Jr Tax Accountant

OptiPeople Resources • Arlington Heights, IL

12h • Remote

About The Position

This is a junior tax position for someone with a busy season or two behind them who wants to keep building. You will prepare individual and business returns, work through the general ledger to get to a clean set of financials, and hand off files a reviewer can move through quickly.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in accounting.
• One to three years preparing tax returns, including at least one full busy season.
• Hands-on preparation experience with 1040s and corporate returns (1120 and 1120-S).
• Partnership experience is welcome.
• Comfortable working in the general ledger, reading a balance sheet and P&L, and spotting what looks off.
• Working knowledge of professional tax preparation software and cloud accounting software.
• Solid Excel skills.
• Careful with details, and organized enough to keep several client deadlines straight at once.
• Able to work independently in a fully remote setup, and quick to raise a hand when stuck.
• A private workspace and reliable internet at home.

Nice To Haves

• Public accounting experience at a small or mid-sized firm.
• CPA license, CPA candidate, or actively working toward the exam.
• Multi-state filing experience.
• Payroll tax or sales and use tax exposure.
• Experience with QuickBooks Online or a cloud practice management platform.

Responsibilities

• Prepare individual returns (Form 1040) and the schedules that come with them, including Schedule C, Schedule E, rental activity, and investment income.
• Prepare business returns for small and mid-sized clients: Form 1120, 1120-S, and 1065, along with the related state filings.
• Work in the general ledger. Review account activity, propose adjusting journal entries, and clear reconciling items before building the return.
• Prepare and review financial statement packages, and tie the books to the return.
• Handle book-to-tax adjustments, depreciation schedules, and fixed asset rollforwards.
• Prepare extensions and quarterly estimates, and support year-end 1099 and W-2 filings.
• Draft responses to IRS and state notices and track them through to resolution.
• Build workpapers someone else can pick up and follow without calling you.
• Answer client questions by email and on calls, and pull in a senior when a question runs past what you know.
• Keep your due dates organized and flag risk to your manager early.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level