A Day in the Life of a Tax Preparer
By Tim Frye
When you prepare taxes for a living, you live for tax season. This is where your bread is buttered, where you reach the financial red zone, where you see the fruits of your off season labor pay off. Tax preparers often live very enigmatic, interesting lives. One day you may make 400 dollars, the next you may make zero. The day in the life of a tax preparer is always a unique one. Let’s take a look at a day in the life of tax preparer, and all that entails.
Opening up the Tax Office
You are just popping open those office doors, it’s bright and early, and hope is renewed. You had a big day yesterday, with your tax business grossing over a thousand dollars. So today can only be better, with all the momentum you have going. Your first client comes in, you chop it up, you file their taxes, and you bill $225 for a simple Schedule C. Not a bad gig.
As the day progresses you realize that the tax preparation business is also about those silly mistakes that can cost you a client, and subsequently cost you money. When the clock strikes noon, and you get a call from a disgruntled client, you are understandably frightened. Apparently the refund that was due to them 4 weeks ago has not showed up yet. And your client was planning an entire vacation around that return. You research the situation and realize that you fat fingered the direct deposit number, and the refund won’t arrive in the correct account for another four weeks, after it has boomeranged to the IRS and back.
When you are in the middle of tax season, your day can go from luminous to morbid in the blink of an eye, so you must be diligent as to avoid this turbulent flight.
Did I Do a Lot of Tax Returns?
The only thing that really matters during a day in tax season is, how many returns have you done? How much have you billed? How many new clients have you gained? How many people have you impressed with your services? If the answers to these questions are negatives, you will find that your mind state may be sliding into a sepulchral one. If you are killing it, billing, and getting new clients from customer referrals daily, then you are probably growing close to a manic state of happiness.
In order to stay consistent, a preparer must take the high and the low days in stride. You cannot get too high, and should not get too low. Tax season is a battle, and for 100 days straight you are going to be riding that roller coaster and this is a ride you cannot get off.
Closing the Tax Office
At the finish of the day, you have to gather all your returns together and add up your billing charges. You must be sure that all of your paperwork is properly put together, and ready to be E-filed. Be sure to cross all your t’s and dot your i’s, because those simple missteps can turn into nightmares for you and your client quite quickly.
If you are looking to experience a day in the life of a tax preparer, and don’t know how to do taxes, you should go to prontotaxclass.com. We have a very amazing and affordable 60 hour tax preparation course that can get your up and running in a matter of months, and have you ready for this upcoming tax season!
