Does opening a tax office really mean working only 4 months per year?

Does opening a tax office really mean working only 4 months per year?

The simplest answer is probably not. 

Can you earn a living wage salary in only 4 months?

Yes, a seasonal tax preparer can earn a living wage salary in only 4 months, but that doesn’t mean that all the work stops after April.

Some folks who already have an established tax preparation business might only work for 4 months of the year, but that is not always the case.  These tax preparation offices typically have return volume that allows them to primarily work only 4 months per year. However, even in this particular scenario, it seems highly likely that with such high volume, this office would certainly have clients who need extensions and amendments.  This is also assuming that this office does not do prior year returns, ITIN application/returns, or corporate returns for companies who have a fiscal year and not a calendar year.

While most tax offices are the busiest during those 4 months, chances are that they are still doing tax work throughout the year for special cases.  Furthermore, those 4 months are 12 hours a day or more, so it’s almost as if you’re displacing the rest of the year’s working hours into earlier months. 

In essence, you might only work for 4 months, but during those normal tax office hours, you’ll be doing the work volume of 8 months or more.