Chartered Tax Professional with Microsoft Excel

Come tax season, chartered tax professionals need to use tools like Microsoft Excel to prepare taxes. This fully online course will teach you how to prepare individual tax returns for almost all U.S. taxpayers and best practices for using Excel. After successfully completing this course, you will be qualified to prepare individual tax returns and be ready to sit for the IRS Special Enrollment Examination (SEE). You will also be prepared to pass the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert certification exam for Excel.

Attention California Residents:

If you live in California and plan to become a preparer of Federal and/or state income tax returns, you must meet the requirements of the California Tax Education Council (CTEC) to become licensed to practice as a California Tax Preparer. In that case, you should instead take the Chartered Tax Professional for California Residents course, which will enable you to meet the CTEC requirements while also earning your professional CTP designation.

Attention Oregon Residents: This course is not suitable for Oregon residents. If you are looking to become licensed in Oregon, you must pass the Oregon Basic Tax Preparer Course and pass an exam through the Oregon Board to Tax Practitioners. You can find more details on the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners website.

What you will learn

• To create, modify, and manage Excel workbooks
• To create pivot tables and charts
• Master preparing taxes for individuals, small businesses, partnerships, and sole proprietorships
• Prepare for the IRS Enrolled Agent exam
• Practice and work as a qualified tax professional
• Learn how to prepare tax returns for all individual U.S. taxpayers
• Understand the ethical responsibilities of tax professionals

How you will benefit

• Become a certified Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert in Excel
• Start working and earning money after completing the first two modules of the course
• Develop a professional vocabulary and the communication skills required to flourish in the accounting world
• Become qualified to prepare taxes for a variety of tax-holders and small companies
• Possess the necessary knowledge and skillset required to pass the IRS Enrolled Agent exam

1. Microsoft Excel Certification Training
   1. Introduction to Microsoft Excel
   2. Intermediate Microsoft Excel
   3. Advanced Microsoft Excel
   4. Microsoft Excel Final Exam
2. Chartered Tax Professional
   1. Individual Income Tax Preparation
      1. Comprehensive Income Tax Course
      2. Advanced Income Tax Course: Level I
      3. Advanced Income Tax Course: Level II
   2. Small Business Income Tax Preparation
      1. Small Business Income Tax Course: Level I
      2. Small Business Income Tax Course: Level II

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course must be taken on a PC. Macs are not compatible.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 10 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge is also compatible.
• Microsoft Office 365, 2021 or 2019 (not included in enrollment). While you can use an older version of Microsoft Office, if you do, there will be some differences between your version and what you see in the course.
• Microsoft Word or an equivalent word-processing program.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader .
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following materials will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment in the Chartered Tax Professional:

• Federal Forms
• Federal Worksheets
• Instructions
• Publication
• Tax Preparer Resources

Prerequisites:

A high school diploma or equivalent is a prerequisite for this course. Accounting and specific math skills aren't required, just the aptitude to work with numbers and people and to read and interpret the tax laws.

Requirements for Starting a Career in Taxation:

• Complete the Comprehensive Tax Course (included in this course)
• Register with the IRS and obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN)
• Begin preparing tax returns as a tax preparer
• Note: Continuing education requirements begin once your PTIN is issued
• Earn the Chartered Tax Professional (CTP) certificate by completing all CTP modules with an average grade of 80% or higher and documenting 500 hours of qualifying experience

The Income Tax School

Instructor support is provided through email by experienced practicing tax professionals employed by Peoples Income Tax, Inc., a sister company of The Income Tax School.

Tracy Berry

Tracy Berry has been a senior graphic designer/programmer, instructor, and consultant since 1993 and has developed hundreds of logos, marketing materials, websites, and multimedia solutions for customers worldwide. She was also involved in several large corporate software rollouts. She has helped many organizations optimize and streamline data solutions. She teaches both onsite and online courses and has her CTT (Certified Technical Trainer) certification. Tracy specializes in teaching graphics, desktop publishing, web design, and reporting/productivity applications.

Does this course prepare you for a certification?

Yes, you will be prepared for the Microsoft Office Specialist MOS Excel Expert Certification exam.

Once I complete the course, how will I receive my certificate?

