A career as a tax preparer can be a rewarding one, at least financially. As with any job, hard work will be required, and your dues will have to be paid. Unless you have a nice degree in accounting, employers will require you to complete a tax preparation course. The courses’ fees range, but are generally affordable. More often than not, your potential employer will offer the course to you, as a requirement to be hired.
H&R Block, for example, requires two classes, a basic and more advanced course. After this you will be able to select seminars based on which field of work you would like to spend most of your time. You can tax an Investment income seminar and focus on retirees that just have investment income, or you can spend time and focus on the self employed. To take the courses you will be required to pay $99- $299, depending on where you live. As you will be operating, largely on your own time, investments need to be made.
It only makes sense that the company that is going to hire you, train you correctly. You will be required to pass a test to become a preparer. These courses help you be able to pass the test, and also prepare you in your career. As with any job, the most important trait is experience, and you will find the longer you continue the more money, there is to be made. You will get clients that will come back every year.
The biggest thing to look for is whether or not your potential employer has a non-compete agreement. Meaning, if you sign on with a company, you will not be able to work for anybody else for so many years. This means you cannot even complete your own tax forms yourself, let alone your friends. If you are looking to eventually start your own business, try not to get yourself restricted. It makes sense why places like H&R Block require this agreement, otherwise you could just run off with all your clients, that they brought to you.
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APA Style Citation:
Nobles, A. (2010, February 28). Tax Preparation Courses. Retrieved Month #, Year, from http://www.tax-financials.com/?p=5