October 31st is a normal day for most people - not so much when you are an accountant working in practice. 

The build up to this day starts for us at Quintas in February each year. The first of 3 rounds of letters being sent to all clients begging for information to be sent in as early as possible in the hope that come October 31st and the following 2 weeks we might not have to be in the office 7 days a week and more than 12 hours a day. Since I started working as an accountant the only October Bank Holiday I have enjoyed was thanks to a very strategically planned maternity leave!

Over one third of our returns get filed in the final 2 weeks of tax deadline time and this is a trend we find hard to change despite our best efforts. There are many reasons for it, from those making final decisions on pension contributions to those who are trying to find the funds to pay their liabilities but to us, all that matters is that we get the job done. Days are spent trying to allocate your time as efficiently as possible. Coffee breaks and lunch hours are quickly forgotten due to the volume of work that has to be done and the pressure of getting through it all. Even with the long hours spent in the office you can never really switch off when you get home and it is inevitable that at some point you will wake at 4am remembering something that has to be done first thing in the morning - its always then I appreciate the reminder setting on my phone.

Regardless of how tired you are, the long hours and the time away from family there is always that sense of achievement when you get through it each year and it is made all the more bearable by having a great team to work through it with. No one leaves early, we are all there together until the filing of the last return and its that team spirit that keeps the adrenaline pumping and the spirits high until midnight on filing night. Well.... that and chocolate....lots and lots of chocolate.....