Summer and Fall 2022, Back To School, Back To Work, New Career

Summer is the time when most people take vacation and think about what they are going to do after the Labor Day Weekend, which is the sign of when summer usually ends. People think about going back to school, their careers, their pocketbooks, inflation, and how costs are rising. Especially during the summer of 2022 when inflation was at a historical high and gas prices surpassed over $5.00 a gallon. During the time period as we approach Labor Day, many people find themselves in need of a new career and a new job. Many people want to start a new job right after Labor Day and the others are too stressed to push it off any longer and prefer to start working before the summer ends so that they are settled. A new career in tax preparation is timely right now, because now is when people start preparing not only for a new financial year that starts in September, but also they want to be ready for January 1, 2023.

Why A Career In Tax Preparation Is Timely Right Now

Tax season officially starts in January when people start preparing their own IRS federal and state  tax returns. During this time, accountants and CPAs usually request statements and documents from clients. This is also the season and month when companies send out W2 forms and 1099s to their employees. The Fall is the time to pursue education, training, and position yourself in order to be ready for the upcoming tax season. Once January 1st comes around, you want to have your name and your tax business shingle hanging out for all to see. You also want to have your advertising and marketing in place because that is when everyone becomes aware that they need help with their taxes for the year. You have to have ample time to learn, practice and train to be prepared to start, and confident that you are ready to provide these important IRS tax preparation and financial services.

Who Should Consider A Career In Tax Preparation?

What makes a good candidate to enroll In tax preparation courses? Anyone that already has a knack for numbers should consider a career in tax prep. A person that enjoys making calculations and who is creative at figuring out strategies that save money, are great candidates. Detail oriented people who like to read the fine print and search around for bargains, calculating and comparing numbers and prices, utilizing spreadsheets with  columns consisting of pros and cons are great prospects for a career in tax preparation. Highly organized individuals will immediately realize that they will be very successful in this type of career. The mindset of working with numbers, envisioning a better way to work with them and ultimately coming to a money-saving conclusion, creates the most successful candidate in tax preparation.

Who Is Eligible To Be A Tax Preparer?

To become a tax preparer, you do not have to be a college graduate. With a GED and/or a high school diploma, one who does well in math has the potential of succeeding in the field of tax preparation. One does not have to be a genius or an academic wiz to be successful, you just have to be prepared to concentrate and deal with intricate numbers and details. National Tax Training School teaches students from the ground up. With any background, path of education and average IQ, one is destined to thrive in this exciting field. One who is ultimately dedicated to learning tax preparation and gets the proper foundation training, will develop great experience in no time.

Why Is Experience The Best Education?

To become an artist, you have to have it in you. With tax preparation, you must initially be dedicated to learning. Then, after a short while of working in the field, with each client and each scenario of saving people money, one gains the most valuable experience.

What Are The Resources Needed To Start A Career In Tax Preparation?

People with limited resources can still start learning tax preparation today. You don’t have to invest a significant amount of money, and with a surprisingly minimal investment one may enroll in our course. Tax software is another investment preparers will need to purchase.

Students can access the online learning system from the comfort of their home, a cafe, coffee shop or anywhere at any time. With basic Internet, wifi access and a laptop or smartphone, students enrolled in the course will conveniently be able to complete their training and studies that will last them a lifetime. 

When Should One Start Training To Become A Tax Preparation Professional?

One will need anywhere from a few weeks to a few months in order to be ready for Tax Season. National Tax Training School is constantly updating the tax preparer course, and in fact just finalized the most current version and released it to all recently enrolled students. These students will be getting the most up to date version of the course. That’s why, NOW is the optimal time to enroll. NTTS constantly strives to add timely updates to the curriculum as a result of Congressional changes to the tax laws. In fact, President Biden just passed a bill called the Inflation Reduction Act. Although it may not have a significant impact on basic United States taxation, it does indeed have tax ramifications. Now is the time to become familiar with all of the new and updated changes that are happening AND going to happen. Usually, these updates get implemented by Congress at this time of the year when Congress returns to office after summer vacation. Congress then focuses on these acts, tax provisions, and extensions of previous revisions.

How Long Does The National Tax Preparation Program Course Run?

The course is 150 hours of self paced study. The student is in the driver’s seat and sets the pace. If we break it down by two hours daily, it’s about 10 weeks worth of program. If a student starts today, by the end of the 2nd month or sometime in the 3rd month, they should comfortably be able to finish the course. With all this under consideration, finishing the program will likely take one 8 – 10 weeks. Some people give themselves even more time to feel confident so within 3 months they are ready to start taking on clientele.

