Employer Internship Information
Internship Benefits
Temporary help with tax preparation:
- Low cost (low hourly rate, or unpaid)
- Already trained in basic tax preparation
- Assistance for regular tax preparers
Prospective new qualified tax preparer:
- Opportunity to observe prospective preparer before hiring
- Preparer will grow through continued advanced tax education
- Preparer has no bad habits & will learn the “right” way
- Preparer will become qualified in both individual and small business returns
Goals
Utilize Intern effectively during internship:
- Reduce tax preparation cost by Intern assisting existing preparers
- Increase efficiency and productivity of experienced preparers
- Improve client service by reducing delays in completing tax returns
Develop a new qualified tax preparer:
- Provide experience for intern to apply tax education
- Encourage Intern’s continuing education while gaining experience
- Enable Intern to develop client interviewing skills
- Provide a career track for Intern with your firm
- Encourage intern to continue tax education and work toward becoming a CTP® and EA
Employ tax professionals with strong tax knowledge and credentials:
- Provide more accurate tax preparation services
- Instill client confidence through the quality tax knowledge
- Encourage other preparers to continue their tax education and obtain credentials
- Develop tax professionals qualified to handle complex individual and small business returns
Employer Requirements
- Provide opportunity for Intern to apply knowledge acquired at The Income Tax School by preparing or assisting with preparation of tax returns for firm’s clients under supervision of experienced tax professional. Client contact is not required during internship.
- Intern must be provided with meaningful tax preparation experience in applying knowledge gained through coursework at The Income Tax School and not merely assigned clerical tasks or duties.
- Interns work 10-20 hours per week for 4-10 weeks.
- Compensation is as mutually agreed upon between the Intern and employer.
- Employer must verify that Intern meets IRS requirements for tax preparers.
- Upon conclusion of internship, supervisor must complete an evaluation of intern using online Tax Preparer Internship Evaluation Form.
Register Here as a prospective employer and you will be notified when a student intern is available in your community.
Employer Internship Evaluation Form
Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Tax School Interns
Tax School Interns seek to acquire meaningful practical experience in individual and/or small business income tax return preparation to apply the knowledge obtained in their tax course(s). The intern employer is responsible to provide the opportunity for the Intern to obtain such meaningful experience through the following methods of interaction with the Intern:
- Provide the Intern with an orientation and introductions to members of the firm.
- Assign an experienced tax professional to supervise and monitor the intern.
- Ensure that the Intern performs income tax preparation duties daily (see suggestions).
- Do not assign menial or clerical tasks to the Intern other than on an incidental basis.
- Instruct the Intern in professional income tax preparation best practices.
- Provide regular feedback to the Intern on his or her performance.
- Allow the Intern to work independently and to grow professionally.
- Require the Intern to correct mistakes made in tax preparation work.
- Require the Intern to gain experience in all aspects of tax preparation including but not limited to, checking returns, answering client questions, providing preparation estimates, completing tax research, and assembling and preparing returns for client pick-up.
- Encourage the Intern’s continuing tax professional education.
- Complete Tax Student Intern Evaluation Form at the conclusion of the internship.
