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Individual & small business returns
Tax Preparer
Four intense months, and the rest of the year is yours.
Typical pay
$30k-$80k
How you get in
Tax course plus a PTIN; Enrolled Agent to advance
Outlook
Steady; the value is in complex and business returns
Tax preparers complete returns for individuals and businesses. The seasonal shape is the defining feature — brutal from January to April, quiet afterward — and the Enrolled Agent credential is what turns it into a year-round profession.
A day in the life
- 8:30aClient appointment — organize their documents
- 10:00aPrepare returns, one after another
- 12:30pLunch at the desk in season
- 1:00pResearch an unusual deduction question
- 3:00pReview and e-file completed returns
- 7:00pEvening appointments, because that is when clients are free
How to get in
Seasonal preparer
Duration
2-3 months
Cost
$0-$500
Credential
IRS PTIN; some states require registration
- Take a tax preparation course — the large chains run free ones and hire from them
- Get a PTIN from the IRS, which is required to prepare returns for pay
- Work a season at a tax office to see hundreds of returns fast
- Decide whether to build your own client base afterward
Enrolled Agent
Duration
6-18 months
Cost
$1,000-$3,000
Credential
IRS Enrolled Agent
- Pass all three parts of the Special Enrollment Examination
- Gain unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS
- Move into year-round work — planning, resolution and business returns
- The credential that separates a professional from a seasonal preparer
Own practice
Duration
2-5 years
Cost
$2,000-$15,000
Credential
EA or CPA plus business registration
- Build a client base while working for someone else
- Add bookkeeping and payroll for year-round recurring revenue
- Specialize — real estate investors, contractors, or expat filings
- Complex returns command multiples of a simple filing fee
What people love
- · Entry with a short course and no degree
- · Seasonal — eight months of flexibility
- · Easy to run from home as your own business
- · Enrolled Agent credential makes it year-round
What wears people down
- · January through April is genuinely relentless
- · Income is concentrated in one quarter
- · Software has commoditized simple returns
- · Liability for errors on client filings