Small Business Owners Lose 33 Work Days a Year to Tax Stress
Contributed by SBOC Member:
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
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Would you rather do your taxes or lick a public transit pole?
If you said “gimme the pole,” you’re not alone.
Tax stress is real. It’s not just an annual inconvenience. It’s a year-round drain.
A new study from Zero (the accounting software company) just released their Emotional Tax Return Report for 2026, and the findings are… uncomfortable.
The Cost of Financial Stress
According to the study, small business owners lose 33 work days per year to tax and financial stress.
That’s a full month of productivity. Gone. Not to actual financial work – to worrying about financial work.
70% of business owners identified financial management as a significant stressor. And it’s not just during tax season. This is a year-round emotional burden.
The "Would You Rather" Results
The study did something brilliant to make the data talkable. They asked respondents what they’d rather do than their taxes:
- 8% would rather have food poisoning
- 8% would rather lick a public transit pole
- 13% would rather get a root canal
- 13% would rather listen to their least favorite song on repeat for 8 hours
- 17% would rather go back to high school for a week
Seventeen percent would rather relive high school. Than do their taxes.
As someone who was a 6’4″, 150-pound band-golf-speech kid… I’d still rather do my taxes. But barely.
Why This Matters
Thirty-three lost work days is nearly 7 weeks of productivity. That’s time you could be:
- Serving clients
- Building your pipeline
- Creating content
- Actually working ON your business
Instead, we’re staring at receipts and worrying about what we forgot.
Better Systems To Combat Tax Stress
The answer isn’t to stop caring about your finances. The answer is to build systems that reduce the stress:
- Separate the doing from the deciding – Schedule specific times to handle financial tasks. Outside those times, don’t let it live in your head rent-free.
- Get professional help earlier – Don’t wait until you’re drowning. A good accountant or bookkeeper is an investment, not an expense.
- Automate what you can – Use software to track expenses, categorize transactions, and stay organized year-round. The pile is less scary when it’s not actually a pile.
- Don’t go it alone – Talk to other business owners. Share your systems. Learn from their mistakes. The isolation makes it worse.
Losing 33 Days To Tax Stress Isn't Okay
You’re not alone if finances stress you out. The data proves it. In fact, financial stress ranks as one of the most persistent and productivity-killing challenges entrepreneurs face today.
But 33 days is too much to lose.
Build the systems. Get the help. Reclaim your time.
Listen to the full discussion on Businessing with Pat Miller.
Don’t Grow It Alone®
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Contributed by
Pat Miller
Founder of the Small Business Owners Community
Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Community was born.