Anyone ever work for a tax preparation service?

[Dee*Jay]

As I'm wrapping up the CPA exams (one more part on Oct. 1 -- please god, let this be IT!!!) I'm thinking about doing part time tax prep next season. The two biggies are Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block and I wonder if anyone has ever worked for them. I got a call from JH yesterday but won't speak with anyone in person until next week, and no contact yet with H&R. Anyone have experience or strong opinions of one over the other?

 

[OneFifty]

Hi Dee!!! So proud of you for passing all your exams up to this point! I never want to do that again!

I would look for a position in a CPA firm before I started with one of the franchises. Generally, the H&R Block type places for tax preparation are not really what most CPA see in everyday practice. So while the experience is good, it may not help too much in the future. I guess that raises the question of what you want to do with your CPA in the future. Those places only prepare individual tax returns, so no business work unless an individual have a schedule C, and you basically just go through a checklist to enter the items in. Definitely not how it is in a regular firm. I personally think that you don't really get the opportunity to use your skills as much because the computer is doing most of the analysis for you, if that makes sense. To see what I am talking about, go to H&R Block's free file website and go through the step by step process that people can use on their own. I believe this is the same thing you will be doing in person with clients. These place will hire people without a CPA or any tax training and have them do an in house tax course.

However, I have no personal experience working for anything other than a large CPA firm, but have some knowledge just being in the industry and hearing the talk.

There are tons of smaller, and even some larger, CPA firms that take on seasonal help. This will give you a much more broad experience dealing with all kinds of returns. You will also work with more people who have experience working with a variety of clients and will teach you not just how to enter information into a tax program, but to analyze the data in a way that is best for the client.

Give me a call if you want to discuss more. I'm not too great at explaining myself in these kinds of posts. Maybe if I could make a spreadsheet... Ha

 

[Dee*Jay]

OneFifty!!! I miss you so much!!!

Thank you for weighing in. I have mixed thoughts about a small CPA firm versus a franchise in that if I didn't enjoy the experience at a small firm I would feel bad leaving, but it would not be such a personal thing at a JH or H&R. (But really, what do I know, not ever having worked for either... !) Also, I'm not sure even HOW to find a small CPA firm that would want me*, let alone be willing to take on someone with NO tax experience. Yes, I passed REG, but that's likely not enough, LOL.

*I do know a lot of people who are connected to small CPA firms in some way (the CB's best friend from grade school, another good friend's cousin has a firm, the list goes on and on... ) but I am pretty adamant about not using a connection like that becuase what if it didn't go well, yanno? I wouldn't want someone to take me on just becuase of the "relationship" and then not be happy but feel stuck with me. So, if I went the small firm route, I would really like it to be with someone that there isn't a previous personal connection with, and that's what I'm not sure how to find.

Maybe after I chat with these JH people in the next week or so I'll give you a call and we can decide what to do with the rest of my life--or at least what to do for the next January through April!

 

[ChristineRose]

I worked for a tax prep firm which took work farmed out by CPAs. All CPA firms hire interns for tax season but their procedures vary. The ones I know about are visiting schools right now to pick over the students. The firm I worked for was much less picky. To be an intern you do not need tax experience and you certainly don't need to have passed REG. Furthermore most firms do most of their permanent hiring from the intern pool.

90% of what I did was entering capital gains and losses from brokerage statements. There were also W-2 and 1099 and the occasional K-1. Sometimes I got a rich kid with a trust fund, which was a nice change of pace. Documents were already scanned when we got them. I assume the interns did that.

Pretty much everyone should do it, unless they can get a better job. It's kind of a rite of passage you stick on your resume. But what I recommend to every accountant, no exceptions, is that you do VITA. Don't just Google up the answers and pass the test. Work through all the lessons on the IRS website, preferably the optional lessons as well.

Here's why I recommend VITA. It's not just that it will get you tax experience and help you to remember all those dependency rules. The vast majority of my time is spent working with organizations who have some screwed their fiances up badly. These are people in distress. There is no better place to meet a variety of people in crisis than your local VITA prep center. I got to deal with the tax consequences of death, not paying your taxes for a decade, being married to a guy you haven't seen in 20 years, closed head injury, multi-level marketing, and human trafficking. No kidding. Now this is a learning experience. Do what you can do to earn the money you need, then find a way to fit VITA in there.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I got to deal with the tax consequences of death, not paying your taxes for a decade, being married to a guy you haven't seen in 20 years, closed head injury, multi-level marketing, and human trafficking. No kidding.

WOAH. I hope that wasn't all the SAME person, LOL.

I looked into VITA a little while ago but they didn't have anything posted for next season year. I will keep checking through because I'm happy to volunteer like that.

It's too bad I'm out of Kansas City (well, OK, not really!!!) becuse I could have probably hooked up with a small firm through the school where I took the additional classes, but nothing I can do about that now.

The JH person is supposed to be back in the office today so I will give her a call and see what's up in a little while.

And thank you ChristineRose for weighing in!

 

[zipzapgirl]

I'm a CPA and a Controller at an investment firm and I couldn't agree more with the advice the other two posters added. Your level of experience will be much better at a CPA firm or via VITA volunteering than H&R Block, etc. The first two actively recruit accounting students or recent grads while H&R Block will train anyone. Also, with a CPA firm, you will get exposure to small businesses, partnerships, self-employed and even corps. VITA will bring you a good cross-section of the typical taxpayer, with limits on the level of complication (many special issues like self-employment and higher income levels get scoped out, but there are usually a lot of international students who need help, so that is always different and interesting). You didn't mention what your ultimate career goals are so it is not clear what your best option would be, but I encourage you to try other aspects of accounting besides personal taxation--like auditing, transaction services, corporate accounting, etc.-- and don't get shoeboxed too early in your career.

One thing I would absolutely stress is to USE YOUR CONTACTS. It's not imposing on someone--it is networking. That's how business works. You're offering your services to someone who works at a firm that might need them. Your friend can choose to pass on your resume or really go to bat for you (obviously that is their choice) and then if you are hired your responsibility is to do the best you can in the position for the amount of time (or a reasonable amount of time) agreed upon. Do not think of it as a favor... your friend gets your resume to the top of the pile and then it is your responsibility to get the job and do it well. And well, maybe take them out for dinner or something as a thanks

 

[Dee*Jay]

zipzapgirl, thank you for the input. I've actually been a compliance officer in the financial industry since the '90s but just started down the CPA path about a year ago. My problem is I don't know what I want to be when I grow up (but I'm crossing off things I *don't" want to be as I go along, so that counts for something, right?!?). The US tax system has always been interesting to me and I am open to ideas about how to learn more in a practical way.

One thing I'm afraid of, and I could hear it in the voice of the person I just talked to at JH, is that I may not get an opportunity at a place like that is becuse I'm pegged as "over qualified." Ironic because I don't know jack, but only because I've been a finance professional for many years.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out!

 

[lliang_chi]

DJ, I'm not a CPA or anything but when someone mentioned small business etc, it made me think of something. My family own/operate a family farm in S. FL. Their lender is through Farm Credit of FL. Maybe you can reach out to Farm Credit of IL and they can refer you to people who are working with small farming businesses. Good luck with your search.

~LC

 

[Dee*Jay]

LC, thank you for that idea! I actually poked around the IL small business website to see if anyone was advertising accounting services to that segement, but I think I am just ahead of the game. My guess is that sort of stuff will pick up in Nov/Dec. I will look into Farm Credit of IL though -- thanks!!!