CertClue
Courses · Business
Tax Preparer

US Tax Preparer

Work a week of the 2027 filing season at a storefront tax office: run due diligence before claiming credits, prepare a server's return with the new tips deduction, handle side-gig income a client wants left off, protect client data, and report the office's week honestly.
1.5 hrs taught · 4.5 to 8 hrs applied 7 modules 20 lessons 4 portfolio artifacts Completion certificate Updated September 2026
Created by the CertClue team
What you'll build

Real portfolio pieces built during the course, not a certificate for its own sake. Each one is work you can show.

  • Credit due diligence recordThe checks behind a head of household and earned income credit claim: the questions, the answers, the residency test, and what was and wasn't claimed.
  • Return workpaperA server's 2026 return worked line by line with the new tips deduction, the tax by bracket, the refund, and what the deduction was worth.
  • Self-employment income noteApp income a client wanted left off, reported properly: the profit, the self-employment tax, the income tax effect, and the conversation.
  • Office week noteA short note to the owner on the week: returns filed and rejected, credit checks, security, and the plan for the April deadline.

What you'll learn

Tax preparation, kept short
The job, decoded
A day in the seat
The rhythm of the job
Into the simulation: Pendlecott's front desk
Building the portfolio
What comes next

Course content · 7 modules, 20 lessons

Sign up to unlock every lesson - the titles below show exactly what is inside.

What the job is, how a return works, and filing status and dependants.

What a tax preparer does, and what the work is like
How a return works
Filing status and dependants

Requirements

  • No prior experience in this field is required to start.
  • A computer with a reliable internet connection.
  • Comfortable using a web browser - no software to install.

Description

Every CertClue course follows the same seven-part shape: fundamentals, the role translated out of job-posting language, a real working day, the job's recurring rhythms, a multi-day simulation, the portfolio you build along the way, and a handoff into your next move. Here is what that looks like for tax preparer.

Who this course is for

Anyone aiming to become a tax preparer, including career changers with no background in it yet. This is the entry rung of a realistic ladder:

entry
Tax Preparer

Prepares individual federal returns in the filing season, accurately and with the checks the IRS requires.

Individual returnsCredit due diligenceClient interviewsData security
mid
Enrolled Agent

Licensed by the IRS to represent taxpayers, and prepares more complex returns year-round.

Representation before the IRSNotices and auditsSmall business returnsTax planning
senior
Tax Practice Owner or Manager

Runs a tax practice: its preparers, its quality and its duties to clients and the IRS.

Practice managementQuality reviewCompliance and securityStaff training
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