Tax Preparer Resume Sample

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:

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:

Examples of job descriptions for a tax preparer resume

“Prepares income, estate, and gift tax returns for individuals and businesses.”

“Reviews and compiles data from various sources to calculate taxes owed.”

“Prepares estimates of taxes owed based on the taxpayer’s prior year’s return.”

“Responds to taxpayer inquiries.”

“Answers questions about an individual or business’s eligibility for a particular deduction or credit.”

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