By Larry Hasson

“We don’t handle tax payments.”

Most tax professionals say it with confidence. Some say it defensively. But almost every time, they’re wrong.

Somewhere along the way, the accounting profession started believing that if you don’t physically move the money, you’re not involved in the tax payment process. And because of that belief, firms don’t look for better systems, better workflows, or better tools to simplify a process that eats up hours every month whether they realize it or not.

That belief comes with consequences: confused clients, frustrated staff, repeated reminders, unnecessary penalties, and a firm that looks less modern and less competitive than it actually is.

Here’s the truth: you do handle tax payments, just not in the way you think.

And if you’re willing to shift your mindset, you can unlock a new revenue-generating service for your firm, reduce a huge amount of silent admin work, and deliver a client experience that feels miles ahead of what most firms offer today.

In today’s blog, let’s break down the parts of the tax-payment process you’re actually managing, why it’s draining your capacity, and how making this process simpler benefits both your firm and your clients.

Why You Do Handle Tax Payments

You may not be in the flow of funds (and you shouldn’t be) but that doesn’t mean you’re not “handling payments.” What most firms don’t see is how many hidden tasks fall under the umbrella of “helping clients make a payment.”

Here’s what firms are doing every single week without calling it what it is:

• Walking clients through government portals step-by-step
  
  
• Sending constant reminders so clients avoid penalties
  
  
• Calling or emailing clients to confirm payments were actually made
  
  
• Chasing clients who miss deadlines
  
  
• Re-explaining installment schedules over and over
  
  
• Calming down clients who get hit with fees
  
  
• Dealing with the fallout when a payment goes to the wrong place
  
  
• Fielding angry messages from clients who thought the firm “handled it”
  
  

These tasks aren’t labelled as “payment services,” but they are the work of handling tax payments in a reactive, manual, and inefficient way.

So the real question is this: Will you continue to deny your hand in tax payments, or finally make this service easier for your team (and your clients)?

How Handling Tax Payments Affects Your Firm (Even If You “Don’t Make Them”)

Firms often underestimate the real cost of managing this workflow. The cumulative impact is huge not just operationally, but emotionally and financially.

Let’s break it down.

Time spent walking clients through their way of making a payment

Every month, accountants spend hours explaining the same steps to the same clients across a dozen portals. You’re on Zoom calls teaching them where to click. You’re rewriting instructions you’ve sent before. You’re troubleshooting login issues, two-factor authentication problems, and “I can’t find the payment button” messages.

This isn’t technical tax work. It’s unpaid support. And it adds up fast.

Draining capacity

The real cost isn’t the five minutes you spend answering a client email. It’s the interruption, the switch out of deep work, the mental load of remembering deadlines, the worry about whether the client will follow through. Multiply that by dozens of clients across dozens of deadlines, and suddenly your firm is losing meaningful capacity to work that shouldn’t be on your plate in the first place.

Client confusion = client dissatisfaction

When clients don’t understand the payment process, they blame the accountant; not the portal, not the government, not the system. They expect clarity. They expect reminders. They expect you to magically prevent penalties. And when something goes wrong, regardless of whose fault it is, they turn to you.

Confusion brings frustration, and frustration erodes trust. If the payment process feels messy, clients assume the service is messy too. It’s unfair, but it’s the reality.

How Simplifying Tax Payments Helps You (and Your Clients)

Once firms acknowledge that they are involved in tax payments, the path forward becomes much clearer. Simplifying this process doesn’t just save time, it creates real, measurable value.

Benefits for firms

• Increased visibility into whether payments were made
  
  
• Less time spent teaching, reminding, and chasing
  
  
• Fewer penalties = fewer angry conversations
  
  
• Clearer workflows and cleaner documentation
  
  
• A new revenue-generating service that clients will happily pay for
  
  
• More capacity for real advisory work
  
  
• A competitive advantage in a profession where client experience matters
  
  

Simply put: fewer headaches, more impact.

Benefits for clients

• Peace of mind knowing nothing has slipped through the cracks
  
  
• A simple, one-step process for approving payments
  
  
• Clear instructions without endless back-and-forth
  
  
• Less confusion, fewer mistakes
  
  
• A consistent experience, regardless of the tax type or portal
  
  
• Confidence that they are always up-to-date
  
  

Give your clients simplicity. 

FAQ

Do tax professionals handle tax payments?

Not in the flow-of-funds sense, but they guide, remind, instruct, troubleshoot, confirm, and follow up. All of that is handling payments.

What is considered “handling” tax payments?

Anything that involves instructing clients, guiding them through payment portals, sending reminders, confirming payments, or troubleshooting payment issues.

Acceptance to a Simplified Workflow

Most firms don’t think they handle tax payments. But when you look closely, you’ll see that you’re already deeply involved, just not in a way that benefits your clients or your team.

If you simplify this process, you gain back capacity, improve client satisfaction, reduce penalties, and open the door to a scalable new service.

If you’re ready to take tax payments off your plate without stepping into the flow of funds, book a Remitian demo. Your clients (and your team) will thank you.

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