How Can One Start Their Own Tax Preparation Business? 

First, one will need time after finishing the National Tax Training School tax preparation course in order to absorb and review the material they have learned. Some professionals will want to find office space, sublet or work from home. It is also recommended to have enough time to advertise and to do some research on your local and regional market.In the beginning of the tax season, expect to be busy while also maintaining a business development strategy. You will not want to turn away any potential clients.

Building a Profitable Tax Practice

The Guide Book (https://nationaltax.edu/publications/building-a-profitable-tax-practice/) we give out to students helps them build their tax practice business. The National Tax Training School guide book, “Building a Profitable Tax Practice” is written by National Tax and it covers everything you need to know on how to successfully establish and maintain a tax preparation business. 

Topics covered in the book include:

• IRS requirements
• Office technology
• Successful marketing strategies
• Staff hiring
• Ethical responsibility
• Billing and Fee structure
• Collections
• Handling IRS tax audits
• Professional development
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Reporting

Is A Career In Tax Preparation Stable?

Every US citizen is required to file taxes, so a tax preparer offers essential services that everybody needs. When tax clients are satisfied, they will depend on the professional for their taxes year after year and even refer their friends and family. As one consistently provides tax preparation services, they build on existing and return client work experience as their client base grows. Expanding a business by establishing a professional network and concentrating on retention makes the business even more stable. 

How Profitable Is A Career In Tax Preparation? 

A tax preparer has unlimited potential to grow his or her income as much as they are willing. As mentioned above, everyone needs their taxes done. A tax preparer will always be able to provide services and they can work as much as they want and as little as they want. One can work part time and still be very busy during Tax Season.

Tax Preparer vs. Bookkeeper/ CPA/ Accountant? 

A tax preparer 100% COMPLEMENTS being a bookkeeper, CPA and/or accountant. There is no conflict whatsoever and if anything, the professional and their clients benefit from their knowledge and experience greatly.

An accounting degree isn’t for everyone. Though there are plenty of benefits over tax preparation, getting an accounting degree requires much more time, effort and a significant investment.

Accounting also involves a wide range of financial services such as financial statements, business regulations, corporate structuring etc. whereas a tax preparer focuses on the tax aspect. Preparing tax returns, providing tax related advice and skillfully concentrating on finding tax savings is a major benefit of taking our tax prep course.

A significant percentage of CPAs certainly have knowledge of tax preparation, but they aren’t necessarily experts. They usually have staff and employees like students of ours, who do their tax prep work for them. A CPA is a general term for someone that went to college and received a degree in accounting. A CPA is a designation, and that means working on the overall finances of individuals, corporations and businesses.

Students who are not yet ready to start a business on their own, will often end up with great opportunities. Many CPAs and accounting firms are constantly seeking to hire individuals with tax preparation expertise to fulfill their client needs. This is quite common and especially true around tax season. 

All in all, becoming a tax preparer is quite advantageous and beneficial since CPAs are not only looking for these professionals, but also are looking for partners. 

Bookkeepers will find that having professional tax preparation knowledge will greatly add to their overall offerings and services. They naturally deal with many clients who ultimately need their taxes completed and filed. With the addition of a tax preparer on staff, bookkeepers are able to offer to their existing client base financial services as well as tax help. 

Why Is Tax Preparation A Satisfying Career? 

There’s nothing more satisfying and empowering than when you immediately show people how to save money. When you help US Citizens and show savings in their taxes, the money you save them is money in their pocket. All professionals desire their clients to be pleased. When one shows a client how to move around personal and corporate finances with security, they gain a satisfied customer. 

Who Can Establish a Thriving Tax Practice?

Many ask if they need prior experience and skills in order to succeed in a career in tax preparation. Former mechanics, school teachers, salespeople, homemakers, and employees from different industries have all thrived in the field of tax preparation. So when one asks if this path is right for them, National Tax Training School replies ABSOLUTELY!

About National Tax Training School (NTTS)

National Tax Training School was founded in 1952 and over the past 60+ years has grown into the most recognized and respected distance learning institution dedicated to training its students in US federal taxation. NTTS is dedicated to providing Federal Income Tax Courses, IRS Annual Filing Education, Tax Preparation Classes, and IRS Annual Filing Season Programs.

The life of a military spouse may not be typical, especially for families that elect to move whenever and wherever the military member is reassigned. There are certainly perks, like being able to live in new cities, states, and even countries, meet a diverse range of people, and perhaps experience new cultures in the process.

