Critical Year-End Deadlines: Why Proactive Staffing Keeps You Accurate, Efficient, and Resilient

The pressure never truly disappears for accounting and finance departments; it just shifts depending on the time of year. Whether you’re preparing for a quarterly close, a system upgrade, an audit, or year-end reconciliation, there is no shortage of deadlines. The difference between success and stress often comes down to one thing: preparation.

Here is how proactive staffing helps you manage peak demand efficiently year-round.

Why Preparation Pays Off

1) The Talent Pipeline Is Strained

Accounting’s labor pool is tightening. Regulatory delays and barriers, such as the former requirement of 150 credit hours for CPA licensure, have discouraged new people from entering the field. States are now adopting alternative pathways, such as competency-based experience instead of extra education, but the talent pool still remains shallow.

A multi-source survey from the AICPA, NASBA, and AICPA’s National Pipeline Advisory Group (NPAG) found that between 2019 and 2023, roughly 340,000 professionals—over 17% of the accounting workforce—left the profession, while accounting bachelor’s degrees also declined. (nysscpa.org). Fast-forward to today, and that is putting a real strain on organizations trying to complete fiscal year closes, audits, and general project work.  

According to the 2024 CFO Pulse Survey, 83% of financial leaders report difficulty finding qualified accounting talent—up from 70% in 2022. (aacsb.edu)

2) Burnout Is Real and Risky

Chronic stress is not always visible until it costs you. A survey of accounting professionals by FloQast and the University of Georgia revealed:

• 81% reported that closing the books disrupted their personal lives for at least one month over the past year, and 43% faced disruption for three or four months. (cfodive.com)
• 85% had to reopen closed books to fix errors, and nearly half did so three or more times annually. (simaa.org)

Globally, burnout is rising. 43% of chartered accountants now experience burnout constantly or often, with a full 74% facing symptoms at least sometimes. These professionals are 36% more likely to feel overwhelmed than those in other industries. (internationalaccountingbulletin.com)

3) Being Reactive Costs More Than You Think

Last-minute hiring or overloading your core staff with overtime can damage efficiency, increase mistakes, and degrade morale. On the other hand, companies that develop strategic staffing plans see faster onboarding of qualified talent when demand spikes, lower risk of costly errors or restatements, and better work-life balance for their team, which reduces costly turnover.

How to Build and Execute a Proactive Staffing Strategy

Step 1 – Conduct Demand Mapping

Identify upcoming deadlines or projects that strain capacity: fiscal year-ends, quarterly closes, audits, system migrations, and ad hoc reporting. Forecast potential gaps now rather than in crisis mode. If you’re not sure where to start, connect with a local PrideStaff Financial office, and our team can help you create that plan.  

Step 2 – Tap Specialized Staffing Partners

Partner with recruiters who specialize in finance and accounting, like PrideStaff Financial. We can match your needs with pre-screened, qualified professionals—often within days.

Step 3 – Integrate Smartly

A contract hire becomes an asset when they are onboarded and trained effectively. Share your close calendar, expectations, systems, and key contacts so they can deliver from day one. Work with your staffing partner to provide this detail ahead of time, and candidates can be trained from the start. 

Step 4 – Monitor and Adapt

Need help for a reporting push or year-end close? Or extra hands for reconciliations? With a proactive plan, you can scale staffing up or back without disruption.

Why Planning Ahead Saves Critical Dollars

When to Staff:

• Ahead of Deadline (Now) – Access to top talent, smooth onboarding, and error mitigation
• Crisis Mode (Last Minute) – Quick fix, but limited quality or alignment

Critical Deadlines Require Planning

Critical accounting deadlines are not emergencies; they are predictable if you are planning ahead. By building a proactive staffing plan, finance leaders can maintain accuracy, protect their team’s well-being, and keep operations running smoothly no matter the time of year.

Need Specialized Accounting Support?
At PrideStaff Financial, we specialize in recruiting top accounting and finance professionals. Whether you need a full-time hire or contract staff to support year-end projects, closings, audits, or special projects, we can help. Just complete this short form and contact us today. Explore our locations to find the office nearest you.