Career Opportunities in Tax Prep

Tax return preparers are in high demand right now. If you have a high school diploma or the equivalent, great attention to detail, understand basic math equations, can handle several projects at one time, and are a good communicator, you have what it takes to excel in this field!

Start with Surgent’s beginner tax course

Surgent’s Comprehensive Tax Course teaches you to prepare tax returns and research tax issues for most Form 1040 individual, non-business taxpayers; plus the basics of Schedule C/self-employed tax returns.

  • 4 Modules, 4 Chapters each (48 hours of CE)
  • No prerequisites required.
  • California edition is CTEC Approved.

Start earning money while you study

Upon completion of the Comprehensive Tax Course, you’ll be qualified for employment or self-employment as a tax professional and ready to start earning money. You can start looking for clients on your own, or look to get hired at an existing tax business. If you’re looking to work during tax season, it’s best to start several months prior, to ensure you have adequate time for training in your specific role. However, many firms are still hiring right up until tax season, and even during tax season!

After you work your first tax season and earn as much income as you can, you can spend the next year furthering your tax education with Advanced Individual and Small Business Tax Courses. In fact, one of the best ways for a tax preparer to increase their revenue is by converting their existing individual tax clients into business tax clients. Tax clients are typically quite loyal, as most people don’t like to give out their financial information to more than one person. Once you earn their trust as an individual tax preparer, it’s natural for them to want you to handle their business tax returns as well.

Many tax preparers bill their clients not based on hourly work, but by the complexity of the tax return (often based on the type of tax forms required). You’ll be able to charge a higher rate for the more complex business clients. Your first couple years as a tax preparer can follow this cycle: earn as much money as possible during tax season, then learn more advanced topics and work on growing your client base in the off-season.

With tax knowledge, you can go into many different occupations

Soon, you’ll have a good idea of how best to serve your clients, or you might consider going in another direction with your tax expertise. There are tons of different options, including:

  • Working as a Tax Preparer for a company preparing tax returns
  • Work as a Tax Expert for a tax software company
  • Working as a Tax Manager for a company, overseeing other tax preparers, managing a tax office, and preparing tax returns
  • Becoming self-employed as a Tax Business Owner either as a sole practitioner or employing others in your own tax preparation business
  • Becoming an Enrolled Agent and preparing very complex tax returns and assisting with tax issues, even representing clients before the IRS
  • Becoming a Tax Attorney, who specializes in tax law and help with legal tax issues such as unfiled tax returns, wage garnishments, back taxes, and property liens
  • Working as a Tax Associate within a larger accounting firm preparing tax returns for clients
  • Working as a Tax Professional in a firm handling federal, state, and local income and payroll taxes
  • Working as a Tax Professional assisting with business mergers, acquisitions, private wealth, or other specialties

The possibilities to build a flexible, reliable, and high-paying career with a foundation in tax preparation are nearly endless. To get started, why not check out our Free Trial?