Tax Preparation Training

Tax preparation training can be obtained by going to school, working for a tax preparer, from organizations that provides tax preparation for low-income individuals, through online course work, or via tax preparation computer programs.

Before deciding which way you want to approach the subject, ask yourself how long you're planning to engage in tax preparation. Is it a temporary career or your life's work? Your answers will provide some perspective on how rigorously you wish to study the subject. If you simply want to make some money, try getting a job for a tax preparer since you can save what you would have spent for a class in tax preparation and in most cases the company that just hired you will send you to a class.

If your interest in tax preparation is strictly limited to being able to handle your family's taxes, try to find a non-profit organization in your area that provides tax-preparation assistance to low-income individuals. You won't be paid, but you also won't be charged for the extensive training they provide.

If this is a career-for-life choice, and you anticipate doing business tax preparations and filings, it would be best if you enrolled in an accredited school. The level of education you'll require depends to some extent on your own strengths and weaknesses. The more education you obtain, the more opportunities and options that will be available to you. For instance, if you'll eventually be competing with the tax preparer down the street for individual and small business returns, you probably won't need an MBA but you will need to be a CPA. If your aim is the more stratified world of corporate finance, it behooves you to get as much education as you possibly can. And then more besides.

Potential earnings as a tax preparer in a medium-sized NW inland city range from 37K to 56K, with health benefits. The low end doesn't really provide enough to live on in that city nowadays for anyone on their own in rented housing. Take-home would be approximately $500/weekly. A decent one-person apartment runs about $900/month. Nearly half the take-home would be going toward rent. That doesn't leave much for food, car payments, insurance, household necessities, utilities, and occasional entertainment. It certainly doesn't allow for any savings.