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Whether you’re interested in preparing personal or business income tax returns, several online tax preparation certification and training courses cover everything you need to know in record time. These offerings are also ideal for tax professionals at all skill levels and can be purchased for a fee that won’t break the bank.
You will find a plethora of courses ranging from IRS approved tax preparation courses to free tax preparation classes focused on your return only. Let Benzinga help you find a tax prep course that fits your skill level, budget and lifestyle.
Quick Look: Best Tax Prep Courses
Take a glimpse at our top picks:
- How to Prepare Your Taxes by Udemy
- US Income Taxes – Income Tax Preparation Simplified for You by Udemy
- How to Prepare Your U.S. Federal Tax Returns Online by Udemy
- Fundamentals of Business Taxes by Udemy
- How to Prepare Your Taxes – For Entrepreneurs by Udemy
- Income Tax – Schedule C Small Business Sole Proprietor by Udemy
- Basic Corporate Tax Returns Mastered: How to File Your Taxes by Udemy
- Tax Minimization Strategies When Computing Corporate Taxable Income by Udemy
- Tax Preparation and Law 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018 – Income Tax by Udemy
What Makes a Tax Prep Course Great?
Not all tax prep courses are the same—some involve professional, continuing education and result in an IRS tax preparer certification. Other tax courses however, help you learn how to manage your taxes without hiring an accountant. Keep these factors in mind as you evaluate the income tax classes you run across.
Instructed by a Subject-Matter Expert
The best tax prep courses are led by a tax expert who has industry experience. Certified tax preparer courses online should be taught suing current tax code information and hosted by a professional who works in the field every day. It’s also ideal if the instructor has an accounting educational background and credentials that showcase their knowledge. Read their professional bios and visit LinkedIn to learn more.
Covers Relevant Topics
It’s essential to review the course description and syllabus before enrolling to ensure the topics you’re most interested in are covered. Most notably, a tax certification course should, as mentioned above, focus on current tax year rules and how they differ from previous years. IRS tax classes should help you build a knowledge base that helps you generate correct returns while also explaining to clients how the tax code has changed.
Remember, you may become a certified tax preparer and deal with a wide array of people from different walks of life. If you, for example, serve as an accredited tax preparer for the local senior center, you will encounter clients who want you to follow the rules they remember when they were actively preparing their own taxes.
Times have changed, and you want to know how America got from where it was then to where it is now. Additionally, you want to learn tips and trucks that ensure you can meet the needs of your clients. The best tax preparation classes help you understand self-employed taxes, LLCs, various other types of corporations, final tax returns, etc.
Self-Paced Classes
There’s so much to know about correctly preparing tax returns. As a result, you want a course that’s self-paced and allows you to work when it’s convenient. Trained and experienced professionals refer to the tax code regularly. If they need reference guides, so do you. Ensure that you can spend as much time as you need on challenging concepts or revisit lessons that apply to what you’re working on later on down the line.
When you register for a tax preparer certification test, you want to feel as though you did everything you could to pass with flying colors.
Our Top Picks
We conducted extensive research to compile a list of the best online tax prep courses. Our top selections come from Udemy, and we’ve categorized them based on your existing skill level — beginning, intermediate and advanced — to help you identify the appropriate track. You will also find a description and enrollment fee for each class to help facilitate the decision-making process.
Tax Prep Courses for Beginners
If you’re a new tax professional or want to learn how to prepare your own tax returns, try these certified tax preparer courses online from the comfort of your home.
1. How to Prepare Your Taxes by Udemy
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: On sale
How to Prepare Your Taxes is an exceptional offering from Enrolled Agent John Crowder that teaches you how to prepare your tax return with confidence. It also covers common tax credit and deduction-related myths, life events that can impact your taxes and so much more.
Here’s a breakdown of the course layout:
- Introduction
- The Fundamentals
- Reporting Income
- Adjustments to Income
- Itemizing vs. Standard Deduction
- Taxes and Credits
- Other Taxes
- Tax Payments
- Wrapping-Up
- Supplemental Materials
Take advantage of the promotional pricing on this class by registering today. The enrollment fee gets you full lifetime access to 2 hours of on-demand video, 1 article and 1 downloadable resource. You will also get a certificate of completion when you reach the finish line.
2. US Income Taxes – Income Tax Preparation Simplified for You by Udemy
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: On sale
US Income Taxes – Income Tax Preparation Simplified for You is another highly-rated offering that simplifies the federal and state income tax preparation and filing process.
It is led by certified public accountant and accounting professor Majo Jacinto. She divides the class into these modules:
- Dr. Majo Jacinto’s Student Testimonials
- Filing Basics
- Exemptions
- Income Items and Related Calculations
- Adjustments to Income / Adjusted Gross Income
- Types of Deductions
- My Tax and Credits
- Other Taxes
- Payments and Refundable Credits
- Bottom Line
- Wrap Up
It’s easy to sign up, and you’ll get full lifetime access to 2.5 hours of on-demand video and 28 downloadable resources. Plus, you can enroll with confidence knowing the course comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied for any reason.
3. How to Prepare Your U.S. Federal Tax Returns Online by Udemy
Who it's for: Beginners
Price: On sale
Serial entrepreneur and personal finance expert Joe Correa brings you this in-depth course on preparing tax returns with TurboTax. It features 29 lectures that walk you through a simple step-by-step process to use the software with ease.
