Lead Tax Accountant

We are looking for a motivated, detail-oriented, and technically strong Lead Tax Accountant who wants to be more than just a tax preparer.

This is a year-round role for someone who enjoys tax, accounting, client service, problem-solving, and helping an office run better. This position combines tax preparation, accounting review, financial statement support, tax compliance, planning, billing oversight, client communication, agency communication, workflow leadership, staff support, technology troubleshooting, and process improvement under CPA oversight.

We are a small CPA firm, which means this role requires ownership, flexibility, communication, and follow-through. We are looking for someone who can help keep work moving, support the team, solve problems, and contribute to a positive and accountable office culture. This role provides workflow leadership, task delegation, deadline oversight, technical review, and staff support under CPA oversight.

Schedule: Our firm works hard during busy season, but we also value work/life balance outside of peak deadlines. Hours may vary based on seasonal workload, with additional hours needed during tax season and major filing deadlines and reduced or flexible schedules available during slower periods. After busy season, we make a genuine effort to maintain a manageable schedule, and summer Fridays may be optional depending on workload, deadlines, and office coverage needs.

This position is not a good fit for someone who wants a narrow tax preparation-only role or is uncomfortable with client communication, software, accounting cleanup, agency contact, billing accountability, or changing priorities.

Key Areas of ResponsibilityTax Preparation, Compliance & Planning

• Prepare and review individual, business, fiduciary, amended, and related tax returns based on experience level.
• Review client information, workpapers, and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and tax readiness.
• Identify missing information, unusual items, tax issues, planning opportunities, and matters requiring CPA review.
• Manage tax return workflow, deadline awareness, extensions, e-file readiness, and completion of return-related projects.
• Handle recurring tax and compliance obligations, including sales tax, franchise tax, payroll tax, 1099s, W-2s, renditions, notices, payments, and other filing requirements.
• Understand IRS and state tax compliance, including transcripts, account records, agency deadlines, notices, and response requirements.
• Support mid-year and year-end tax planning, projections, estimated tax reviews, S corporation planning, payroll planning, retirement contribution planning, and client planning communications.

Accounting Review & Financial Statement Support

• Review accounting clients, QuickBooks files, and financial statements for accuracy, completeness, and tax readiness.
• Identify and resolve cleanup needs, unusual balances, missing activity, and accounting issues before planning, tax preparation, or CPA review.
• Prepare and oversee accounting adjustments related to tax preparation, planning, financial statement review, and accounting cleanup.
• Support business and nonprofit financial statement review and work with bookkeeping staff to improve consistency, accuracy, and overall quality of accounting records.

Client, Agency & Internal Communication

• Communicate clearly and professionally with clients, staff, agencies, vendors, and the CPA.
• Contact the IRS, state agencies, payroll providers, software providers, and other third parties to obtain information, resolve issues, and support client matters.
• Maintain clear written documentation of work performed, review notes, client questions, agency calls, missing items, follow-up needs, and project status.
• Track billable and non-billable time accurately throughout the day in quarter-hour increments.
• Use correct client, project, and work codes with meaningful notes that support billing, productivity review, and workflow management.
• Maintain strict confidentiality, professional judgment, and discretion when handling client information, firm financial information, billing details, and sensitive tax matters.

Billing, WIP & Profitability Oversight

• Help oversee monthly and quarterly billing to ensure client work is billed timely, accurately, and consistently.
• Review WIP, unbilled time, open projects, completed work, and recurring services to keep billing on track.
• Identify underbilled work, missing time entries, excessive write-offs, scope creep, and recurring profitability concerns.
• Support better billout, realization, and profitability tracking by client, project, or service area.
• Improve billing processes so the firm reduces missed charges and better understands the profitability of client work.

Workflow Leadership, Delegation & Office Accountability

• Provide day-to-day workflow leadership under CPA oversight to help ensure client work, internal projects, and deadline-driven tasks are completed timely.
• Lead deadline tracking, project management, time management, and work delegation across the office.
• Help determine priorities, assign or redirect work, and follow up with team members to ensure progress is being made.
• Make practical workflow decisions within established firm procedures to keep projects moving and prevent delays.
• Monitor project status, identify bottlenecks, and communicate next steps clearly to the team.
• Hold team members accountable for completing work, documenting status, entering time, and meeting firm expectations.
• Support staff by answering questions, clarifying priorities, and helping resolve issues that prevent work from moving forward.
• Escalate major client issues, personnel issues, final tax decisions, pricing concerns, or sensitive matters to the CPA/Owner.

Technology, Automation & Process Improvement

• Support the firm’s commitment to efficiency, automation, and continuous process improvement.
• Help evaluate and improve workflows across tax, accounting, payroll, billing, document management, client portals, project tracking, and communication systems.
• Assist with software setup, integrations, templates, checklists, reports, dashboards, and standardized procedures.
• Troubleshoot practical technology issues, including software setup, login issues, printer problems, scanner issues, portal access, and workflow interruptions.
• Help reduce duplicate data entry, unnecessary manual tracking, avoidable client follow-up, and review bottlenecks.
• Support staff training on improved software processes, workflow expectations, documentation standards, and office procedures.

Culture, Team Support & Professionalism

• Maintain a positive, professional, and solution-focused attitude, especially during deadline-driven periods.
• Model follow-through, teamwork, respect, accountability, and ownership.
• Motivate and support team members through clear communication, encouragement, and willingness to help.
• Help develop and maintain better procedures, expectations, and standards across the office.
• Contribute to a strong office culture where people communicate, ask questions, improve processes, and take ownership of their work.

Qualifications

• Prior public accounting or tax preparation experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of individual and business tax preparation.
• Experience with QuickBooks review, accounting cleanup, financial statement review, and tax-ready accounting records.
• Ability to prepare and oversee accounting adjustments.
• Understanding of tax compliance, notices, payments, agency deadlines, IRS transcripts, and tax account information.
• Comfortable contacting IRS, state agencies, payroll providers, software providers, and other third parties by phone or online portal.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to document work clearly, accurately, and professionally.
• Experience tracking billable time, preferably in a CPA firm, law firm, consulting firm, or other professional service environment.
• Comfortable working with tax software, QuickBooks, payroll systems, portals, document management tools, and workflow/project tracking systems.
• Computer savvy and able to set up software, troubleshoot basic technology issues, resolve printer/scanner problems, and learn new systems.
• Positive, motivated, organized, and able to help move work forward in a small office environment.
• Ability to work independently while knowing when to ask questions or escalate issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or CPA candidate preferred, but not required depending on experience.
• Experience with Lacerte, OfficeTools, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, payroll platforms, client portals, and document management systems preferred.
• Experience with S corporations, partnerships, fiduciary returns, amended returns, nonprofit accounting, and small business tax support preferred.
• Experience with mid-year and year-end tax planning preferred.
• Experience reviewing WIP, billing, realization, or profitability in a professional service environment preferred.
• Experience improving workflows, implementing software integrations, or helping reduce manual processes is a strong plus.

Please submit your resume and a brief introduction explaining your public accounting experience, tax preparation background, QuickBooks or accounting review experience, and why this type of year-round leadership role interests you.