However, this family togetherness could mean a non-military spouse has to give up on a career or professional aspirations. Not all jobs can travel, and if you’re a military spouse that moves around quite a bit, it’s possible that you’ll have to forego a traditional career as a result.

The good news is, there are professional avenues to explore when your spouse is an active military member, and careers in tax preparation are a viable and attractive option for a number of reasons. Here are just a few of the benefits you’ll gain when you take tax courses online, earn certification, and tackle a new profession.

Learn from Anywhere
Military life isn’t always predictable, and even if you plan to be in one place for a while, your spouse and your family may be called upon to move. This not only makes it difficult to hold down a job and build a career, but also to attend school.

Luckily, the internet has made it easier than ever to learn remotely. You will, of course, need to find a licensed and accredited tax school if you want to earn appropriate certification, but there are definitely viable options that allow you to learn from anywhere, so that sudden or frequent moves will not disrupt your education.

Work from Anywhere
As a certified tax preparer, you can work from anywhere. Not only are talented and knowledgeable tax prep specialists needed everywhere (even military bases located on foreign soil), but digital tax prep and filing allows you to continue servicing clientele in locations where you no longer live.

If you’re worried about building a business only to lose clients when you move, a career in tax preparation is an excellent solution. When the military relocates your spouse and you follow, you can take your clients with you, so to speak.

Gain Government Assistance
Many young men and women join the military as a pathway to higher education, with plans to utilize GI Bill benefits following completion of military service. As a military spouse, you can also take advantage of education benefits through the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program.

This career development and employment assistance program, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD), is intended to help military spouses earn certifications, certificates, licenses, and/or certain associates degrees as a pathway to gainful employment. To this end, military spouses could be eligible for up to $4,000 in financial assistance over the course of two years. You should visit the Military Benefits website at https://militarybenefits.info/ to find out if you qualify and learn more about MyCAA assistance.

Improve Yourself
In any relationship, there are bound to be imbalances at times. As a military spouse, you may resign yourself to playing second fiddle on the professional front. This can be difficult for someone who takes pride in working and earning his/her own money.

When you pursue a career in tax preparation, you have the ability to improve yourself, become a productive member of society and adopt a career path that is compatible with your spouse’s military obligations. This continuity can help you to adjust to frequent moves and provide personal fulfillment, not to mention additional household income.

Plus, it’s a career that you can continue after your spouse leaves the military and your family settles in one place. In other words, military spouses have only to gain by becoming tax prep specialists.

Love them or hate them, taxes are essential to our way of life. Don’t believe me? Let me know how you feel about taxes next time you need to use a public service. Regardless of how you feel about taxes themselves, there’s one thing we can probably all agree on: filing tax returns takes a special kind of person. One must be alert, knowledgeable, and able to spot mistakes; additionally, the need to have a high tolerance for paperwork. If this doesn’t sound like you, there’s no need to worry. This is precisely why people hire tax consultants. However, if it does sound like you then it may be time to consider a career in tax consulting. To help you decide, here’s a list of important personality traits of successful tax consultants.

1. Knack For Solving Problems

If you are a natural problem solver who enjoys challenges like games, puzzles, and word problems, you may find yourself right at home as a tax preparer. This position will involve solving an array of problems for your clients, and thinking critically on your feet is absolutely necessary.

2. Be Personable

Part of the job is convincing strangers to trust you with their most intimate secret: their finances. To be successful at this, you need to be as personable and accommodating as you can. To do so, I recommend two things: a thick skin and a sense of humor. The former will help you ignore the noise and keep your eye on the prize; while the latter will help you deflect any negativity or resistance and potentially net yourself a new client. Nothing will build a longer, more lasting business relationship than forming a genuine connection with a person. Once you show them that they can trust you, they will.

In addition to being personable, you will need to make decisions that are in the best interest of your client. This requires getting to know them from a strategic perspective. What kind of business are they running? What are their goals? What accounting tricks are most suitable to their needs? You should make answering these questions a priority with each client you work with.

 3. Cultivated Communication Skills

In addition to founding your business relationships on trust, you also need to focus on communicating effectively in a clear, concise, and relevant manner. The more effectively you communicate, the more comfortable your client will feel.

4. Maintain Confidence

Hey, no one said this job would be a walk in the park. Some of the most difficult situations you will ever encounter could confront you out of the blue on this job, and when they do, it is up to you to maintain confidence and work through it like the brilliant success machine that you are. Doing so will make you more credible in the eyes of your client, which is great for retaining their business, bringing in new clients via positive word of mouth, and contributing to your own personal development.

