You won’t have to deal with complicated tax returns when you work as a tax examiner. You will only have the straightforward returns from individuals or small businesses to review rather than the longer and more complicated ones from large corporations. In fact, when you first get hired in this position, you really have to learn the ropes and you will find yourself performing a lot of clerical duties, such as filing, reviewing returns and entering the data into the computer system. It is possible that if there is something you don’t understand, you may have to call the taxpayer just for clarification purposes.
When you review tax returns, your job is mainly to make sure the calculations are correct and that the amounts entered match those of the documents that accompany the return. You will also have to verify that the Social Security number and address matches that of the taxpayer already entered into the database. Once you have verified this information, you review the tax return to make sure that the federal and state governments allow the deduction amounts that are claimed. You may have to send a letter to the taxpayer requesting further documentation to verify that there is sufficient evidence to allow a particular claim. Once the review is complete, you send a letter notifying the taxpayer that a refund amount is owed to him/her or that the taxpayer owes more taxes to the government.
To become a tax examiner with the federal government you must hold a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field from an accredited university as well as work experience. Your experience in this filed must be in the form of a specialized area of the accounting field. Once you are hired in this position, you will receive specific training pertinent to your job. As a tax examiner you will be dealing with private information, so confidentiality about the work you do is absolutely essential. Before you do get the job, you will have to undergo a full background check. You must be able to work independently and have good organizational skills with the ability to pay attention to details. With new accounting software coming on the market, you can greatly enhance your skills in this area by becoming proficient in using these. You must also be proficient in keyboarding and basic computer skills.
