What is Needed to Be a Tax Accountant

Tax Accounting is like regular accounting in that Tax Accountants take care of the books like Accountants do. An Accountant helps make important decisions for your company. He analyzes and interprets financial information and provides guidance based on this information. When in the role of a Tax Accountant, he guides you in areas of tax and regulatory compliance, deals with the IRS if necessary, and keeps an eye on the tax ramifications of every company decision.

But you can’t just hire any person to do this work. An Accountant, or Tax Accountant, if you will, needs to show the public he knows what he’s doing. To fulfill this task he needs certifications. What kind? Here’s a partial list:

·        Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – In order to have this certification the Accountant has to complete a 2 day exam, have a 4 year degree, and have taken an extra 30 semester hours of accounting course work.

·        Accredited Business Valuation (ABV)

·        Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP)

·        Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)

If you have worked at least 2 years as an internal auditor, you may be able to take the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam, which is a 4-part exam, from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).