How AccountKit's Daily Plan Eliminates Task Overload in Busy Seasons

For Australian accounting firms, busy season is not a short spike. It is a repeating cycle of pressure points that arrive with dependable regularity. BAS quarters, EOFY in June, FBT returns, Division 7A reviews, ATO lodgement deadlines and ASIC compliance all stack up quickly. Many firms see workload increase by 30 to 40 per cent during these periods, often without a corresponding increase in headcount.

The problem is rarely the lack of work. It is the lack of structure around it and simply the time to do it all.

Handwritten lists, Outlook reminders, spreadsheets and ad hoc notes can work during quieter months. During peak periods, they fall apart. Tasks are duplicated, priorities become unclear, and work lives in people’s own disparate systemsrather than in a system the firm can see and manage.

This is where AccountKit’s Daily Plan changes how busy season feels. Instead of rebuilding to-do lists every day or relying on memory, accountants work from a single, always-visible task view inside AccountKit workflow. Tasks appear automatically, are prioritised in advance, and are cleared as work is completed. The volume of work does not disappear, but the feeling of overload does.

Understanding busy season overload for Australian accountants

Busy season overload is not caused by a single issue. It is the result of several pressures compounding at once.

BAS quarters and EOFY create predictable workload spikes. Firms often experience a sharp increase in compliance work alongside ongoing advisory, payroll and client support. At the same time, deadlines are fixed and penalties are real. A missed ATO lodgement or late ASIC filing carries risk that firms cannot ignore.

Common problems emerge quickly:

• Tasks are scattered across tools and isolated systems
• Staff are unsure what to work to prioritise first
• Managers lack visibility into who is overloaded
• Critical deadlines compete with lower-value work

Traditional task lists fail because they are personal, isolated and static. They do not adapt as work changes, they do not distribute responsibility across a team, and they do not reflect what is actually due today versus next week. Under ATO and ASIC pressure, this leads to reactive work and long hours rather than controlled delivery.

Effective busy season task management for accountants requires a system that allows for adequate visibility, is well structured and repeatable.

What is AccountKit’s Daily Plan?

The AccountKit Daily Plan is an always-visible, day-to-day task list built directly into AccountKit workflow. It is where accountants plan their day, see what is due, and clear work as they go.

Rather than living in a separate app or personal notebook, the Daily Plan sits alongside core practice information such as ATO lodgements, ASIC dashboards, client records and team data. It is accessible from anywhere in the platform, making it the natural starting point each morning.

The Daily Plan can show:

• Prioritised tasks assigned to the user.
• Tasks generated from templates and recurring jobs.
• Add and create reminders and follow-ups.
• Task priorities and due dates.
• With the right access, you can even see the daily plans of others.

During BAS quarters or EOFY, the Daily Plan becomes the individual accountant’s home base. It replaces scattered lists with a single source of truth that reflects what the firm expects them to work on today.

How tasks automatically populate your work views

One of the reasons task overload creeps in each season is that firms rebuild their task lists manually. AccountKit removes this step through recurring workflows and templates.

Tasks can enter each teammembers task lists in several ways:

• Created directly in AccountKit workflow
• Generated from job templates
• Created as part of recurring tasks from templates
• Added reminders manually during the day

When building templates, firms can include full task lists each with their own work instructions. Each primary task and sub-tasks can be assigned to a user or role, given a priority, and a defined flexible status flow”. Once a template is set to Active, AccountKit automatically generates tasks based on its repeat rules and comprehensive naming conventions utilising placeholders (eg. Business Activity Statement | Oct - Dec 2025).

Repeat options are flexible and practical. Firms can define:

• Every: day, week, month or year
• On: specific days of the week or month
• Start repeat: the date tasks should begin generating
• Ending: after a set date or number of occurrences

If a start date is set in the past, AccountKit back-fills all instances up to today. This is particularly useful when implementing workflows mid-season. To prevent accidental overload, templates move to Draft when repeat rules are changed and must be explicitly reactivated.

This approach makes AccountKit recurring tasks reliable rather than overwhelming. Work appears on the right day, without staff rebuilding lists each quarter.

Prioritising and clearing work during peaks

The Daily Plan and Projects are designed for prioritisation, not just visibility.

Tasks can be ordered by priority before work begins, allowing accountants to focus on statutory deadlines first. Partners and managers can pre-configure priorities within templates, ensuring that critical BAS and EOFY tasks are surfaced appropriately.

As work is completed, tasks are ticked off directly in the Daily Plan. This updates the underlying job record and assigns to the next user automatically. There is no double handling and no need to reconcile personal notes with the system later.

This process delivers two benefits:

• Mental load is reduced as tasks are cleared.
• Managers gain real-time insight into progress.

Instead of chasing updates or relying on status meetings, leaders can see what is complete, what is overdue, and where bottlenecks are forming. This visibility is essential for eliminating task overload in accounting, even when workloads are high.

Managing overlapping deadlines during busy season

Busy season pressure rarely comes from a single obligation. It comes from multiple deadlines overlapping.

BAS quarters continue while EOFY work ramps up. Tax planning reviews, payroll reconciliations and final accounts often compete for attention at the same time. ATO and ASIC obligations add another layer of fixed deadlines that cannot slip.

The Daily Plan is designed to handle this overlap.

During a BAS quarter, firms utilise their tailored views, which include all required BAS tasks per client. These tasks are dated to lodgement schedules, assigned to the appropriate staff, and can be assigned to each accountant’s Daily Plan. Work is already prioritised, so accountants can focus on what matters most that day without rebuilding task lists.

As EOFY approaches, additional tasks surface automatically through EOFY templates. Division 7A checks, fuel tax credits and payroll reconciliations appear alongside ongoing BAS work in the same Daily Plan view. This creates a practical EOFY task dashboard without manual setup or parallel tracking systems.

Because the Daily Plan sits alongside ATO lodgement workflow and ASIC dashboards, tasks remain linked to their underlying context. Accountants can see urgency without switching systems, reducing missed follow-ups and last-minute surprises.

Firms consistently report the same outcome during peak periods. Fewer handwritten lists, less context switching, and greater confidence that competing priorities are being managed rather than reacted to. 

Manual lists vs AccountKit Daily Plan

Manual systems rely on memory and discipline. AccountKit provides structure by default, supporting accounting workflow automation without adding complexity.

Avoiding task overload without reducing obligations

AccountKit does not remove busy season obligations. It makes them manageable.

Centralisation ensures tasks, reminders and instructions live in one system rather than across tools. Distribution ensures work is assigned deliberately across the team instead of accumulating with one person. Visibility allows leaders to adjust priorities and assignments before burnout sets in.

These principles reflect best practice advice across the profession. List everything, assign owners, standardise workflows and reuse them each season.

The Daily Plan operationalises this advice inside the AccountKit workflow.

Getting started with the Daily Plan for your next peak

Firms preparing for their next BAS or EOFY period can start simply:

1. Build or refine templates for recurring work such as BAS, EOFY and Tax Planning reviews
2. Set repeat rules and assign tasks to the appropriate users
3. Activate templates so tasks flow automatically into the AccountKit workflow
4. Assign high-priority work to your AccountKit Daily Plan to have visibility of your priorities

From there, teams work directly from the Daily Plan each day, week, and month, adding reminders as needed and clearing tasks as they go.

For firms looking to reduce stress and improve delivery during peak periods, the AccountKit Daily Plan provides a practical, structured way to manage busy season work without relying on memory or scattered tools.

Start your 14-day free trial or register for the next AccountKit workflow webinar to see the Daily Plan in action before your next peak hits.