How Smart Buyers Use Tax Season to Win at M&A

Doug Warner
Dec 11, 2025
2 min read

All signs point to another banner year for M&A activity. For firms looking to acquire another firm in 2026, success can come from using tax season to gauge opportunities and get your team ready. Even if you currently aren’t thinking about a deal, using tax season to optimize your practice is smart business.

As you set the stage for the year ahead, here are five steps that are sure to deliver meaningful benefits.

Pressure Test Infrastructure. Delegation and efficiencies are crucial to a less stressful tax season and an easier routine. Acquirers need to understand how much their team can take on to be confident pursuing a deal. No firm has enough staff, so all firms need to optimize career conditions. Shifting hours to later in the year, programming tax extensions, cutting back on hours while maximizing revenues, and shoring up your compensation and incentive programs can go a long way toward satisfaction and retention post-merger.
Learn Now to Prepare for Later. Keep a running list of changes that will benefit your next tax season to assess how to achieve them through M&A. Establish a list of wishes and requirements. Set priorities and rank them. Also, assess strengths and weaknesses objectively. All parties must be confident a deal will mitigate weaknesses and accentuate strengths.
Be Data Savvy. More than simply being up to date, it’s important to know what kind of data to track and how to benchmark it. In deal-making, data is a magical language, and both buyers and sellers need to be armed.
Implement or Intensify Outsourcing. Firms that offshore/outsource report minimal client pushback and enhanced pressure relief for staff. Consider moving compliance work outside and shifting administrative functions to free up people. Providers will need to know what is expected well before tax season, so the time to act is now.
Monitor Client Attitudes. All deals are client focused. Whether you want to add services or gain market share, all parties should understand their clients’ priorities and satisfaction levels first. Selective surveying upon project completion can make a significant different.

Of course, if you are contemplating an acquisition post-tax season, it’s crucial to gain competitive intelligence, along with insights tailored to your needs. Consult with an experienced M&A advisor who specializes in your firm size and region.