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Degrees and Schools
Many colleges offer accounting degrees. Associate, bachelor's and master's accounting degrees are available.
Classes
Some of the subjects studied are shown below:
- Financial accounting
- Federal income tax
- Auditing
- Principles of accounting
- Accounting information systems
- Fraud examination
- Legal elements of fraud
- Income tax planning
Online Classes and Programs
Some schools offer online associate, bachelor's and master's accounting programs. Prospective online students should look for schools which have received accreditation from agencies approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education.
Employment Requirements
A lot of tax examiners have a bachelor's degree. Many tax examiners have a degree in accounting or a related subject. However, relevant experience or a combination of experience and post secondary education is adequate for many positions.
For federal government positions, employees must have a bachelor's degree or a combination of related experience and some college education. Those working for state and local governments typically have an associate degree, completed some college business courses and have specialized experience. However, some workers have a combination of specialized experience and a high school diploma.
How to Evaluate Schools and Programs
While evaluating schools, prospective students should consider getting answers to the following questions:
- School's Reputation - Does the school have a good reputation?
- Class size - Does the school provide small class sizes?
- Curriculum - Can students specialize in their area of interest?
- Job Placement - Does the school provide job placement services?
- Financial Aid - What types of financial aid are available? Has the school been approved to provide federal financial aid?
- Accreditation - Has the school been provided accreditation by an agency which has been approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education?
Tax Examiners and Revenue Agents Job Description
Tax examiners usually work with the simplest tax returns such as tax returns filed by individuals which have a few deductions and the tax returns of small businesses. However, some tax examiners work with more complicated tax areas including business net operating losses and pensions. Many entry-level tax examiners perform clerical duties.
Tax examiners evaluate tax returns for accuracy and determine if tax credits and deductions are legal. They have the task of obtaining the revenues owed the government by businesses and citizens.
Revenue agents are employed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and equivalent state and local government agencies. Revenue agents specialize in tax-related accounting work. They audit returns for accuracy. Revenue agents also work with complex income, sales and excise tax returns of businesses and large companies.
Some of their responsibilities are shown below:
- Check the accuracy of returns
- Notify taxpayers of an underpayment or overpayment and request additional payment or issue a refund
- Determine if deductions and tax credits claimed by taxpayers are legitimate
- Make sure tax payers have correctly interpreted the instructions included in the tax forms
- Stay current with accounting procedures and tax codes changes
- Maintain records for each case
- Verify that Social Security numbers match names
- Contact taxpayers by mail and telephone to request supporting documentation
Resources
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