dont forget to look into taking some tax specific continuing ed before interviewing! i made the audit to tax switch 2 years ago and the CCH courses helped me alot. also try the IRS VITA program if u can volunteer during tax season - its basic returns but gives u hands on experience u can talk about in interviews. also tax isnt all sunshine compared to audit lol. busy season is BRUTAL especially at smaller firms. but at least its concentrated in 1 part of the year instead of constant deadlines. clients r way more appreciative in tax vs audit where nobody wants u there!

Your audit background actually puts you ahead of many people trying to break into tax! I made a similar transition 18 months ago from internal audit to tax preparation, and here's what worked for me: First, don't undersell yourself - you already understand financial statements, have analytical skills, and client experience. That's huge. I'd recommend getting the IRS Enrolled Agent certification if you have time - it shows commitment to tax and gives you credibility with employers. For the job search, focus on small to mid-sized CPA firms rather than big chains. They value the CPA credential more and are often willing to train someone with your background. I found success by networking through my state CPA society chapter - many tax professionals are happy to chat about their path and sometimes know of openings. Also consider reaching out to firms in October/November when they're staffing up for busy season. Many are willing to bring on experienced CPAs as "seasonal" staff with the potential for full-time offers after April 15th. The pay might be lower initially, but it's a foot in the door with real experience to put on your resume. The transition has been worth it for me - tax work feels more collaborative with clients rather than adversarial like audit. Good luck with the switch!

I hope someone can clarify a side question about taxes - if my single-member LLC has a brokerage account and earns dividends or capital gains, do I need to make quarterly estimated tax payments? Or can I just settle up at tax time?

Just want to add my experience here - I had the exact same confusion when setting up my LLC brokerage account last year. The key thing that helped me understand was realizing that "owner EIN" vs "LLC EIN" is really about tax filing context, not about which number to use for account setup. For your brokerage account, you definitely want to use the LLC's EIN that you already obtained from the IRS. That's the correct identifier for your business entity. The confusion about "owner's EIN" typically comes up in tax discussions where the IRS is explaining that single-member LLCs report income on the owner's personal return rather than filing a separate business return. One tip: when you're filling out the brokerage application, make sure to select "LLC" as your entity type rather than "Individual" - this will help ensure they process everything correctly with your LLC EIN. I initially started filling it out as an individual account and ran into issues until I switched to the business account option. Also keep your EIN confirmation letter handy - most brokerages will ask for it during the verification process along with your Operating Agreement.

Anyone else notice that FreeTaxUSA sometimes doesn't import all transactions correctly? I had to manually check every single stock sale against my 1099-B because it missed about 10% of my trades when I tried the import function.

Great question! You're right to be cautious about doing things correctly. As others have mentioned, you definitely don't need to mail your 1099-B to the IRS - Fidelity already sent them a copy electronically. Just make sure when you're entering the data into FreeTaxUSA that you double-check all the numbers match exactly what's on your form. Pay special attention to the cost basis - if it shows "basis not reported to IRS" for any transactions, you'll need to make sure you have your own records of what you paid for those shares. With $3,200 in gains, you're well above the threshold where this needs to be reported, but it's not a huge amount that would typically trigger extra scrutiny. The key is just being accurate and consistent with what your broker reported. Good luck with the rest of your filing!

I just went through this exact same frustration with FreeTaxUSA last week! The promo code field is definitely easy to miss - it's on the summary page right before you proceed to payment, but it's in a pretty small font near the bottom of the fee breakdown section. One thing that helped me was clearing my browser cache and starting the checkout process over. Sometimes the promo code field doesn't load properly if you've been going back and forth between pages. Also make sure your promo code is still valid - I learned the hard way that some of them have pretty short expiration windows. If you're still within a few days of filing, definitely try contacting their customer support. I've heard mixed results but some people have gotten retroactive discounts applied. Worth a shot especially if it was a decent sized promo code!

I ran into this exact same issue with FreeTaxUSA this year! After reading through all these responses, I want to add that the promo code field location can actually vary slightly depending on whether you're filing just federal or federal + state. When I was doing just federal (which is free anyway), I didn't see any promo code field at all. But when I added state filing, suddenly there was a small "Enter promotional code" link that appeared in the state filing fee section. It was really subtle - just looked like regular text, not even a proper button. The key thing I learned is to look for it specifically in the fee breakdown area where it itemizes your charges. Don't look for a big obvious promo code box like you'd see on retail sites. FreeTaxUSA's interface is pretty minimal and the promo field blends in with the rest of the text. Also make sure you hit "Apply" after entering the code - I almost forgot that step!

Don't forget that if you absolutely can't get your W2, you can file Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) with your tax return. You'll need to estimate your wages and tax withholding as accurately as possible using your last pay stub. Not ideal, but it's there as a last resort if you truly can't get your W2s any other way.

Another option that worked for me was checking if your former employers used a payroll service like ADP or Paychex. Even after leaving on bad terms, you might still be able to access your employee portal if you remember your login credentials. Many people don't realize these accounts often stay active for a while after termination. I was able to download my W2 directly from ADP's website without having to contact my awful former boss at all. Just go to the payroll company's website and try logging in with your old credentials - worst case scenario it doesn't work, but if it does, you can get your W2 immediately.