Build a mid-year tax planning package that clients will buy in Q2

If your firm wants more advisory revenue in Q2, do not start by selling a vague annual relationship. Start by packaging one clear mid-year offer that solves a problem clients already feel.

Q2 is the right season for this because clients are far enough past filing to consider next steps, but early enough in the year to still change the outcome. That makes a mid-year planning package easier to sell than a broad promise of year-round advisory. The client can see the timing. The team can see the workflow. The scope feels concrete.

A package that clients will buy in Q2 usually does four things: it updates the current-year tax picture, identifies the top planning moves still available, gives the client a written action plan, and creates a natural bridge into ongoing advisory services. IRS Publication 334 and IRS Publication 505 are useful anchors because many Q2 planning conversations revolve around changing business results and mismatched estimated payments.

Define the promise in one sentence

If the package takes two paragraphs to explain, it is too loose.

A good Q2 package promise sounds like this: we review your year-to-date numbers, update your tax projection, identify the highest-value moves still available this year, and give you a written action plan.

That is clear. It tells the client what they get and why timing matters. What you do not want is a package described as "proactive support," "strategic tax guidance," or "a summer planning touchpoint." Those phrases sound nice, but they are weak in buying languages. A client buys deliverables, decisions, and deadlines.

Build the scope around decisions, not topics

One reason advisory packages fail is that they read like lists of topics rather than decisions.

A better package scope includes: an updated income projection, an estimated payment reset, a compensation or distribution review, retirement contribution options, and a short list of year-end moves to calendar now.

The best packages also make room for strategy selection. For one client, that might mean an S Corporation salary review and Health savings account planning. For another, it might mean Child & dependent tax credits, Travel expenses, or Depreciation and amortization decisions. That is part of why the package sells; it feels like a live planning tool, not a generic meeting.

State what the client leaves with. An updated tax estimate, a payment recommendation, the top three strategies to evaluate this year, and a timeline for execution. When the client sees the output, the fee makes more sense.

Price for value and next steps, not meeting time

Most Q2 packages should not be priced like a one-hour consultation. The client is buying prep, analysis, and follow-through, not just calendar time.

An entry-level Q2 package runs $750–$1,500 for most client types. Sole proprietors and simpler S Corporation owners are on the lower end. Multi-entity owners, clients with payroll complexity, or business owners with retirement planning questions are on the higher end. The fee should cover preparation, the review meeting, and a written planning memo.

The cleanest pricing model is a fixed package fee with the option to apply part of it toward a larger annual advisory engagement if the client signs within 30 days. A $750 Q2 package that credits toward a $3,600 annual advisory plan is a lower-friction yes because the client is not locked into the full relationship on day one. The credit creates urgency to decide while reducing the perceived risk.

If the package materially changes the client's year, say, a salary adjustment and payment reset that avoids $12,000 in year-end underpayment, it should not be priced like a courtesy call.

The planning memo structure

The Q2 package should produce one standard planning memo. That memo does not need to be long. A concise five-section structure is enough.

• Section one, current-year picture: YTD revenue, estimated full-year income, comparison to prior year, and any significant changes in the business.
• Section two, top planning risks: tax exposure that could grow if unaddressed, underpayment penalties, compensation misalignment for S Corporation owners, and deferred decisions that become more costly to fix later.
• Section three, top opportunities: the two or three moves that have the highest potential impact given the client's specific situation, retirement funding, entity review, compensation change, or deduction timing.

Section four, action calendar

• Specific steps the client should take, with deadlines. Not a vague to-do list. A real calendar: "Adjust Q3 estimated payment by July 15. Complete salary review before September 1. Fund Health savings account by December 31."
• Section five, open items: things that depend on year-end facts or IRS guidance, noted clearly so the client knows the plan is a living document, not a one-time artifact.

When every package follows the same internal structure, quality improves, and reviews get faster.

A worked client example showing real numbers

Consider an S Corporation owner who had $240,000 in projected profit at the start of the year. By early June, year-to-date revenue was tracking toward $380,000, $140,000 ahead of plan. Two things are now wrong.

• First, the estimated payment schedule was built on $240,000 in projected income. The June 15 payment needs to be substantially larger to avoid underpayment penalties at year's end. The recalculation alone is worth the package fee.
• Second, the owner's W-2 salary was set at $85,000 at the start of the year, reasonable for the original profit projection. At $380,000 in profit, that salary is now below a defensible, reasonable compensation threshold. An IRS challenge on the salary at this level carries real risk. The salary needs to be reviewed and likely increased before year-end.

A proper salary adjustment and updated payment plan also change the retirement contribution picture. With a higher salary, the allowable employer contribution to the Solo 401k increases. The Q2 package review identifies $18,000 or more in potential tax savings when the salary adjustment, payment reset, and retirement contribution are all updated together.

The client paid $1,200 for the Q2 package. The planning memo identifies three specific actions, the projected savings, and the deadlines. The client signed up for a $4,200 annual advisory plan by the end of the meeting because the package made it clear that the year-round support would pay for itself.

Use Q2 messaging that feels seasonal and practical

The reason Q2 packages work is that they match the calendar. Clients do not want a generic advisory pitch in April and May. They want to know what should happen now that the return is done.

Good Q2 messaging sounds like this

"Now that filing season is behind us, this is the right time to review year-to-date numbers, reset your tax plan, and make the changes that still matter before year's end."