Once you've successfully completed each course (and your final exam has been graded), you'll need to fill out the Request for Certificate of Completion. Your instructor will then provide you with a certificate of completion by mail. Your CTP certificate will be issued after you've completed all courses with an average grade of 80% or more and have documented the 500 hours experience needed to qualify for the CTP designation.

When can I start this course?

This course is open enrollment, so you can register and start the course whenever you are ready. Access to your course can take 24-48 business hours.

How long does it take to complete this course?

After you register, you will receive 18 months to complete the course. The time allotted for completion has been calculated based on the number of course hours.

What if I don't have enough time to complete the course within the time frame provided?

If you are unable to complete the course, contact your Student Advisor to help you work out a suitable completion date. Please note that an extension fee will be charged. If you are funded through a third-party organization, approval may also be required.

What kind of support will I receive?

Our courses are designed to accommodate various learning preferences. Depending on the course structure, you may get different forms of support. Self-paced courses are designed to be user-friendly and independent, minimizing the need for external support. In courses with instructors, our direct platform support feature includes opportunities for questions, discussions, and remediation, with email and phone support available for select courses. Our student advising team is available to guide you on program requirements and administrative requests, but they do not provide assistance with course content. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary support for success, whether it's through self-paced exploration, direct communication, or guidance from our advising team.

What happens when I complete the course?

Upon successfully passing the final exam, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school or organization that you registered through.

Am I guaranteed a job?

ed2go courses will help you gain the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. However, you should always research the job market in your area before enrolling.

Can I get financial assistance?

ed2go courses are non-credit, so they do not qualify for federal aid, FAFSA, and Pell Grant. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards may provide funding to take our courses. Additionally, you may qualify for financial assistance if you meet certain requirements. Learn more about financial assistance.

How can I get more information about this course?

If you have questions that are not answered on our website, representatives are available via LIVE chat. You can also call us at 1-877-221-5151 during regular business hours to have your questions promptly answered. If you are visiting us during non-business hours, please send us a question using the "Contact Us."

Does this course qualify for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit?

Yes. The Income Tax School is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State Boards of Accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit:

• Comprehensive Tax Course
• 45 CE hours
• Advanced I Tax Course
• 30 CE hours
• Advanced II Tax Course
• 30 CE hours
• Small Business I Tax Course
• 30 CE hours
• Small Business II Tax Course
• 30 CE hours

Total: 165 CE hours

Are you approved by CTEC?

Yes. We have a California version of our CTP course that includes the curriculum approved by the California Tax Education Council (CTEC) for qualifying education required for tax preparers to become licenses to practice in California.

What course should I take to become a tax preparer in California?

The California CTP course is approved by CTEC as a qualifying course for California. There are additional requirements to become a tax preparer in California. Please visit the CTEC website for more information.

How would you compare your school to other tax schools?

The Income Tax School is approved by the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Internal Revenue Service as a provider of qualifying continuing education for AFSP Certificate of Completion, Registered Tax Return Preparers (RTRPs) and Enrolled Agents (EAs). We are also registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. In addition, The Income Tax School, Inc., has been approved by the California Tax Education Council (CTEC) to offer qualifying education, which satisfies the "qualifying education" requirements imposed by the State of California for individuals seeking to become CTEC Registered Tax Preparers. We are also certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

Our school teaches students how to prepare tax returns manually, and we provide expert instructor support by email. Practical application by preparing actual tax returns results in the tax preparation knowledge being internalized, and our quizzes and exams also serve to confirm student learning. You learn how to prepare returns without using tax preparation software with our comprehensive online tax courses. By preparing practice tax returns manually instead of having tax software do it for you, you will learn the tax laws and be prepared to prepare tax returns correctly. The tax returns that you are preparing are based on real-life scenarios. That enables you to internalize the knowledge and gives you a solid foundation you can continue to build on. We follow up with quizzes and an exam to make sure that the knowledge is sinking in. You can download the quizzes and the exam beforehand and prepare them and input your answers online at your own pace when you are confident with your answers.

The Income Tax School teaches tax preparation—not tax preparation to one particular software. This way, you can learn the art of tax preparation and apply it critically to different types of software. Remember: Software is only as good as the operator who is using—if you don't have the knowledge, you won't know if you are asking the right questions.