How to become a Tax Preparer
Tax preparation is one of the few office jobs you can get into without a degree, as long as you're willing to work hard for a few months a year. You'll sit across from people holding a shoebox of paperwork and turn it into a return that's accurate and on time. Here's how people actually get their first chair.
What you need before your first client
Anyone who prepares federal returns for pay needs a Preparer Tax Identification Number, called a PTIN, from the IRS. You apply online, it takes an evening, and you renew it every year. That's the floor, not the ceiling. A handful of states add their own layer: California requires CTEC registration and a qualifying course, and Oregon, Maryland and New York have their own registration or exam rules. Rules vary by state and they change, so check your state's tax agency or board before you take paid work. If you want to represent clients in front of the IRS later, the Enrolled Agent credential is the one worth chasing. It's a separate exam, and it's what turns a seasonal job into a year-round one.
Four ways into a tax season
A retail tax office's training course
The big storefront chains run their own tax courses in the fall and hire a lot of their graduates for the season. The pay isn't the draw. The draw is volume: you'll see more returns in one season than a small office sees in several, and you'll learn the software under a supervisor who reviews your work before it goes out.
Volunteer with VITA first
The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program trains volunteers to prepare simple returns for low and moderate income households. You'll pass a certification test on the IRS Link and Learn site, then work at a library or community center on Saturdays. It's unpaid, but it's real client work with a reviewer, and hiring managers read it as proof you can do the job.
Seasonal hire at a small CPA or EA firm
Small firms bring on extra hands every winter to handle data entry, organizer intake and simpler individual returns. Bookkeeping or accounting clerk experience gets you in the door here. You'll see small business returns and rental properties sooner than you would in a retail office, which speeds up how fast you learn.
Accounting coursework plus the Annual Filing Season Program
If you're in school for accounting or finishing a certificate, add the IRS Annual Filing Season Program. It's voluntary continuing education that gets you listed in the IRS directory of preparers with credentials. It won't replace experience, but it's a cheap signal that you take the work seriously.
Words tax preparer postings use
Many firms screen résumés with software that matches exact terms, so if you've used Drake Tax, write Drake Tax, not tax software.
Turning a résumé line into a hiring signal
Prepared tax returns for clients during tax season.
Prepared 240 individual federal and state returns in one season in Drake Tax, including 35 with Schedule C income, with a reviewer rejection rate under 3%.
The part of the job nobody puts in the ad
Tax season is long days and then a sudden drop-off. From the day the IRS opens e-file to the spring filing deadline you'll work evenings and Saturdays, and some weeks you'll feel like you live in the office. Clients show up missing a form, or with a crypto statement they forgot to mention, and they still want it done today. Then the season ends and a lot of seasonal chairs go quiet until next year. If you want steady year-round pay, plan for that from the start: the Enrolled Agent route, bookkeeping on the side, or a firm that keeps preparers on for extensions, amended returns and IRS letters over the summer.
What the first season teaches you
Your first season is mostly about intake. You learn which questions to ask so you don't find the missing brokerage statement after you've already filed. You get fast at reading wage statements and interest forms, and you learn when a return is past your level and needs to go to a senior preparer. People who do well are calm with anxious clients and stubborn about details. People who struggle usually rush the interview and pay for it at review.
What Tax Preparer postings ask for
Hiring the most
- Dev256
- bonadio.wd503/Bonadio_Careers4
- DashEmploymentSolutionsLLC2
- Tax Relief Advocates2
- AbramsonAssociatesLLC1
Remote
51% of openings are fully remote.
Questions people ask
Do I need a degree to be a tax preparer?
No. Most seasonal preparer jobs ask for a PTIN, training from a tax course or VITA, and comfort with software. A degree in accounting helps if you want to move toward a CPA firm or a staff accountant role later, but it isn't the entry ticket.
What's the difference between a tax preparer and an Enrolled Agent?
Any paid preparer needs a PTIN. An Enrolled Agent has passed a separate IRS exam covering individual taxes, business taxes and representation, and can represent any taxpayer before the IRS in audits and collections. It's the most direct way to grow from preparer into a year-round tax professional without becoming a CPA.
Can I prepare taxes from home?
Yes, once you have some experience. Plenty of preparers work remotely for firms during the season, using a secure client portal and the firm's software. Some start their own practice from home. If you go solo you'll need your own EFIN to e-file, professional software and a written data security plan, which the IRS expects from every paid preparer.
Ready to apply?
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