Given that tax reform is high on the agenda for both President Trump and Republicans on Capitol Hill, seismic changes to the Internal Revenue Code are a distinct possibility. But taxpayers have been offered no certainty about the extent and timing of tax-rule changes. That presents an opportunity for advisors to discuss things with clients, and point out moves they can make for potential tax savings.

Lower business and individual income tax rates could be in store for 2018, along with the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s 3.8% tax on net investment income. “This is an especially good year to consider postponing income until next year and accelerating deductions into the current year,” says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting in Riverwoods, Ill.

Deferring revenue could be quite rewarding for business owners. Corporations, pass-through entities and self-employed individuals all would enjoy a 15% tax rate in the future under perhaps the most optimistic tax-reform scenario proposed by Trump during his campaign. In a scenario where only the corporate tax rate is reduced, “We will look at whether some of our S corporation clients should change to C corps,” says Tom Wheelwright, a CPA and the CEO of ProVision Wealth Strategists in Tempe, Ariz.

Some individuals are delaying asset sales, hoping to pay less tax in 2018. “I’m not seeing any mad dash to sell businesses, other than if it’s an economically viable deal and a Godfather offer,” says Stuart Lyons, a CPA and principal at accounting and consulting firm Baker Newman Noyes in Portland, Maine. “Everybody is holding their breath to see if the rates will come down.”

Well, not everybody. Raymond Haller, a CPA and tax partner at Grassi & Co. in Jericho, N.Y., said his firm has some clients who think the economy may be slowing and a recession may be coming. “They’re saying, ‘If I can get my company, building or equipment sold as soon as possible, I’ll be happy and not worry about paying a little more in tax.’”

Accelerating expenses into 2017 would certainly generate greater savings if tax rates fell next year. But other reasons exist for speeding up deductions. For business owners, bonus depreciation this year is 50% of the cost of new equipment and certain types of leasehold improvements, according to Haller. The depreciation is scheduled to fall to 40% next year.

Individuals may wish to accelerate deductions that could cease to exist after 2017. House Republicans proposed ending all itemized deductions, with the exception of mortgage interest and charitable contributions, in their “Better Way” tax-reform blueprint published in 2016, something that was also hinted at in the Trump administration’s April tax policy outline. So taxpayers might also want to consider itemizing this year those things that are on the chopping block—state and local taxes and medical expenses—while taking into account any alternative minimum tax consequences.

The future of the estate tax is uncertain. Despite the continued talk of its repeal, some clients are sitting on their hands waiting for something definitive to occur. Those who expect the death tax to live on are proactively gifting while carefully monitoring their lifetime exclusion amount, which is $5.49 million for 2017.

“Several of our clients are transferring real estate and other investment partnership interests to their kids,” says Haller. “The clients want to get those assets out of their estate while they can still take valuation discounts,” he says, referring to U.S. Treasury regulations proposed in 2016 that would quash these discounts. (At this writing, the Internal Revenue Service was expected to make recommendations to the White House by September 18 about whether to go forward with the proposals, according to Luscombe at Wolters Kluwer.)

Finally, you may recall that the due date for filing returns changed for some types of businesses last spring. As a by-product of the changes, many tax professionals found themselves busier in January and February than in the past. Therefore, CPAs may be asking their clients for tax data sooner this year. “Clients need to be aware of that,” says Lyons, the accountant in Maine.

The bottom line is that tax pros must become more efficient as they deal with more clients on their roster, otherwise they might have to extend the tax filings against the clients’ wishes, says Michael Barbera, a CPA and principal at accounting firm Edelstein & Company LLP in Boston.

They can prepare themselves by encouraging clients who executed out-of-the-ordinary transactions to organize their records now. If a client with rental property was involved in a Code Section 1031 exchange, for example, “Gathering the documentation to aid in calculating the deferred gain and basis rollover before year-end saves time during busy season,” Barbera says. Ditto for philanthropic clients, who should collate necessary records such as appraisals to substantiate their gifts.

Clients with businesses will scramble less at tax time if they collect information before the end of the year for any company acquisitions or mergers, updating names, addresses and ownership changes for partnerships.

“We took this approach last year,” Barbera says, “and it greatly reduced preparation times for our clients.”