Tax Preparer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

12

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$54,920

BLS May 2025

1. Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum. importance 4.7 of 5
3. Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion. importance 4.6 of 5
4. Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances. importance 4.6 of 5
5. Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Check data input or verify totals on forms prepared by others to detect errors in arithmetic, data entry, or procedures. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Explain federal and state tax laws to individuals and companies. importance 4.2 of 5
9. Answer questions and provide future tax planning to clients. importance 4.2 of 5
10. Consult tax law handbooks or bulletins to determine procedures for preparation of atypical returns. importance 4.2 of 5
11. Calculate form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Schedule appointments with clients. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Working with Computers, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Processing Information and Documenting/Recording Information.

Knowledge areas: Economics and Accounting, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics and Law and Government.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Intuit TurboTax, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Tax compliance property tax management software, Tax software, Intuit QuickBooks. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a tax preparer.

The most common answer among O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation is a high school diploma or equivalent (38%).

Job title: Tax Preparer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Tax Preparer to prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.
- Check data input or verify totals on forms prepared by others to detect errors in arithmetic, data entry, or procedures.
- Explain federal and state tax laws to individuals and companies.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in reading comprehension, active listening and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Economics and Accounting and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Intuit TurboTax or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $54,920 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $26.40. BLS estimates about 76,480 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of tax preparers to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,400 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full tax preparer salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real tax preparer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only tax preparer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (reading comprehension and active listening); tax preparer interview questions turns them into practice questions.