How to Prepare for the Tax Preparer Test
Working as a tax preparer can be a excellent way of earning extra income during tax season. First-year tax preparers most often take different courses and test using a tax-preparation company. A lot of these courses have a fee; some are free. Basic classes will certify you to prepare taxes, and some will also earn you continuing education credits. More advanced tax preparers can take accreditation examinations through the National Society of Accountants.
Instructions:
Things You'll need:
- Find a tax course, either through any local tax preparation company, or at IRS.gov/. Familiarize yourself with all the forms and publications you will be utilizing. Review recent updates on tax laws on IRS.gov.
- Work through the courses that are offered, paying close attention to scenarios and tax laws. The course should take you a few weeks to complete.
- Complete practice tax forms using practice scenarios. If you run out of different scenarios and would like more practice, originate your own scenarios. Practice with both paper tax forms and computer software, if available
- Make a cheat sheet of the tax information, which will include tax forms and purpose of the forms, tax laws and exceptions, filing statuses, tax brackets and more. To make your study more intense study, use 3-inch by 5-inch index cards and make flash cards with this information.
- Find out if there are any special rules during test time, such as, if you are permitted to use tax publications and use a cheat sheet for reference during the test.
The Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation (ACAT) offers testing starting May 22 until June 12 and Nov. 19 until Dec. 11, with registration well in advance of the course. After you register, you will get a collection of information on the test locations and dates. If you are taking your examination as portion of a preparation company's course or a college course, the test will be held on the final day of class. You can often take online exams at your convenience.