Tax Preparer Resume Sample

Tax Preparer Resume Template

Follow this resume format template to present your professional background clearly.

Copy-paste Tax Preparer Resume (Text Format)

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: your.email@email.com

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

Resume Objective

Goal-driven Tax Preparer with 5+ years of experience producing error-free tax forms on behalf of clients to maximize their financial health. Adept at employing knowledge of legislation and regulations, providing excellent service to clients, and maintaining the high standards set by your organization. Tenacious and ambitious professional seeking a position at [Company Name] to assist businesses and individuals in preparing financial documents.

Professional Experience

Tax Preparer
HYSTER FINANCIAL GROUP, Eugene, OR
December 2020–Present

• Analyze 150+ financial records, including income statements, receipts of expenditures, and previous tax returns to determine a strategy for preparing current returns
• Make proper entries on tax forms and compute the amount of taxes an individual or business owes by using tax form instructions and tax tables
• Interview 40+ clients and businesses to get information on deductible expenses, allowances, and taxable income
• Attend 3+ annual seminars and take continuing education courses to stay up-to-date on changes in federal and state tax codes
• Increase number of returning businesses and referrals by 25% within a year

Tax Preparer
WESTAX LLC, San Diego, CA
January 2019–November 2020

• Signed 200+ income tax returns and provided comprehensive future tax planning on behalf of individual and business clients
• Prepared quarterly and annual reports while ensuring all tax reports were in compliance with government tax rules and regulations
• Facilitated meetings with clients and addressed their questions and concerns regarding tax forms and paperwork
• Calculated form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required, generating over $100k for the company

Education

HOWARD UNIVERSITY, Washington, DC
May 2017
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Honors: magna cum laude (GPA 3.9/4.0)

Additional Skills

Intuit Quickbooks, Quicken, Tax Software, Sync Essentials Trade Account, ATX Total Tax Office

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Average tax preparer salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license, this data is pulled from the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment & Earnings report (as of 10/16/2024), featuring the top states by use.

3 tips for writing a tax preparer resume

Tax preparers are responsible for producing detailed tax returns and providing advice to clients on their tax obligations. Employers seek applicants who have the necessary qualifications and are easy to work with, so you should write a tax preparer resume that reflects these standards.

These three tips will teach you how to write a professional resume that’s tailored toward tax preparer job openings and clients looking for such services.

1. List your key credentials and tax preparer certifications

If you want to be considered for tax preparer roles, you need to clearly display your relevant credentials and certifications on your resume. 

Include your tax preparer credentials in your resume education section or in an additional resume section called “Key Credentials” or “Professional Certifications” so employers can see them easily as they’re reading your application.

Also, remember to list your degree and educational background (such as relevant coursework) on your tax preparer resume. The minimum requirement to be a tax preparer is to have a high school diploma or GED, so include the name of your high school and graduation date if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree.

And because there are several types of tax preparers (e.g., enrolled agents [EAs]
, certified public accountants [CPAs]
, tax attorneys, non-credentialed tax preparers), do your research and ensure you have the specific criteria for your target role before sending your application. 

Have a look at this tax preparer applicant’s details on their resume education section and additional certifications section:

2. Highlight your key tax preparer skills on your resume

A well-written tax preparer resume summarizes not only your relevant experience but also highlights your top skills to a potential employer. So make sure you list any important hard and soft skills for tax preparation work.

First, include your hard skills (learned knowledge or technical abilities) on your tax preparer resume. Note that you can mention these hard skills in either your resume summary or your resume’s skills section to quickly highlight your strongest tax preparation-related skills to clients and employers.

Here are several hard skills to include on your tax preparer resume:

• Tax preparation software knowledge, such as TurboTax and TaxACT
• Managing taxes in compliance with federal and state regulations
• Knowledge of accounting, bookkeeping and payroll
• Ability to work with numbers and calculations
• Math skills
• Understanding of US and international taxation systems
• Ability to recall and interpret data

In addition to hard skills, you also need soft skills (or people skills) to work well in a company or freelance setting. Tax preparation involves face-to-face interaction to ensure the work gets done properly, so provide examples of when you illustrated soft skills in your resume’s work experience section.

Below are some of the main soft skills people look for when assessing the resume of a tax preparer:

• Working with clients to identify their needs and goals (collaboration)
• Preparing tax returns for individuals and businesses with no mistakes (organizational skills, attention to detail)
• Positive customer ratings and reviews (communication skills, professionalism)
• Leading a team of juniors to meet deadlines (leadership skills)
• Maintaining client and tax confidentiality policies
• Preparing taxes for businesses, self-employed individuals, and individuals with unearned income
• Compiling and sending tax data in accordance with the IRS‘s deadlines (time management skills)

Below, our tax preparer applicant explains how they uphold privacy standards with this descriptive work bullet point:

Managed 50+ client files and assured privacy and security for 100% of tax data by updating anti-malware programs and communicating through encrypted emails

3. Use real tax preparer job descriptions for ideas to write your work experience section

Your tax preparer resume should highlight your experience with various types of taxes and tax laws. And because each company has its own set of specific requirements, ensure you optimize your tax preparer resume for each job you apply to. 

Try reading different job descriptions for tax preparer roles to give you some ideas of what to write on your own resume, and to help you better understand each company’s requirements.

Because modern companies use applicant tracking software (ATS) and specific to select the most suitable applicants, ensure you take the exact keywords from a job posting you’re applying for and include them on your tax preparer resume. 

Writing an ATS friendly resume increases your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers. Employers will also be impressed if they see you’ve put effort into writing your tax preparer resume and directly targeted your previous experience based on their company’s standards and requirements.

Below are examples of a tax preparer job description you might see on a website like LinkedIn or Indeed.com:

Here are our tax preparer candidate’s detailed work experience statements in response to the above job criteria:

• Respond to all taxpayer inquiries regarding deductions, foreign tax credit, and outstanding balances with 100% accuracy, resulting in 45+ positive customer reviews
• Prepare 130+ income, estate, and gift tax returns for individuals and small businesses from February 2019 to May 2022

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