Seasonal concentration

Definition

How much of the year's fee income arrives in the weeks around a filing deadline.

Why It Matters

A practice earning most of its money in ten weeks is a different business from one on monthly retainers, and it is priced differently for good reason. The compressed one needs seasonal staff, carries the whole year's risk in one quarter, and gives a new owner almost no time to fix a problem. Ask for fees by month for three years and read the flat months, because that is the part that survives a bad season.