About a month ago, we conducted a post-Tax Day survey with our U.S. customers in which we dug deep into the underlying ways in which they really file taxes. Here’s what we learned… Nearly 6% Finished Filing Their Taxes in January or Earlier. More Than 25% Admitted They Ignored the Task Until the Last Minute. And 15% selected the “I had to file for an extension which may or may not be code for I haven’t started'” response. First of all, we salute those that took care of their taxes in January or earlier. That is actually really impressive. And while these figures are the extremes, more than half of our responders squared their tax return filings away in February or March—which is good to see! Kashoo U.S. Customers Are, On the Whole, Polite! 46% Said They Didn’t Utter a Single Profanity During Their Tax Prep. Though There is a 5% Contingent that Spewed More Foul Language Than You Can Find in the Wolf of Wall Street Script. Yes, tax time can be frustrating, but we’re heartened to hear that most folks made it through without losing their cool. Maybe it has something to do with the simple accounting software they use? That’s likely because… More Than 45% of Those Surveyed Said Their Accounting Software Was What Helped Them Get Through Tax Time the Most. 13% Gave the Nod to Caffeine While 8% Pointed to Their “Imaginary Friends That They Would Talk to When the Numbers Just Got Too Complicated. Yes, we realize the irony in using the verb “pointed” in reference to imaginary friends. All kidding aside though, solid accounting software is a big part of a smooth tax time. Also worth noting, 33% of responders said their accountant was what got them through. Kashoo’ers Love Sugar. For Better or Worse, 40% of Responders Said Sweets Were Their Saviors When it Came to Staying Fueled While Working on Taxes Late Into the Night. While this probably isn’t a good thing, it’s a thing nonetheless. Hopefully our responders just needed a small energy boost to finish up their tax filings and not subsisting entirely on saccharine. We allowed participants to write in their own go-to fuel as well. Here are a few submissions: “Cheese” “Pretty sure it was gin and tonics” “Whiskey” “Wine” “Wine and/or Beer” “Rum” “BBQ Steaks and Potatoes” “I prefer chewing on the ends of the nearest pen or pencil” “DIET COKE” (Yes, in all caps.) “I actually prepare taxes as a business. So I prepared my dinner two days ago, in advance.” (We love our accountants!) Everyone Wants to Get Better. (Either That Or Send Cookies to the IRS “Just Because”) Our last question asked responders to commit to one habit right now that will make next year’s tax season easier. 53% said they will do a better job of tracking expenses as they incur them throughout the year. 25% said they will start their tax prep immediately upon receiving all the paperwork they need. And nearly 12% said they will send cookies to the IRS “just because.” Hopefully our little survey—and the accompanying raffle—helped make tax time a little more fun for folks. (NOTE: By participating in this survey, U.S.-based Kashoo customers entered into a raffle in which 10 Amazon or Apple gift cards were randomly awarded.)
