Tax Preparation Assistant
Hire a tax preparation assistant to get documents in before the deadline.
Most of tax season is waiting for paperwork: a missing W-2, an unsent receipt, a client who has not replied. A tax preparation assistant does the chasing and organizing, so your preparer works on returns rather than reminders.
Free consultation. Working with businesses in the USA, UK, Canada, UAE and Australia.
What they do
What a tax preparation assistant takes off your plate
Document checklists
Each client gets a clear list of what is needed, based on their prior year.
Chasing missing forms
Reminders for W-2s, 1099s and receipts until everything arrives.
Organizing files
Documents named, sorted and filed so the preparer can find them quickly.
Data entry for review
Figures from documents entered into your system, ready for a preparer to check.
Deadline tracking
Filing dates and extensions tracked for every client.
Client status updates
Clients told what has arrived and what is still outstanding.
How it works
How the season can run
An example for a small practice or an owner who prepares returns for clients.
Before the season
Checklists are prepared for each client from last year's return.
During the season
Missing items are chased every week, and clients get a clear status.
At the preparer's desk
Complete, organized files are handed over ready for review.
After filing
Documents archived and next year's reminders set.
Software
Platforms a tax preparation assistant can work in
Practice management
- TaxDome
- Karbon
- Canopy
Tax software
- Drake
- Lacerte
- ProConnect
- UltraTax
Documents and signing
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- SmartVault
- DocuSign
- Dext
Names show software your assistant can work inside, not official partnerships.
Who hires
Who hires a tax preparation assistant
Small accounting and tax practices
Chasing clients for paperwork is eating the hours you need for returns.
Bookkeepers adding tax services
You are growing and want someone to handle intake.
Business owners with complex paperwork
Several income sources mean many documents to gather each year.
Vetting
What we look for in a tax preparation assistant
Everyone on your shortlist has been interviewed, skills-tested, reference-checked and English-tested. How vetting works.
Care with sensitive data
Tax documents hold personal details and need to be handled privately.
A polite, persistent follow-up
Clients are busy, and good reminders get answered.
Organization
A file system that anyone on the team can follow.
Familiarity with common forms
Knowing what a W-2, a 1099 or a K-1 is and where it belongs.
Stays with you: Preparing and signing returns, giving tax advice and representing clients before tax authorities stay with a licensed preparer or accountant. The assistant prepares and organizes. They do not replace the professional.
Before you hire
Mistakes to avoid when you hire one
- 01
Sharing client data carelessly
Use a secure portal and a password manager, and give access only to the files the assistant needs.
- 02
No checklist template
A standard list per client type makes every season faster and fewer items get missed.
- 03
Starting the week before the deadline
Bring your assistant in before the season so processes are set when the volume arrives.
No. They gather and organize documents, prepare schedules and track deadlines. Filing and tax advice stay with a licensed preparer or accountant.
The work is document-led, so the idea carries across countries, but the forms differ. Tell us your country and the forms you handle and we look for someone who knows them.
You decide what the assistant can open. Use a secure client portal, store logins in a password manager, turn on two-factor authentication and remove access when the season ends.
Tell us what you use. Many assistants work in practice management tools and enter data for review. Anything that needs a preparer's credentials stays with the preparer.
A part-time assistant starts at $700 a month and a full-time assistant at $1,400. Roles that need deeper expertise start at $1,300 part-time. We confirm your rate before you hire.
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Ready to hand off the work you keep putting off?
Share the role and get your shortlist within 24 hours, or talk to our team first.