That is stronger than saying your firm offers advisory services. The package becomes timely rather than abstract. This also helps your internal team because the outreach has a season attached to it. Instead of marketing advisory all year the same way, Q2 is about planning reset packages.

The package should lead naturally into recurring advisory

A strong Q2 package solves an immediate problem. A great one also reveals why the client may want more support.

That does not mean forcing an upsell in the first meeting. It means designing the package so the next step is obvious. If the client needs ongoing implementation, monitoring, or quarterly review, the annual advisory path should make sense as a continuation of the work already started.

For many firms, that is the sweet spot. The package generates immediate revenue and improves conversion to recurring work without requiring the client to buy the whole relationship up front.

Build one package first, then expand later

Firms often overcomplicate advisory packaging because they think a serious practice needs multiple tiers immediately. It does not.

One good Q2 package, sold consistently, is better than a menu of six half-defined offers nobody on the team can explain clearly. Once the first package is working and the team can execute it reliably, add versions for larger clients, multi-entity clients, or more complex planning needs.

Start narrow. Make it good. Then scale it.

What the planning memo looks like

The planning memo is the most important deliverable in the package. It does not need to be long. Four sections are enough. Section one: current-year picture. Year-to-date income vs. prior year, estimated tax liability at current pace, any material variances worth flagging. Section two: top risks. What could go wrong if nothing changes? Underpayment penalties. Compensation misalignment. Missed contribution windows. Section three: top opportunities. The two or three strategies most worth evaluating for this client this year. Specific to their entity type, income level, and situation, not a generic list. Section four: action calendar. Specific next steps with deadlines. Not a vague to-do list. A real calendar: "Adjust Q3 estimated payment by July 15. Complete salary review before September 1. Fund Health savings account by December 31." Clients who receive a memo like this one are far more likely to act on it and renew.

How to handle the client who says the package fee is too high

This objection usually means the client does not yet understand what they are buying. The fix is to reframe the value before you quote the fee. Walk through one concrete example from their situation. If your profit is running $140,000 ahead of last year and we do not adjust your salary before September, you are looking at an extra $14,000 in self-employment tax that we could have avoided. The fee for this package is $1,200. The client now sees a 10-to-1 return on the fee before the meeting starts. If the fee objection persists after that framing, the client is not yet ready for advisory. That is useful information too.

What to do when the Q2 package surfaces a bigger problem

Sometimes the Q2 review reveals more than a payment reset. A client running $140,000 ahead of last year may also have an S Corporation salary that was never adjusted, an unfunded retirement plan, and a real estate investment that creates passive activity questions. That is not a Q2 planning package problem. That is a year-round advisory engagement.

The right move is to scope the additional work clearly and offer a path forward. You have already done the diagnostic. You know what is open. Present the client with two options: close the Q2 package and handle the identified issues on a project-by-project basis, or convert to an annual advisory plan in which the team monitors and executes all of these items throughout the year. Give them the fee for each option.

Most clients who have just seen a $25,000 to $40,000 planning opportunity surface in a 60-minute meeting are ready to buy the broader relationship. The Q2 package did its job. Now the advisory relationship can begin. Firms that skip this conversion conversation leave their most valuable clients in compliance-only relationships they no longer belong in.

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Frequently asked questions

Q: What should a Q2 planning package include?

A: An updated income projection, an estimated payment reset, a compensation or distribution review, the highest-value planning moves still available this year, and a written planning memo with specific deadlines. Those deliverables make the package concrete and worth buying. The memo is what separates a planning engagement from a meeting that costs money and produces nothing the client can act on.

Q: Should I sell a one-time package or an annual advisory plan first?

A: Start with the package. It gives the client a lower-friction entry point and creates a natural bridge into recurring advisory when the work reveals an ongoing planning need. Trying to sell a full-year advisory relationship to a client who has never bought planning work is a harder ask. Let the Q2 package demonstrate the value, then make the annual offer at the end of the meeting.

Q: How should I price the package?

A: As a fixed-fee planning engagement, not an hourly consultation. The entry-level range is $750–$1,500, depending on client complexity. Consider offering a credit toward an annual advisory plan if the client signs within 30 days. That creates buying urgency without pressure, and it makes the Q2 package serve double duty as a revenue product and a conversion tool.

Q: Why does Q2 work so well for this offer?

A: Because the filing context is still fresh and there is still time to change the current-year result. An S Corporation owner whose profit is running $140,000 ahead of plan has a real problem that needs to be fixed before September. That urgency is not present in January or December. Q2 is the window where planning conversations are both timely and actionable.

Q: What is the biggest packaging mistake firms make?

A: Making the offer too broad or too vague. "Strategic advisory support" does not close. A specific promise with specific outputs does. Clients buy a clear deliverable, an updated projection, a payment recommendation, a planning memo with three actions and deadlines, not a description of a relationship they cannot visualize yet.

Q: How many packages should I offer?

A: Start with one. A single well-defined Q2 package that your team can execute consistently is more valuable than a tiered menu that creates confusion in sales conversations. Once the first package has a defined workflow, client-facing language the team can explain in 60 seconds, and a closing rate you can measure, adding complexity.

Q: What is the best time of year to sell Q2 planning packages?

A: Mid-April through June is the primary window. Tax returns are done or nearly done, clients are mentally available again, and there is still enough time left in the year to change the outcome. Some firms also run a similar package in August and September for clients who did not engage in Q2. The offer stays the same: updated projection, top planning moves, and a written action plan, but the urgency shifts to year-end execution rather than a mid-year reset.