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Tax Preparers
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
Other titles employers use
CPA (Certified Public Accountant) · Enrolled Agent · Income Tax Preparer · Tax Accountant · Tax Advisor · Tax Associate · Tax Consultant · Tax Preparer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.
- Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
- Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.
- Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.
- Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
- Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing and persuading work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Time Management
Subjects to know
- Economics and Accounting
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Law and Government
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Near Vision
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.6 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 1.9 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.1 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 2.4 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 38%
- A certificate or some college 24%
- A four-year degree 24%
- A two-year degree 14%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Tax preparation software
- Accounting software
- Electronic mail software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Word processing software
- Financial analysis software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 18,600
- Job openings each year
- 2,150
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 12.0%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18,600 | 2,150 | 12.0% |
| Texas | 14,680 | 1,740 | 20.1% |
| New York | 9,580 | 50 | 5.6% |
| Florida | 7,570 | 880 | 14.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 3,490 | 390 | 2.6% |
| Tennessee | 3,450 | 410 | 22.3% |
| Virginia | 3,310 | 370 | 3.1% |
| North Carolina | 3,300 | 380 | 8.6% |
| Georgia | 3,010 | 350 | 11.9% |
| Utah | 2,880 | 360 | 46.2% |
| Arizona | 2,830 | 330 | 10.5% |
| Colorado | 2,830 | 340 | 19.4% |
| Indiana | 2,620 | 300 | 6.9% |
| Michigan | 2,600 | 290 | −1.9% |
| Ohio | 2,520 | 280 | 2.4% |
| Missouri | 2,270 | 260 | 1.3% |
| Illinois | 2,260 | 250 | 2.7% |
| New Jersey | 2,140 | 230 | −3.6% |
| Washington | 2,020 | 270 | 17.4% |
| Oregon | 1,970 | 220 | 2.6% |
| Oklahoma | 1,680 | 190 | 6.3% |
| South Carolina | 1,640 | 190 | 7.2% |
| Maryland | 1,520 | 170 | 4.8% |
| Minnesota | 1,490 | 170 | 1.4% |
| Nevada | 1,430 | 160 | 9.2% |
| Wisconsin | 1,350 | 160 | 8.9% |
| Arkansas | 1,280 | 150 | 11.3% |
| Kentucky | 1,100 | 120 | 1.9% |
| Louisiana | 970 | 110 | 2.1% |
| Mississippi | 970 | 110 | 4.3% |
| Massachusetts | 930 | 100 | — |
| Iowa | 890 | 100 | 4.7% |
| Alabama | 860 | 100 | 3.6% |
| Kansas | 730 | 80 | 1.4% |
| Idaho | 700 | 80 | 11.1% |
| Connecticut | 690 | 80 | 3.0% |
| Puerto Rico | 610 | 70 | 10.9% |
| New Mexico | 600 | 70 | 9.1% |
| Nebraska | 590 | 70 | 3.5% |
| Maine | 460 | 50 | — |
| West Virginia | 450 | 50 | 7.1% |
| New Hampshire | 430 | 50 | 4.9% |
| South Dakota | 400 | 50 | 14.3% |
| Montana | 390 | 50 | 11.4% |
| Vermont | 280 | 30 | 7.7% |
| North Dakota | 210 | 20 | 16.7% |
| Alaska | 180 | 20 | — |
| District of Columbia | 180 | 20 | 5.9% |
| Guam | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Wyoming | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 1,301
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 797
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Degrees each year
- 525
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Degrees each year
- 352
- Admit rate
- 44%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Drexel University
- Degrees each year
- 333
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
Texas A & M University-College Station
- Degrees each year
- 298
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 297
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
California State University-Northridge
- Degrees each year
- 257
- Admit rate
- 93%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Compare every college offering accounting and related services