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Opinions desired on becoming a tax professional

I recently learned that I screwed up my S Corp's 2003-'05 taxes due to ignorance of procedure (I tried to do it all on my own rather than rely on a CPA) and the IRS called to get me to get it straightened out. After being told what forms were required of me I downloaded or ordered what I needed and got it taken care of. In spite of the fact that I am now taking care of about $5,000.00 in back taxes, I actually found the process of doing the taxes themselves quite enoyable and satisfying to the point that I think I could do this for a living. (Note: I am currently a database software developer. The mental relationships between database objects and tax forms/schedules are not that different. It is all a matter of understanding the rules concerning what data goes in a given form and how that relates to other forms.) My undergrad degree is a BA in Economics and I earned an A and a B in Acc. Principals 1 & 2. I've contacted the university from which I graduated and they said it would be no problem for me to come back as a student and take accounting classes toward getting a BBA in Accounting becoming a CPA. As a result, all I am really lacking given my previously earned credits is about 45 hours of credit. As this is a group for people working with this area of life, I am hoping that some people here can give me their opinions on whether a move into this field is advisable or not. I understand that y'all don't know everything about my circumstances, I am just looking for opinions on the state of this career field. Thanks.

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Reply to
es330td
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Good thought there. I have sometimes likened doing a complicated tax return to doing a large jigsaw puzzle and all the pieces have to fit!

And thanks to software programmers, I find it a breeze these days. Software of course is no substitute for first knowing the tax law.

Well, if it's tax work fancy, and not other accounting tasks like auditing and writeup work (boring...!), look into possibility of becoming an Enrolled Agent (EA). Without going into detail, I would suggest you take a look at our national website:

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While pursuing your accounting degree, you can also work in taxes and pursuing possible IRS certification as an EA. Let me know if you need more information.

Santa ChEAr$, Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA

Reply to
Harlan Lunsford

"es330td" wrote:

Tax can be a very rewarding field on many levels. I've been a tax professional for nearly 20 years and have done a fair amount of that time in "tax technology" areas consulting to large corporations on how to move information from financial systems not designed with tax in mind to the tax compliance and planning functions within the tax dept. My point is, your background with software and database development could be very valuable because you've already been trained in analytical and structured thinking. You mention going for your CPA. Something to keep in mind is that getting your BA in most states will not make you a CPA, you'll still need to put some time in auditing in a firm that does that sort of work. Second, although most people equate CPA with being a tax professional, probably less than 30% of CPA's actually are (most are in audit or other areas of finance). Third, while I've spent my whole career in tax and used to agree w/ Harlan's comment about audit being boring, there have been a lot of developments that have made auditing (and therefore the CPA) much more sexy over the last few years. Sarbanes-Oxley is a huge driver now-a-days and the smarter companies are looking to the CPA's to turn the Sarbox compiance nightmare into a value driver for the business. This is very much like what tax professionals have been doing for years with tax information. Therefore, while saying auditing & CPA's have become "sexy" may have overstated the case a bit, there's certainly some merit in going down the path you propose as it will give you more options for future growth than going down a tax-only road. As I said above, tax is a very rewarding field, however, if you're at the beginning of a new career path, you're probably better giving yourself more options rather than fewer.

Reply to
San Diego CPA

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