tax deadlines?
Yes. You configure the AI with the specific deadline information relevant to your clients: T1 personal filing deadlines, corporate tax due dates, instalment payment dates. The AI references this information accurately in every call.
What if a client calls about a CRA audit or problem?
Configure the AI to identify these situations and escalate immediately. A client mentioning “audit,” “CRA letter,” or “reassessment” can trigger a priority flag to your staff rather than a standard message.
Will the AI work with my existing scheduling software?
Dialbox integrates with common calendar and practice management platforms. Check compatibility with your specific software before committing.
Is client call data stored securely and in compliance with Canadian privacy law?
AI phone answering services operating in Canada, including Dialbox, store data on Canadian servers and comply with PIPEDA requirements. Review the provider’s data handling practices before use.
Should I use AI answering for my entire firm or just overflow?
Either works. Some firms use AI answering as their primary call handler for all inbound calls. Others use it as overflow when staff are unavailable. Start with overflow if you’re uncertain. It requires less configuration and lets you evaluate the results before going further.
The right AI phone answering service for your accounting firm handles the volume so your team focuses on returns. Learn more about replacing voicemail with AI to see what modern call management looks like for professional services.
See how Dialbox works for your firm at Dialbox.ca.
