My Accountant Ghosted Me: Emergency Beancount Setup for Tax Season

General
1

It happens more often than you think. Tax season arrives, you reach out to your accountant, and… nothing. No response. Maybe they retired, got overwhelmed, or just disappeared. Here is how to build an emergency Beancount setup when professional help falls through.

The Emergency Scenario

It is February. Your accountant is not returning calls. You have:

  • A shoebox of receipts
  • Bank statements you have not looked at
  • A vague memory of some 1099s
  • April 15 approaching

Week 1: Triage

Day 1-2: Gather documents

/tax-documents-2025/
├── w2/
├── 1099/
├── receipts/
├── statements/
└── last-year-return.pdf

Day 3: Quick Beancount setup

; Minimal chart of accounts
2025-01-01 open Assets:Bank:Checking
2025-01-01 open Assets:Bank:Savings
2025-01-01 open Income:Salary
2025-01-01 open Income:Interest
2025-01-01 open Expenses:Uncategorized

; Get your starting balance
2025-01-01 pad Assets:Bank:Checking Equity:Opening-Balances
2025-01-02 balance Assets:Bank:Checking  5000 USD  ; from January statement

Week 2: Import and Categorize

Focus on what matters for taxes:

  1. All income sources (W-2, 1099, interest, dividends)
  2. Deductible expenses (if itemizing)
  3. Business expenses (if applicable)
  4. Retirement contributions
; Quick categorization - do not overthink it
2025-03-15 * "TURBOTAX" "Tax software"
  Expenses:Tax:Preparation  89.00 USD
  Assets:Bank:Checking     -89.00 USD

2025-04-15 * "IRS" "Q1 estimated payment"
  Expenses:Tax:Federal:Estimated  2500 USD
  Assets:Bank:Checking           -2500 USD

Week 3: Reconcile and Verify

# Check your totals against tax forms
bean-query 2025.beancount "
SELECT SUM(position)
WHERE account ~ 'Income:Salary'
"
# Should match W-2 box 1

Week 4: File or Extend

If you cannot finish:

  • File Form 4868 for automatic 6-month extension
  • Pay estimated tax due to avoid penalties
  • Continue organizing at a sustainable pace

Going Forward

Once the emergency passes, establish:

  1. Monthly import routine
  2. Quarterly tax review
  3. Find a new accountant (early in the year)

Questions

  1. Have you ever had to emergency-build books for tax season?
  2. What is the minimum viable Beancount setup for tax filing?
  3. Tips for finding a new accountant mid-year?