A certified tax accountant handles individual or company taxes, audits, and record keeping. She will be responsible for calculating earnings, filing documentation, and providing tax statements. This type of accountant may work for an organization as an internal employee whose focus is in the correct handling of company taxes and related documentation. This type of accountant could be a public accountant and handle several clients simultaneously.
Depending upon the size of the firm for which she works, a certified tax accountant may be in charge of tax preparation, while another type of tax accountant may be in a supervisory position in the accounting department. A certified tax accountant with a degree in accounting and much related expertise, education, and experience may be a manager who supervises others and also works with executives to operate a business efficiently and cost-effectively.
The certified tax accountant must complete a large volume of paperwork. She may do this with paper documentation such as receipts and forms, or she may work with documents electronically. She will be responsible for extracting information from customers and company executives to ensure that tax forms are handled appropriately. She will need experience with tax preparation, but may also need a degree in accounting or a certificate, depending upon employer requirements and laws and policies in her locality.
An accountant certified in tax accounting will be responsible for knowing current trends in her field, as well as any governmental or agency regulations that may exist. She will use her knowledge of these standards to ensure that her firm or clients are handling tax preparation and submission properly. She will work alongside tax agencies to ensure proper financial documentation.
There are certain types of special situations with which a tax accountant may be involved, and many tax accountants choose more narrow career paths within tax accounting. For example, one might choose to be a forensic accountant who investigates the records of companies to ensure tax law observance. A tax accountant might also specialize in auditing as a full-time occupation, or a general tax accountant might be called in only for audits in special circumstances.
During a typical day, a certified tax accountant spends time working on a computer and filling out forms, meeting with clients, and reviewing files and records. She may spend time supervising and training other tax accountants in her department. Additionally, she will often be in contact with tax agencies either through computer technology, live meetings, or phone calls. If she is a senior-level tax accountant, she may spend much of the day in planning meetings during which she will gather information and use it to perform tax preparation or supervision functions.