What to Do When a Client Accuses Your Firm of Negligence After a Tax Filing Error

Being an accountant, we know that you value your reputation and client relationship the most. Tax season can be stressful, and with paperwork all around, the smallest mistake can result in serious consequences – maybe even clients accusing you of negligence after a tax filing error. Even though this is quite common in the field, handling the situation with care is paramount. Ensure that you approach the situation professionally and have a clear plan of action in mind to mitigate the damage.

The Client Is Always Right 

Our first piece of advice would be to tackle the situation right; acknowledge your client’s concerns and listen to them in detail. Service providers that listen and are empathetic, are everyone’s favorite. Therefore, listen – and make sure to reassure them that you are committed to finding a solution. Lastly, a heartfelt apology may be the right way to go to save your relationship with your client.  

What Went Wrong? 

Moving on, you must investigate the error. Extract all documents and review where the mistake occurred – what went wrong? Was it a miscalculation, a missed deduction, or a software malfunction? You might be able to figure out whether it was a genuine error – or pure negligence.

Be Honest

Clients– or in simple words, humans, appreciate honesty. Once you’ve figured out what went wrong, try to be honest. Whether it was human error or negligence, admit your mistake and let your client know the steps you will be taking to fix it for them.  

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Now that you’ve committed to resolving the issue, actively work towards it and fix the error. If your negligence or mistake caused any financial harm to the client, offer to cover up some or all costs (depending on the degree of the error) and make amends to save the relationship with your client by genuinely trying to compensate for the loss. If you have Errors’ & Omissions Insurance, that policy should cover your costs.  However, it would be beneficial to everyone involved if you resolved the issue without incurring a claim.  And if you don’t have an E&O policy, well, you might want to purchase it to protect your pockets.  Just the cost of legal representation is enough to sideline businesses of all sizes.

Learn the Lesson

Once all of the above is resolved, do a quick assessment of the situation and your internal processes – because you don’t want it happening all over again. Therefore, implement additional checks or training, as well as a risk management plan to prevent such unfortunate incidents. Lastly, make sure your client doesn’t go home disappointed – ensure and promise them better quality service for next time – we can promise, the empathy would 99% bring them back! 

Tackling a situation where your clients are at stake only involves a little empathy and a massive amount of effort to save your client’s day. Therefore, choose professionalism, empathy, and dedication in the hour of need.  

For expert advice, contact Shayne Bevilacqua at Professional Liability Insurance Group.  
Call or Text us at +1 (877) PLIG – 123, That’s (877) 754 – 4123.