Tax season is hectic enough without playing phone tag with clients trying to schedule appointments.
If you’ve ever spent half your day answering booking calls when you should be preparing returns, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Or worse, when clients call during meetings to reschedule, disrupting your workflow and the client sitting right in front of you.
But here’s the thing:
The right appointment scheduling software can completely transform how you manage client bookings during tax season (and beyond).
No more interruptions. No more double bookings. No more missed appointments because someone “forgot to write it down.”
These tools let your clients book their own appointments 24/7, send automatic reminders, and even collect payments upfront, giving you back hours of time to focus on what you do best: helping clients navigate their taxes.
I’ve been testing scheduling apps specifically for tax professionals, and these five stand out for their reliability, features that matter to tax consultants, and ability to handle the unique demands of tax season.
My Top Scheduling Apps for Tax Consultations
- Calendly: Best overall for simple, professional scheduling
- Acuity Scheduling: Best for service-based businesses with payment processing
- TimeTap: Best for practices requiring robust client management
- TaxDome: Best all-in-one practice management with built-in scheduling
- Setmore: Best free option for solo practitioners
1. Calendly
Best for simple, professional scheduling that just works
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from $10/month per user
Calendly always makes these lists for good reason. It’s incredibly reliable and eliminates the back-and-forth that drives tax professionals crazy during busy season.
But what makes Calendly particularly great for tax consultations is how straightforward it is. Your clients get a clean, professional booking page where they can see your real availability and book instantly.
Seamless Integration with Your Existing Workflow
Calendly connects with virtually every calendar system you’re already using, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar. When someone books an appointment, it automatically blocks that time across all your calendars.
This is crucial during tax season when you might be juggling client meetings, deadlines, and personal commitments. No more accidentally double-booking yourself because you forgot to update your calendar.
Perfect for Different Types of Tax Consultations
You can create multiple “event types” for different services:
- Initial tax consultation (60 minutes)
- Follow-up questions (30 minutes)
- Complex business tax review (90 minutes)
- Year-end tax planning session (45 minutes)
Each event type can have its own availability, duration, and even different pricing if you upgrade to a paid plan.
Automatic Reminders That Actually Work
Clients get email confirmations immediately, plus reminder emails 24 hours before their appointment. This alone has cut my no-show rate dramatically.
During tax season, people are stressed and forgetful. These automatic reminders mean fewer clients missing appointments and apologizing later.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Incredibly easy to set up and use | Limited customization on free plan |
| Integrates with video conferencing tools like Zoom automatically | Payment processing requires paid plan |
| Clients love how simple the booking process is | Can’t collect detailed client information during booking on free plan |
Calendly Alternative: Microsoft Bookings
If you’re already using Microsoft 365, Microsoft Bookings is built right in. It’s more basic than Calendly but integrates seamlessly with Teams for video consultations.
However, Calendly’s interface is much more polished, and clients find it easier to use.
2. Acuity Scheduling
Best for tax professionals who want comprehensive client management built-in
Pricing: From $16/month (no free plan); 7-day free trial
Acuity Scheduling goes way beyond basic appointment booking. It’s designed for service-based professionals who need to collect payments, gather client information, and manage complex scheduling scenarios.
Collect Everything You Need Before the Appointment
This is where Acuity really shines for tax consultations. You can create custom intake forms that collect all the information you need before clients walk through your door:
- Social security numbers
- Previous year’s tax situation
- Business structure details
- Specific questions they want to address
Instead of spending the first 15 minutes of every consultation gathering basic information, you can dive straight into their tax situation.
Handle Payments Like a Pro
Acuity lets you require payment when clients book their appointment. This eliminates no-shows almost entirely, people who pay upfront actually show up.
You can also offer packages (like “Tax Prep + Planning Session”) or collect deposits for larger engagements.
Perfect for Complex Scheduling Needs
If you have multiple locations, work with other preparers, or offer different types of services, Acuity handles it all elegantly.
You can set different availability for different services, manage multiple staff calendars, and even handle group appointments (great for small business tax seminars).
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful intake forms collect client info upfront | No free plan option |
| Built-in payment processing with multiple gateways | Can be overwhelming for simple scheduling needs |
| Excellent for managing multiple staff or locations | More expensive than basic scheduling tools |
Acuity Alternative: Square Appointments
Square Appointments offers similar features with tighter integration to Square’s payment ecosystem. If you already use Square for payment processing, it’s worth considering.
3. TimeTap
Best for established tax practices with comprehensive client management needs
Pricing: From $22/month
TimeTap is built for businesses that live and die by appointments, which perfectly describes tax practices during busy season.
Advanced Resource Management
TimeTap excels at managing complex scheduling scenarios. You can allocate specific conference rooms, assign particular tax preparers to certain appointment types, and even block travel time between appointments at different locations.
This is invaluable if you have multiple offices or if different team members specialize in different areas (individual vs. business taxes, for example).
