Become a tax preparer, illustrated.
Ready by January.
A picture guide for adults starting as paid preparers: the PTIN, the voluntary IRS Annual Filing Season Program, Circular 230 in plain words, the 2026 numbers, due diligence on credits, the security plan the law requires, and the first clients. Plus a workbook with 100 practice questions explained. eBook or printed.
Both books on the desk, the PDF on the phone between clients · $89.99
Not a wall of tax text. One topic per page.
Every page works the same way, so you can open it during a busy week and pick up one rule in a few minutes.
This is what the pages look like.
For adults starting in tax season.
Ready before January
Tax season runs from late January to April 15. The guide shows what has to be in place before the first client sits down: the PTIN, the hours, the e-file number and the security plan.
Starting from zero
What a W-2 is, how a Form 1040 reads, why filing status decides so much. Each chapter builds from the basics, with a picture on every page.
Next to the training, not instead
Starting at an established tax office? The guide sits beside the office's own training: the rules behind what you'll be asked to do, in one place you can reread.
The rules of the job itself.
They come from irs.gov and the IRS's own publications. The guide's first chapters explain each one with a picture.
A PTIN for every year
Anyone who prepares, or helps prepare, a federal return for pay needs a valid PTIN for that calendar year. It costs $18.75 for 2027, and most first-time applicants get it online in about 15 minutes.
18 hours by Dec. 31
The IRS Annual Filing Season Program is voluntary: a 6-hour refresher with a 100-question test (70% to pass), 10 hours of tax law and 2 of ethics, from IRS-approved providers.
What the record adds
A Record of Completion puts the preparer in the IRS public directory and allows limited representation for returns they prepared and signed. Without it, a PTIN holder can only prepare.
Everything to set up before January.
The road map first, then each step: the PTIN, the 18 hours and the refresher test, the e-file number, and when to start each one so nothing lands in the last week of December.
- The PTIN: fee, validity and every question on Form W-12
- The IRS Annual Filing Season Program, hour by hour, with the exemptions
- The EFIN: e-Services, the suitability check, up to 45 days
- The season calendar, from the PTIN renewal in October to April 15
What a preparer can sign, say and charge.
Who can represent a client and where, the words an advertisement may and may not use, and Circular 230 section by section, in plain English.
- PTIN only, Record of Completion, enrolled agent: a side-by-side table
- Fees: why a percentage of the refund is a contingent fee
- Client records, refund checks, positions on a return
- The §6694 penalty when a position goes wrong
The Form 1040 clients bring, line by line.
W-2s and 1099s, filing status and dependents, income beyond wages, deductions and credits, with the 2026 amounts that apply to returns filed in 2027.
- Standard deduction $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household
- Schedule 1-A: tips, overtime, seniors, car loan interest
- Child tax credit $2,200; EITC up to $8,231, drawn to scale
- The 1099-NEC threshold moving from $600 to $2,000
The paperwork that keeps a preparer out of trouble.
Due diligence on credits, e-file and signatures, the written security plan, and the penalties that come from small slips.
- Form 8867: the four requirements and the five records to keep
- Form 8879, rejects and when refunds can arrive
- The written information security plan and multi-factor login
- Every §6695 penalty amount for returns filed in 2027
Running the season, week by week.
From the first intake to the last extension: what to ask, what to give back, what to keep, and how to set a fee the rules allow.
- Intake and documents: what to collect before you start
- The client's copy, your signature, your PTIN on every return
- Records: what to keep, and for how long
- Extensions with Form 4868 and the October 15 date
100 questions. Every answer explained.
Practice questions in the three areas of the IRS refresher course outline: new tax law, general review, and practices and procedures. Then printable worksheets for the season.
- Why the right answer is right, and why each wrong one is wrong
- The guide page to reread after every question
- Printable intake checklist, interview notes for Form 8867, records log
- Original questions written for this book, not taken from any test
The guide and the workbook for your first season.
The Guide · full table of contents
The Season Workbook · 96 pages
On screen, on paper, or both.
