Tax School

Experienced tax preparers may earn $25 per hour or more and self-employed tax professionals can earn more than $100 per hour. During the 3-month tax season (mid-January to mid-April) it is possible for a self-employed tax preparer to earn $50,000 or more. Year-round income opportunities also exist for tax preparers who provide related small business services such as bookkeeping, payroll and financial planning.

How much money do you pay in income taxes each year? For most middle-income taxpayers, somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of earnings are paid out in federal and state income taxes. This adds up to a great deal of money over one’s lifetime. Tax knowledge will enable you to minimize your income tax liability and potentially save thousands of dollars over your lifetime. You will also save on tax preparation fees!

Most people think of tax preparation as requiring expertise in accounting and high-level math. The reality is that tax is law not accounting. Becoming a tax professional requires no previous accounting experience and only basic arithmetic skills. A college degree is not a requirement. The most important attributes for success as a tax preparer are the ability to read and comprehend the tax laws and excellent people skills.

Ben Franklin said “… in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Even when legislation is passed to simplify the tax code, tax law changes cause confusion among taxpayers and, invariably, new tax law changes are enacted to manipulate the economy or meet some social needs. There will always be a need for tax professionals, especially to help individual and small business taxpayers who have more complex tax returns or who simply do not have the time, aptitude or interest in preparing their own returns; or who simply want peace-of-mind in knowing their tax professional stands behind their taxes and is available when needed to help them deal with the IRS.

There is a need for tax preparers wherever there are U.S. taxpayers. Military spouses can prepare taxes at military bases anywhere in the World. Clients will typically continue to ask their tax preparers to do their returns remotely if they or their tax preparer relocates. Remote tax preparation is very easy using phone and email. Real-time interviews can also be conducted by web-cam, with which most computers are now equipped.

Tax preparers may enjoy flexible hours since most tax preparation offices are open evenings and weekends. These hours enable moonlighting professionals to earn extra income during tax season. Tax preparation is also ideal for stay-at-home parents with young children who need to be home during the summer when the kids are out of school. Early retirees also enjoy the flexibility of being able to travel and spend time with their grandchildren during the off-season. People who work in retail during the holiday season can then work during tax season after their retail job ends. Self-employed professionals such as real estate agents and financial planners can add tax preparation to their practices and also cross-market their services to clients.

We could go on and on and on about the benefits of learning to prepare taxes. When considering a career in tax preparation, each individual has to decide which of the many benefits are applicable to their specific situation. Feel free to contact us and we will provide you with all the information you need to decide once and for all if becoming a Professional Tax Preparer is the right career move for you.