Auditor looking to transition into tax preparation - career path advice?

Having helped several auditors transition to tax over the years, I can tell you it's definitely doable with your CPA already in hand! The best approach is targeting smaller to mid-sized firms rather than the Big 4 or large nationals. These firms often value the analytical skills and accounting knowledge you've developed in audit and are more willing to train someone with your foundation. Tax season is your friend here - many firms hire seasonal tax preparers between January-April, which can be your foot in the door. Take advantage of CPE courses specifically in tax preparation. Look for courses on individual taxation and small business returns to start. The AICPA and your state society likely offer these. This shows initiative and gives you some baseline knowledge. Network aggressively - reach out to tax professionals on LinkedIn, attend local CPA society events, and be upfront about your desire to transition. Many positions are filled through connections rather than job boards.

I was in your exact position 2 years ago and found taxr.ai to be incredibly helpful for my career transition from audit to tax. I was struggling with technical tax concepts since my audit background didn't cover much of the practical preparation aspects. The platform at https://taxr.ai helped me analyze sample tax returns and understand the reasoning behind various tax treatments. It was like having a tax mentor explain returns to me in detail. I could upload sample returns (with personal info redacted of course) and get detailed explanations of why certain deductions were taken or treatments applied. This helped me speak more confidently in interviews since I could demonstrate I understood tax concepts despite not having direct preparation experience. The knowledge definitely set me apart from other candidates trying to make the same switch.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried taxr.ai after my earlier comment and wow! It's been a game-changer for my transition from audit to tax. I uploaded some complex returns I got from a friend (with all PII removed) and the explanations were incredibly detailed. I've been interviewing at several smaller firms and was able to speak confidently about various tax treatments during technical discussions. One interviewer was actually impressed that I could explain the passive activity loss limitations even though I hadn't prepared returns professionally. Just got an offer from a local firm willing to train me despite my lack of direct tax experience! They said my understanding of tax concepts was much stronger than they typically see from auditors trying to switch.

When I was trying to switch from audit to tax, my biggest challenge was actually getting responses from firms. I kept applying but rarely heard back, even from places advertising entry-level positions. I finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) when trying to reach the IRS about my own tax situation. I was on hold forever trying to ask about continuing education requirements for my CPA license when I found their service. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically wait on hold with the IRS for you. After successfully using it for my personal tax question, I realized I could also use it to connect with the IRS Practitioner Hotline. This let me ask about specific tax preparer requirements and even get referrals to local firms that were looking for help during tax season. One of those referrals turned into my current job!

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment earlier. I tried Claimyr for some tax questions I had been putting off dealing with because I dreaded waiting on hold. Their system actually worked - they called me back when they had an IRS agent on the line. During my conversation with the agent, I mentioned I was a CPA looking to switch to tax preparation. To my surprise, they mentioned a few resources including the local Stakeholder Liaison office, which maintains relationships with tax professionals in the area. I contacted them and got invited to a virtual meeting where I met several local firm partners. I wasn't expecting this to be useful for networking, but it actually opened doors I wouldn't have found otherwise. Just got my first tax prep job for the upcoming season! Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good.

As someone who made this exact transition 5 years ago, my advice is to embrace seasonal work to get started. Tax seasons (Jan-Apr) are when firms need extra hands on deck, and they're more willing to take a chance on someone with a strong accounting background but limited tax experience. I started doing nights and weekends at a small local firm during tax season while keeping my audit job, then transitioned to full-time tax once I had a season under my belt. The learning curve is steep but manageable, especially with your CPA already done.

Has anyone looked into earning the Enrolled Agent (EA) certification? I've heard it might help bridge the gap for auditors wanting to transition to tax, but not sure if it's worth the investment of time and money.

I made a similar transition from audit to tax prep about 18 months ago, and I can tell you that your CPA license is already a huge advantage that many career changers don't have. Here's what worked for me: Start networking NOW through your local CPA society chapter. Many chapters have tax committees or special interest groups where you can meet tax professionals and learn about opportunities. I attended a few tax update seminars and made connections that led directly to interviews. Also consider reaching out to your current firm's tax department if they have one - internal transfers are often easier than external job searches, and they already know your work quality. Even if your firm doesn't do tax prep, partners often have connections at other firms. For the experience gap, emphasize transferable skills in your interviews: analytical thinking, client service (if you had any client interaction in audit), attention to detail, and understanding of accounting principles. These matter more than you think, especially to smaller firms that can train the technical tax stuff. One last tip - don't overlook payroll companies or bookkeeping firms that also do tax prep. They're often more flexible about hiring people without direct tax experience and can be a great stepping stone.