Color PDF, right after payment
The guide and the workbook on a phone, tablet or computer. Print any worksheet as many times as the season needs.
Two spiral-bound books
The 240-page guide and the 96-page Season Workbook, lying flat on the desk. Free US shipping, about 5–8 business days. Want both? Printed + eBook for $89.99.
Worksheets for the desk.
The workbook's printable pages follow the guide: what to collect, what to ask, what to keep.
- An intake checklist for the documents clients bring
- Interview notes for the EIC, child tax credit, AOTC and head of household
- A records log and a starter outline for the written security plan
See 10 real pages, free.
The first season on one page, the PTIN, the 18 hours, who can do what, Circular 230, the 2026 numbers, the EITC, Form 8867, the security plan and the penalties. Read them and decide with the pages in front of you.
See the 10 pages ↓
How is it different?
| What it has | This guide | 18-hour program courses | Tax-office training | Free IRS materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A diagram or table on every page | ✓ | Varies | Varies | — |
| Counts toward the Record of Completion | ✗ | ✓ | Varies | ✗ |
| PTIN, EFIN, security plan and first clients in one place | ✓ | Partly | Partly | Spread across many pages |
| Practice questions with explanations | ✓ 100 | A test at the end | Varies | — |
| 2026 numbers with the source on each page | ✓ | Varies | Varies | ✓ |
| Price | From $39.99 | Set by each provider | Varies | Free |
You can start tonight.
You pay
Secure checkout, no account, no subscription. One payment.
You open the eBook
If you chose the eBook, the download link arrives by email. Open it on a phone, tablet or computer.
The books arrive
If you chose the printed books, they ship free to your US address.
Your first tax season, explained with pictures.
- 240-page illustrated guide, 16 chapters
- PTIN, the IRS Annual Filing Season Program, EFIN and the security plan
- Tax year 2026 numbers, including the July 2025 law changes, each with its source
- 96-page Season Workbook: 100 questions, every answer explained
- Printable worksheets: intake, interview notes, records log, calendar
- Printed books: spiral-bound, lie flat
What new preparers ask before buying
Is this affiliated with the IRS?
No. This guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internal Revenue Service or the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The PTIN is requested directly from the IRS, and the courses of the Annual Filing Season Program are taken from IRS-approved continuing education providers.
Does reading this book count toward the 18 hours?
No. Only courses from IRS-approved continuing education providers count toward the Annual Filing Season Program, including the 6-hour refresher and its test. The guide is a companion to those courses and to on-the-job training, not a replacement.
Do I need a license to prepare tax returns?
For federal returns, the IRS requires a valid PTIN for anyone paid to prepare, or help prepare, a return. The Annual Filing Season Program is voluntary. Some states have their own rules: the IRS names Oregon, California and Maryland programs, for example. Check your state's requirements.
Is it current for the 2027 season?
Yes. It uses the tax year 2026 amounts the IRS published in Rev. Proc. 2025-32, the July 2025 law changes, the refresher course outline for 2026 returns and the penalty amounts for returns filed in 2027. Rules can change after printing: each page names its source so you can check it.
Will this book bring me clients or a set income?
No book can promise that. The guide explains the rules, the forms and how a season runs. How many clients someone finds, and what they earn, depends on many things outside a book.
Are the practice questions from the refresher test?
No. Every question was written for this book. The refresher tests are written and given by each approved provider. Our questions follow the three areas of the IRS course outline: new tax law, general review, and practices and procedures.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's general information about federal rules for people learning the work. It's not tax, legal or financial advice for any taxpayer's situation.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The eBook is a color PDF that opens on a phone, tablet or computer, and the worksheets print from it.
When do the printed books arrive?
Shipping to US addresses is free and takes about 5–8 business days. The eBook arrives by email right after payment.
What if it's not right for me?
You have a 30-day guarantee. Write to us within 30 days and we'll refund you. No questions, no forms.
Ready for your first tax season?
240 illustrated pages, 100 questions with every answer explained, the 2026 numbers with sources. 30-day guarantee.
From $39.99 · eBook or printed