Tax Preparers

Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Speaking
Active Learning
Time Management
Writing
Mathematics

Key knowledge

Economics and Accounting
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Mathematics
Law and Government
Computers and Electronics
Administrative
Education and Training

What the work involves

Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.
Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.
Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns.
Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.
Consult tax law handbooks or bulletins to determine procedures for preparation of atypical returns.
Calculate form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Conventional, Enterprising, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (38.1% of respondents)
Related experience: None (28.6%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (38.1%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Tax Preparers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 76% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 60% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very low	Lower on teamwork than 98% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 73% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 65% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 73% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 64% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Low	Lower on consequence of error than 62% of occupations compared	37% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions