🔒Maine accounting firms reset after smooth but busy tax season

Tax season can be a whirlwind for accounting firms in Maine and elsewhere, especially this year amid new federal legislation and an industry-wide workforce shortage following the retirement of 300,000 accountants and auditors nationwide between 2020 and 2022.

At TSG in Westbrook, around 45% of client tax returns this year were filed by the April 15 deadline while 55% opted for an extension, according to Tabitha Swanson, the firm’s founder and principal. While the workload held steady this year, “it seemed that the returns took a little longer with the tax law changes and some software disruptions,” she said. The team also extended 10% more returns than in a typical year, she said. TSG (formerly the Swanson Group) employs 30 people in Westbrook and 10 in North Conway, N.H., where it recently acquired a local firm to broaden its reach. Immediately after April 15, “everyone scales back and takes at least a little time off,” Swanson said. “Many are on vacation this week and some just keep pushing through but at a reduced pace,” she noted. “We had a brief after-tax celebration Friday afternoon, but we actually don't have our end-of-tax-season celebration until the first week of June.” In the meantime, it’s business as usual at the growing accounting firm. “Many are looking forward to being at a 40-hour work week and still moving client returns along,” Swanson said.

‘Smooth tax season’

For Albin, Randall & Bennett, the latest tax season was relatively uneventful despite several law changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that affected clients, reports Matthew Pore, a tax principal at the Portland-based firm. “Given those potential disruptions, we had a very smooth tax season,” he said. After ending every April 15 with a company-wide celebration, the firm encourages employees to take time off. “Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we move to shortened work weeks for the summer to further support the essential reset,” he noted. Pore also recommends that businesses start planning now for 2027 filings as Maine gets ready to implement a new pass-through entity tax this year and to manage their income relative to a new 2% surcharge commonly referred to as the Maine millionaires’ tax.

“The businesses we work with are always planning throughout the year,” Pore said. “We work collaboratively with businesses and their advisor team to strategically minimize tax burdens while planning their growth and transitions.” The firm is staffed by 78 employees. “We consistently hire for seasonal internships as part of our recruiting process, and many of those internships turn into full-time offers for those candidates, which was the case this year,” Pore noted.

BerryDunn's 'steady' workflow

In terms of the tax-season workload at BerryDunn, “this year has been steady and consistent with what we’ve seen in prior seasons,” according to Tyler Waldrupe, principal and director of tax services at the Portland-based firm. “Our team came in well-prepared, and we kept pace to meet all our clients’ deadlines,” he added. “It helps to bring the tax group together for a pre-season ‘kickoff meeting’ to set expectations for work hours, best practices and an overview of the tools and resources the team has available to them.” BerryDunn, which is led by CEO Sarah Belliveau and employs more than 350 assurance, tax and advisory professionals, brought in interns from local colleges and universities to help boost capacity during peak filing periods. “We are committed to early career talent through a robust internship and early career program, and we continue to invest intentionally in the development of professionals at the start of their careers,” said Tammy Brunetti, BerryDunn’s chief strategy and growth officer for assurance, tax and advisory services. Waldrupe’s advice to businesses about 2027: “The best time to start planning is right now,” he said. “Getting ahead of it early makes a significant difference when tax season arrives.”