How to Prepare Your U.S. Federal Tax Returns Online consists of 4 sections:
- Introduction to How to Prepare Your U.S. Federal Tax Returns Online
- Preparing To Do Your Taxes
- Submitting Your Tax Returns Online
- After Submitting Your Tax Returns
When you enroll today, you will unlock a vault of valuable resources. This includes 1 hour of on-demand video instruction and 7 downloadable resources that are accessible 24/7 on your computer, mobile phone or any other electronic device.
Intermediate Tax Prep Courses
Consider these intermediate courses if you already have a solid grasp of tax return preparation basics.
4. Fundamentals of Business Taxes by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: On sale
Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur seeking more advanced knowledge about business taxes? Look no further than this popular course from business coach Mike M.
He covers business taxes, tax forms, simplified employee pensions, record keeping, tax forms, sales tax and more. There are also lessons that dive into monthly, quarterly and annual business taxes at the state and federal level.
Fundamentals of Business Taxes includes 17 lectures that are categorized as follows:
- Introduction
- Quarterly Taxes: Federal and State
- Annual Taxes: Federal and State
- State Level Taxes
- Business Owner Taxes
Sign up today to save over 75% on the enrollment fee.
5. How to Prepare Your Taxes – For Entrepreneurs by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: On sale
How to Prepare Your Taxes – For Entrepreneurs is another stellar course from Enrolled Agent John Crowder. It is designed for entrepreneurs who want to prepare their own Schedule C and minimize tax liability.
Instruction is provided through 1 hour of on-demand video, 1 article and 3 downloadable resources. The course syllabus is as follows:
- Introduction and Getting Started
- Income
- Business Expenses
- Other Deductions
- Taxes
- Wrap-Up
The class is currently being offered at a price that’s too good to pass up. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to register, and you can access the materials and start learning right away.
6. Income Tax – Schedule C Small Business Sole Proprietor by Udemy
Who it's for: Intermediate students
Price: On sale
Income Tax – Schedule C Small Business Sole Proprietor is a Udemy bestseller that delves into filing and paying business taxes. It’s most suitable for small business owners and tax professionals who have a basic understanding of U.S. income tax law and want to maximize savings when filing.
Led by certified public accountant Robert Steele, this course entails the following segments:
- Introduction
- Are You Self-Employed?
- What’s New for 2018
- Identification Numbers
- Self-Employment (SE) Tax
- Which Forms Must I File?
- Employment Taxes
- Accounting Periods and Methods
- Business Income
- Guidelines for Selected Occupations
- How to Figure Cost of Goods Sold
- Business Expenses
The registration fee includes full lifetime access to 9.5 hours of on-demand video, 1 article and 60 downloadable resources. Plus, you will receive a certificate of completion when you finish the course.
Advanced Tax Prep Courses
Individuals and tax return preparation professionals will find these courses useful.
7. Basic Corporate Tax Returns Mastered: How to File Your Taxes by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: On sale
Basic Corporate Tax Returns Mastered: How to File Your Taxes simplifies corporate taxation and walks you through common tax forms, like the 1120s, 1120X and 2553, using real-life examples.
All you need is access to a computer and an incorporated business to get started. The 46 lectures are grouped into these segments:
- Introduction to Basic Corporate Tax Returns Mastered
- Basic Corporate Tax Knowledge
- Basic Tax Preparation
- Closing Commentary
The class is also led by Joe Correa.
8. Tax Minimization Strategies When Computing Corporate Taxable Income by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: On sale
Created by Illumeo Learning, this advanced course teaches you how to compute corporate taxable income with ease. There are lessons on the corporate tax formula, accounting period and methods, the tax treatment of capital gains and losses, Section 1231 and 291 gains, cost recovery deductions, amortization and much more.
Tax Minimization Strategies When Computing Corporate Taxable Income is facilitated by accounting expert Cherie Hennig. She divides the 11 lectures into 3 sections:
- Introduction
- Supporting Materials
- Review and Test
Students also get access to 2 articles and 2 downloadable resources to facilitate their comprehension of the material. Even better, the course includes a 30-day money-back guarantee if you discover once enrolled that it doesn’t quite fit your needs.
9. Tax Preparation and Law 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018 – Income Tax by Udemy
Who it's for: Advanced students
Price: On sale
Join over 8,700 students who have taken this Udemy bestseller to learn the mechanics of preparing tax forms and supporting schedules.
Tax Preparation and Law 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018 – Income Tax is also instructed by CPA Robert Steele and features hundreds of lectures jam-packed into 50.5 hours of on-demand video. He also gives you 16 articles and 210 downloadable resources to ensure you fully grasp the core concepts introduced in the lessons.
The enrollment fee is a bargain for the value you’ll receive. Enroll right away to jumpstart your quest for taxation knowledge.
Find the Best Tax Prep Courses
Want to learn how to become a certified tax preparer? Don’t spend hours searching for the perfect tax prep course. Consider options from our list of top recommendations to ramp up your skills and knowledge. They’re led by industry subject-matter experts and offered at an affordable rate. Plus, the classes are self-paced, so you won’t feel compelled to rush through the lessons and risk not learning what you need to know to successfully prepare your tax returns.
Remember, you can also retake your IRS tax preparer course if it’s been a while since you learned, you want to brush up on your skills or you’re planning to take the certification exam once again.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good tax preparation courses?
Benzinga recommends Udemy, H&R Block and Liberty Tax.
What is the cost of a tax preparation course?
The costs range between $100 and $300.
Southern New Hampshire University Online
SNHU Online Offers:
- Flexible schedules
- Affordable tuition
- Online tutoring
- Access to electronic research materials
- Specialized academic advising
- Supportive online community