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Tax Specialist

Overview

Tax specialists utilize accounting skills to prepare individual and small business tax returns. Many of these accounting professionals are employed by companies that provided tax preparation services to individuals and small to medium-sized businesses. Others may elect to pursue an entrepreneurial pathway and create their own business where they provide similar services. Tax specialists are trusted professionals who handle sensitive personal client information.

The Tax Specialist Career Certificate teaches students the principles of accounting and the concepts of payroll and tax preparation. For over 100 years, the U.S. Tax Code has changed and adapted. Tax Preparation is a dynamic field that allows students to engage with customers and utilize accounting skills to prepare individual and small business tax returns. The skills taught in the Tax Specialist Career Certificate prepare students for positions with tax preparation services or in support positions in small to medium-sized businesses. This Tax Specialist Career Certificate program may be useful to students who are interested in preparing their tax returns each year or who wish to become professional tax accountants. Students may use this career certificate as a pathway to further education in accounting or business administration.

Job & Salary Outlook

For current information regarding income and careers in accounting, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Learning Goals

  • Prepare, analyze, and interpret financial statements in accordance with General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Evaluate business decisions using managerial accounting methods.
  • Analyze and prepare payroll transactions and forms.
  • Analyze and prepare individual income tax filings.
  • Analyze and prepare business tax entries and filings.
  • Apply ethical reasoning to accounting scenarios.

Degrees & Certificates Offered

Academic Pathway

Students may use the Tax Specialist Career Certificate as a pathway to further their Business or Accounting education in completion of the following Certificates and Degrees:

Business

Accounting

Schedule

Find quarter class schedules

For more information contact:

Academic Focus Area  (AFA) Business Navigators and Advisors

 

Additional Information

Professional Credential

An enrolled agent is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by either passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee. Enrolled agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards. Individuals who obtain this elite status must adhere to ethical standards and complete 72 hours of continuing education courses every three years.
Enrolled agents, like attorneys and certified public accountants (CPAs), have unlimited practice rights. This means they are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can represent clients before.

IRS Enrolled AgentIn order to practice in front of the Internal Revenue Service, a tax preparer must become an Enrolled Agent. The Tax Specialist Career Certificate will prepare students for the IRS Enrolled Agent program Special Enrollment Examination (SEE). While the SEE and a review course are not part of the Career Certificate, course work will be tailored to include content relevant to the SEE exam.

MCC courses and programs provide educational opportunities to students preparing for various professional credentials awarded by external organizations and entities. Completion of said courses/programs does not guarantee success on exams, tests, or other requirements associated with externally awarded professional credentials. Students who complete MCC courses and/or programs in preparation for said exams, tests, or other requirements associated with externally awarded professional credentials may still want/need to engage in self-study, exam preparation programs, etc., prior to seeking credentialing.