5. Motivation

Like credibility and confidence, the ability to stay motivated when the going gets tough will benefit both you and your client. This means that you have to keep yourself focused and stay on task, especially if you work remotely, as the tendency to procrastinate is why many aspiring tax consultants lose potential clients.

6.  Attention To Detail

The ability to be consistently accurate with an eye for detail is essential to the daily repertoire of a successful tax consultant. Can you imagine what would happen if you crunched a bunch of numbers for a client, only to find out that they were inaccurate? What would this do to your credibility? To avoid an embarrassing scenario similar to this one, cultivate your attention to detail until you naturally strive for consistency while maintaining an open curiosity and desire to solve problems as they present themselves.

7. Creativity

This trait may come as a surprise, but creativity is indeed an essential trait of many successful tax professionals. Ideally, you would employ creative strategies when attempting to solve various problems for clients. Keep in mind that few problems in the real world will be as cut and dry as they are theoretically. If you are more analytically-minded, one way to encourage creativity is by keeping your surroundings neat and tidy, as this will help you to think more abstractly about whatever problem you are tackling.

8. Assertiveness

Although it is important to be accommodating to your client’s needs, it is also important to know when you need to put your foot down. This pertains to any time you are owed money for an unreasonable amount of time, or if you are defending your honor against a baseless accusation. In either case, it is important to stand by your principals and let your client know exactly why they are wrong, even if this means that they seek out a new tax consultant.

9. Honesty

This one seems kind of obvious, but it is by far one of the most important qualities as it connects to nearly every other trait on this list. As a tax consultant, when you have insight into how your clients manage their money, honesty and integrity are of the utmost importance. This is some of the most personal information in your client’s entire life. Believe me, speaking the truth is much easier than getting tangled in a web of lies, and in this line of work, integrity goes a long way.

10. Accountability

As a tax consultant, accountability is important in terms of maintaining both client confidence and business accuracy. Additionally, it is important for your sanity to remember that human error is natural and not everything can be perfect. Being a successful tax consultant is about striking a balance between accuracy, precision, and honesty. This means it’s all right to admit when you have made a mistake, as long as you own up to it and work to assure that it does not happen again in the future.

Why Become a Tax Preparer?

Many students enter adulthood without the slightest clue of what they want to do with their professional lives. Some harbor dreams of grandeur while others prefer fortune to fame. However, a more practical approach to planning one’s career can ensure much greater job satisfaction.

When choosing a career path, you need to consider two things: what you’re good at and what you enjoy. The so-called “dream job” is a myth, or at least, it’s different for every person. We might all enjoy the accolades and earnings of a top-notch actor, but how many of us are really suited to perform on command? Some might find such work extremely stressful and terribly unfulfilling.

If you’re looking for a profession that features stability, flexibility, and high earning potential, there are several reasons to consider becoming a tax preparer, especially if you’re proficient in math, you exhibit organization and attention to detail, and you enjoy working with clients and helping them save money. Here are some of the many benefits you stand to gain in the process.

1 – Gainful Employment

Money may or may not make the world go ’round, but it certainly can keep us comfortable, ensuring a roof over our heads and food on the table. Tax preparation can provide you with gainful employment for the rest of your life.

People are always going to need help with their taxes. Most of us simply don’t have the time, energy, or inclination to learn how to prepare our own income tax returns, especially since tax codes change frequently.

For this reason, reputable and reliable tax preparers are always in high demand. Naturally, you’re bound to be much busier at certain times of year, as when annual income tax returns are due in April, but you can also find ways to sustain your workload throughout the year by working for businesses, keeping books and filing quarterly estimated taxes, for example.

2 – Job Security

If the recent recession taught us nothing else, we learned the value of a stable profession. Not every job can offer security, but tax preparation is something nearly everyone needs help with at some point, which means tax prep professionals will always be in high demand.

Taxes are confusing, and most people have better things to do with their time than learn the ins and outs. They’re happy to leave it to professionals like you, especially since you have the knowledge to help them find ways to reduce what they owe and even get money back in some cases.

3 – Flexible Work Options

This is one major boon associated with becoming a tax preparer. You have so many options when it comes to your schedule. For example, you could end up working full time for a tax prep company, or alternately, simply working for yourself from home.

You could take on clients just during the busiest tax season, or maintain business contracts year-round, and you have the option to decide how many clients you want to serve. You could work full-time, part-time, seasonally, or to supplement another profession.

