When Clients Ghost You During Tax Season and How to Keep Things Moving

Every accountant has at least a few: the client who disappears right when you need them most. You’ve sent the reminders, followed up, even tried the friendly “Just checking in…” email, and still, no documents, no confirmation, nothing.

During IRP6 season, this isn’t just frustrating. It’s a risk. Late submissions, incomplete estimates, and missing info can all lead to penalties, and often the blame circles back to your practice.

So, how do you manage these clients better without chasing them down one by one? We’re finding that the key lies in having systems, not just good intentions. Here are the practices that are helping South African accountants avoid the last-minute panic (and protect their own sanity in the process).

1. Start with Categorisation, Before the Season Starts

You already know not every client is the same. But many firms still treat them the same when it comes to reminders and follow-ups.

By segmenting your clients early, especially by their provisional tax status, you can prioritise communication and track the slow responders more accurately. Whether you group them as “automatic IRP6 clients,” “possible IRP6 based on income,” or “exempt from provisional tax,” this gives you clarity on who needs what and when.

Using a CRM like SmartPractice allows you to categorise these clients and assign services ahead of time, so you're not trying to figure it out mid-season.

2. Use Task Ownership and Internal Notes to Keep Work Moving

If more than one staff member is involved in a client file, or if a junior needs to escalate something, tasks can easily stall, even more so when you're waiting on client info.

Instead of pausing work entirely, use internal task notes and assign clear responsibility for follow-ups. For example, while waiting for financials, your team can still prepare previous estimates, run comparisons, or prep the IRP6 form shell. SmartPractice lets you track what’s done and what’s outstanding, even when you’re in limbo.

3. Track All Communication

When clients say, “I never got anything from you,” it helps to have a system that shows otherwise. Keeping a record of who was contacted, when, and how protects your practice.

In SmartPractice, every SMS and email sent through the system is logged. If a client ghosts you, you have proof of the outreach. You also have visibility into whether a colleague followed up already, so no more double-chasing or missed follow-ups.

4. Automate the Nudges, But Don’t Rely on a One-Size-Fits-All Reminder

Automated reminders are great, but not all clients respond to them. Some need a phone call. Others will only react when you mention SARS penalties. Segmenting your clients means you can apply the right kind of reminder to each group.

Use a mix of bulk emails for low-maintenance clients, personal messages for high-value ones, and recurring reminders for those who always run late. With SmartPractice, you can filter by industry, service, or responsiveness and send targeted communication, without blasting your whole list unnecessarily.

5. Have a Cut-Off Policy (and Stick to It)

There’s nothing wrong with giving clients a deadline that protects your firm. If you don’t receive the necessary documents by the due date, you risk missing the submission window and incurring penalties.

But that policy only works if you’ve got the system to back it up. Use your CRM to flag clients who didn’t submit on time and ensure you’ve documented each step taken to reach them. It won’t eliminate the ghosting, but it will protect your team from scrambling at the eleventh hour or taking the fall for a non-responsive client.

You can’t control every client. But you can control how you work with them. With the right systems in place, “ghosting” becomes a manageable obstacle, not a crisis. And when IRP6 season kicks off, you’ll be in a far better position to track what’s outstanding, who’s holding up the process, and how to keep things moving.