What Burnout Really Looks Like in Tax Season
If you caught Part 1 of this series, you already know we talked about the chaos that tax season dumps on every preparer’s lap the long days, the endless questions, and the emotional whiplash of living inside everyone else’s financial stress.
But this time, we’re going deeper. Because stress doesn’t just fade when the last return is filed. It leaves fingerprints on your body, your mind, and your relationships.
And that’s what burnout really looks like.
It’s forgetting words you’ve used your whole life. It’s re-reading the same line of a tax law three times and still not absorbing it. It’s drinking another cup of coffee not because you want it, but because your hands are typing while your soul’s trying to climb out the window.
And just when you think you’ve recovered, fall tax season rolls in the encore nobody asked for, starring every procrastinator who swore they’d get it to you in April.
It shows up differently for everyone: insomnia, headaches, mood swings, brain fog, gut issues, hormone chaos, you name it. When you live in constant fight-or-flight mode, your body eventually starts fighting back
Let’s talk science for a minute. When you’re under pressure, your body floods with cortisol and adrenaline. Those hormones are great when you’re running from a bear, not so great when you’re just trying to finish Schedule C line 27.
Chronic stress keeps those chemicals running like an IV drip. You stop sleeping deeply. Your digestion tanks. Your muscles knot up. Your memory fades. You crave sugar, salt, or alcohol just to calm the noise. Eventually, your system stops knowing the difference between danger and a deadline
And here’s the part most people miss: your body doesn’t care that you have clients waiting or bills due. Biology wins. Every. Single. Time.
That’s burnout. It’s not dramatic, it’s quiet and constant. It’s the steady hum of being overextended for too long.
But what makes it worse is how invisible it can be to everyone else. Clients see the results, not the process. They see “return complete,” not the twelve-hour day, the skipped meals, or the pile of messages we still have to answer at 11 PM.
Let’s be blunt. Every tax preparer, bookkeeper, and accountant I know is exhausted, not because we don’t love what we do, but because we’re human beings under impossible pressure
So when someone storms into our inbox demanding answers now or acting like their return is the only one on Earth, it hits differently. We’re not robots. We’re not Amazon Prime. We’re professionals managing hundreds of moving parts with precision, integrity, and honestly, barely enough sleep.
If you’re reading this as a client: please remember, the person preparing your taxes has a life, a family, a body that needs rest. Patience isn’t just kindness; it’s respect
And to the clients who already get it who upload their documents on time, follow directions, and say “thank you” we see you, and we appreciate the hell out of you. You make it possible for us to keep doing this work without losing our minds.
And maybe, just maybe, you start remembering why you started this work in the first place.
So if you’re a fellow tax professional reading this, take it seriously. Step back before your body forces you to. And if you’re a client, give your preparer a little grace, maybe even a thank-you. It costs nothing and it matters more than you realize.
Because under every deadline and every deduction, there’s a human being trying their best to help you live your tax-deductible life, and make it to April 16th in one piece.
Live your tax-deductible life. Build freedom.