Tax preparers often enjoy the ability to manage their own schedules. Whether you prefer working days, evenings, or weekends, you can set appointments with clients on a schedule that works for you, allowing you to accommodate other work, schooling, or familial obligations, just for example. How many other high-paying jobs can you say that about?

4 – You Can Learn Remotely

Earning your certificate in tax preparation is as easy as taking online tax courses through a licensed and accredited tax school that offers clear and comprehensive course work, as well as skilled instructors and support staff. This is an ideal learning environment that gives you a measure of control over your learning schedule and allows you to avoid a costly and time consuming commute.

If you’re already tied to another job, you’re raising a family, or you’re simply looking for a convenient and flexible educational opportunity, the option to study and earn your certificate in tax preparation from home or on the go is a fairly attractive proposition.

5 – Earn a Certificate Quickly and Get to Work

When you take online tax preparer courses, you could earn your certificate in as little as 8-10 weeks, depending on how committed you are to the process. This means you could get to work and begin earning a living and building your professional reputation in just a couple of months.

You don’t need any previous experience to begin online tax courses, although many people working as bookkeepers, accountants, and lawyers are keen to earn tax prep certification. All you have to do is sign up, complete your coursework, and earn your certificate in a few short weeks.

6 – Lifelong Knowledge and Skills

You might find that you really enjoy tax preparation and make it your lifelong profession. Or you might see it as a stepping stone in your career trajectory. You may do it for a while and move on to other pursuits.

However, the knowledge and skills you develop will stick with you for the rest of your life. You might only use them when properly preparing your own tax filings or helping out family members and friends, or they may serve you well in all of your professional pursuits.

Many businesses see this type of knowledge and experience as a major bonus and it could give you the edge when applying for future positions, even those unrelated to tax preparation. Basic accounting and tax preparation skills are something everyone should have, but few people bother to learn, which will make you a valuable asset to any employer.

7 – Personal Fulfillment

Most adults place a premium on earnings over job satisfaction. What you’ll come to realize with time is that money isn’t everything. If you spend enough time working you’ll find that gaining a sense of satisfaction from your job is worth its weight in gold, so to speak.

When you make all the numbers match up or find a way to help clients save money or see a larger tax refund, you’re going to gain a sense of personal fulfillment that you might not get from other jobs. This is a welcome addition to whatever money you earn in the course of your professional pursuits.

The hallmark of reaching adulthood is understanding that you are not only capable of caring for yourself and others, but that it is your responsibility to do so. As an adult, you will very likely have to earn your way, at least if you want a roof over your head, food on your table, and some fun money on the side.

As a kid, you might dream of exciting jobs like acting or flying airplanes, but the chances of landing such jobs and actually making a decent living are pretty slim. You’re better off selecting a career based on your strengths and what you enjoy.

Some people are good with numbers. Some are organized and detail oriented. Some work well with people. If you exhibit any, or preferably all of these traits, you may have the makings of a tax preparer. This is an especially good choice for those uninterested in spending years toiling in school to earn an accounting degree and take a CPA exam.

Why would you want to consider such a career, aside from the ability to work from home, run your own business, set your own hours, and earn a living? There are many situations in which becoming a tax preparer could fit nicely into your current lifestyle. Here are just a few types of individuals for whom a career as a tax preparer could be the perfect fit.

Stay-at-Home Parents

More and more families are finding that two incomes are necessary to support a modern household. In many cases, one parent elects to stay home and raise children, either because both agree that it’s better than childcare or because childcare is too expensive and the parent who earns a secondary income is spending it all on daycare costs.

That said, a secondary income might still be necessary to make ends meet. This is where working as a tax preparer could prove to be the perfect solution.

For starters, there are online courses available through licensed and accredited schools, allowing stay-at-home parents to earn certification in as little as 8-10 weeks. This certification allows parents to work from home, bring in a secondary income, and help family, friends, and those within the community to prepare annual or quarterly tax filings. Plus, kids can grow up under the supervision of a caring and devoted stay-at-home parent.

Home-Based Workers

There are many reasons why workers might prefer a home-based profession. There are, for example, those who are unable to commute to an office environment due to disability, or for whom working in a traditional office setting would impose hardship.

However, it’s much more likely that you’re interested in work opportunities that don’t require you to wear a suit, sit in traffic for hours each day, and labor under the micromanagement of half a dozen superiors. In other words, you want to work for yourself, from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Becoming a tax preparer is an ideal profession to consider. Once you’ve completed appropriate tax courses remotely and earned your certificate, you can begin to build a network of clients, starting with family members, friends, neighbors, and other acquaintances.