Automated Communication That Makes Sense
Beyond basic reminders, TimeTap can send follow-up messages after appointments, asking for missing documents or scheduling follow-up meetings.
It can also automatically send “nudges” to past clients when tax season approaches, encouraging them to book their annual appointment. This proactive outreach has helped many practices maintain client relationships year-round.
Robust Reporting and Analytics
TimeTap provides detailed insights into your scheduling patterns, busiest times, most popular services, no-show rates by appointment type.
This data is gold for tax practices. You can identify peak hours to optimize staffing, see which services are most in-demand, and even predict revenue based on booked appointments.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent for complex multi-location scheduling | Higher price point than simpler alternatives |
| Powerful automation and follow-up capabilities | Steeper learning curve for basic users |
| Detailed analytics and reporting features | Mobile app could be more intuitive |
TimeTap Alternative: Appointy
Appointy offers similar multi-location capabilities at a lower price point, though with fewer automation features.
4. TaxDome
Best all-in-one practice management with integrated scheduling
Pricing: Custom pricing; contact for quote
TaxDome isn’t just a scheduling app, it’s a complete practice management platform built specifically for tax and accounting professionals. But its appointment scheduling features are worth highlighting.
Everything in One Platform
Instead of juggling separate tools for scheduling, client communication, document storage, and billing, TaxDome puts everything in one place.
When a client books an appointment through TaxDome, their information automatically populates in your client management system. Documents they upload are immediately accessible. Payment processing is seamlessly integrated.
Client Portal Integration
Clients get their own secure portal where they can book appointments, upload documents, view their tax returns, and communicate with your team.
This self-service approach is particularly valuable during tax season when you’re handling dozens of clients simultaneously.
Built for Tax Season Workflows
TaxDome understands tax practices. The scheduling system integrates with typical tax workflows, appointment booking can trigger document request workflows, completed appointments can automatically generate follow-up tasks, and the system can manage different appointment types for tax prep versus planning.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Complete practice management, not just scheduling | Higher cost than standalone scheduling tools |
| Built specifically for tax and accounting professionals | Overkill if you only need basic scheduling |
| Secure client portal enhances client experience | Custom pricing means you need to contact sales |
TaxDome Alternative: Practice Ignition
Practice Ignition offers similar comprehensive practice management features, though it’s designed more for accounting firms than tax-specific practices.
5. Setmore
Best free option for solo tax preparers
Pricing: Free plan with essential features; paid plans available
If you’re a solo practitioner or small tax practice with a tight budget, Setmore’s free plan offers genuine value.
Actually Useful Free Features
Unlike many “freemium” apps that severely limit free users, Setmore’s free plan includes:
- Unlimited appointments
- Up to 4 staff calendars
- Basic client management
- Email reminders
- Integration with your website
These features alone can handle the scheduling needs of most solo practitioners or small practices.
Easy Website Integration
Setmore provides simple widgets you can embed on your website, letting clients book directly without leaving your site. This seamless integration helps maintain your professional brand while providing convenient booking.
Room for Growth
When you’re ready for more advanced features, like payment processing, advanced reporting, or SMS reminders, Setmore’s paid plans offer reasonable upgrades without forcing you to learn a completely new system.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Genuinely useful free plan with essential features | Limited customization on free plan |
| Easy to set up and use immediately | Advanced features require paid upgrade |
| Good option for solo practitioners starting out | Not as robust as enterprise-level solutions |
Setmore Alternative: Calendly Free
Calendly’s free plan is more limited than Setmore’s but offers superior calendar integration and a more polished client experience.
Tax-Specific Scheduling Solutions Worth Mentioning
While the five apps above work excellently for tax consultations, there are also solutions built specifically for tax professionals:
Bookedin is designed specifically for tax preparation services. It includes features like tax season workflow management and industry-specific templates.
Taxaroo offers appointment scheduling built into a broader client portal designed for tax professionals.
These specialized tools can be worth exploring if you need features specifically designed around tax practice workflows.
How to Choose the Right Scheduling App for Your Tax Practice
The best scheduling app depends on your specific situation:
If you’re a solo practitioner just starting to automate scheduling, start with Calendly’s free plan or Setmore. Both are easy to set up and will immediately reduce your administrative burden.
If you run a small-to-medium tax practice and want to collect payments upfront or gather detailed client information, Acuity Scheduling offers the best balance of features and ease of use.
If you manage multiple locations or have complex scheduling needs, TimeTap provides the most robust scheduling management capabilities.
If you’re ready to upgrade your entire practice management system, TaxDome offers the most comprehensive solution, though at a higher investment.
Appointment scheduling software isn’t just about convenience, it’s about reclaiming your time during the busiest time of year.
The right tool will cut your administrative tasks, reduce no-shows, and let you focus on serving clients rather than managing calendars.
During tax season, every hour counts. These tools give you those hours back.
Ready to stop playing phone tag with clients? Start with a free trial of Calendly or Setmore to see how much time you can save immediately.