You can determine how many clients to work with, how much to charge, and when to work, although naturally you want to build a big enough clientele to earn a living. Whether you simply work during the busiest tax preparation season or you work year-round helping clients stay on top of bookkeeping and quarterly filings, you have the opportunity to determine the work/life balance that suits you best.

Accounting Students

Perhaps it is your goal to become a CPA, whether you intend to work in a firm or eventually run your own business. During your time in school, there’s no reason not to put your skills and education to good use and earn a little money to reduce your student debt in the meantime.

You can take an online course over your summer break in order to become certified, allowing you the opportunity to work as needed to supplement student loans or even begin to pay them down. Tax preparation doesn’t have to be a full-time job – you can do it part-time while you’re in school by taking on just a few clients.

This is also great experience to add to your resume. It will not only help to prepare you for eventually becoming a full-fledged accountant, but it could help you to get a foot in the door when you finish school and start your career. Of course, you might just decide that the perks of being your own boss make you want to stick with tax preparation.

Professionals Seeking Seasonal Work

There are plenty of people interested in supplementing their income after the New Year in order to pay down debt accumulated during the busy holiday season. This would be a great time to use your certification in tax preparation to earn a little extra money on the side.

The turning of the calendar year also signals the beginning of tax prep season. As workers get their income tax forms in the mail, starting as early as January, they seek out skilled professionals to help them complete accurate and timely income tax returns so that they can get their refunds post haste.

As a tax preparer, you could probably work year-round, especially if you take on corporate clients that file quarterly estimated taxes. However, you could elect to limit your services to the busiest time of year – the months leading up to April 15 – in order to supplement your income seasonally.

Anyone Looking to Improve Job Prospects

It seems like the tax code becomes more and more incomprehensible each year, at least for the layman. This means that skilled tax preparers will always be in high demand.

If you have a head for numbers, an eye for detail, and a strong desire to improve your job prospects, there’s no reason you shouldn’t consider the benefits of enrolling in courses to become a successful tax professional. With the proper certification course you can quickly gain the knowledge and skill necessary to earn a living helping others prepare their taxes.

Information about PTIN registration from the IRS

1) Who needs a PTIN?

Anyone who gets paid to prepare (or assists in) preparing federal tax returns must have a current PTIN before preparing tax returns.  Each tax preparer need their own PTIN – it cannot be shared. Enrolled agents must also have a PTIN.

2) How do I apply for a PTIN?

You can obtain a PTIN online by going to the IRS website: www.irs.gov/PTIN it only takes about 15 minutes to apply  The fee is $50.00.  Generally,  your PTIN will be provided to you immediately once you complete the application and pay the fee.

Here is what you should have ready before you apply:

• Your name and mailing address.
• Business name and mailing address
• Credit card or debit card to pay for the PTIN fee of $50
• Noncompliance with tax laws in the past or felony convictions may affect your ability to get a PTIN so have explanations available if this applies.
• If applicable (it is not a requirement), your professional credentials.

3) When do I register for a PTIN?

A PTIN needs to be renewed every year. They expire by Dec. 31, so renew or register for a PTIN early enough to have a new and valid PTIN before Jan. 1.

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April 15 Deadline – What to do if you need more time to file your taxes.

The April 15 tax deadline is coming up. If you need more time to file your taxes, you can get an automatic six month extension from the IRS. Here are a couple of things to know about filing an extension:

• Use Form 4868. You can request an extension by filling out Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You must mail this form to the IRS by April 15. Form 4868 is available on IRS.gov/forms at any time.
• More time to file is not more time to pay. An extension to file will give you until Oct. 15 to file your taxes. It does not give you more time to pay your taxes. You still must estimate and pay what you owe by April 15 to avoid a late filing penalty. You will be charged interest on any tax that you do not pay on time. You may also owe a penalty if you pay your tax late.
• Use IRS Direct Pay.  The safe, fast and easy way to pay your tax is with IRS Direct Pay. Visit IRS.gov/directpay to use this free and secure way to pay from your checking or savings account. You also have other electronic payment options. The IRS will automatically process your extension when you pay electronically. You can pay online or by phone.
• IRS helps if you can’t pay all you owe.  If you can’t pay all the tax you owe, the IRS offers you payment options. In most cases, you can apply for an installment agreement with the Online Payment Agreement tool on IRS.gov. You may also file Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request. If you can’t make payments because of a financial hardship, the IRS will work with you.