Filing status
Wages, salaries, tips
Total income
Taxable income
- Prepared
- Schedules attached
- Prior year compared
Sign
HereYour signature
Ready for reviewHereYour signature
Tax Preparer StaffingYou sign the return. We bring the preparers behind it.
PTIN-holding tax preparers and IRS Enrolled Agents from Latin America and India, working U.S. business hours inside your tax software and under your review. Experienced in individual and business returns, from 1040s to 1065s, 1120-S and 1120 returns.
So your partners review returns, instead of preparing them.
0fees on top of
the monthly rate
the monthly rate
~2 weeksfrom first call
to onboarding
to onboarding
30 daysto prove the fit,
zero invoice if not
zero invoice if not
Name of partnership
1a Gross receipts or sales
Ordinary business income
Partners’ capital
- Prepared
- Tied out to QuickBooks Online
- K-1s drafted
Sign
HereYour signature
Ready for reviewHereYour signature
Employer identification number
1a Gross receipts or sales
21 Ordinary business income (loss)
Shareholder basis
- Prepared
- Tied out to QuickBooks Online
- K-1s drafted
Sign
HereYour signature
Ready for reviewHereYour signature
Gross receipts or sales
Total deductions
Taxable income
Total tax
- Prepared
- Book-to-tax tied out
- Workpapers attached
Sign
HereYour signature
Ready for reviewHereYour signature
Our promise to every CPA firm
Active PTIN or EA. Every preparer is credentialed with the IRS.
You review and sign. Every return goes through your firm.
Your hours, both regions. LATAM and India online during the U.S. day.
Tested before you meet them. A tax test, then a tax expert interview.
At a Glance
What does a remote tax preparer do for a CPA firm?
A remote tax preparer prepares federal and state returns inside your firm’s tax software, so your CPAs can focus on review, planning and clients. Simpalm Staffing places tax preparers with an active IRS PTIN and IRS Enrolled Agents from Latin America and India. They work U.S. business hours, follow your workflow, and hand every return to your firm for review and signature.
Tap a row for the full note. It stays on this page.
| Built for | |
|---|---|
| Roles | |
| Returns | |
| Experience | |
| Where they work | |
| Vetting | |
| Data security | |
| Timeline | |
| Pricing | |
| Risk |
Anyone can learn to click through tax software. We place people who understand the return behind it.
Your name on every return
You review. You sign. Your clients stay yours.
Our preparers work inside your systems, under your direction and your firm’s name. Every return goes through your review before it reaches a client or the IRS.
Updated October 2026.
Where Busy Season Breaks
Your partners should be reviewing returns. Not preparing them.
Every January, the same thing happens. The returns arrive faster than your team can prepare them. So the people who should be reviewing, advising and signing are doing data entry at midnight. Three sentences we hear from CPA firms. Flip one to see what changes.
Your firm isn’t short on clients. It’s short on prepared returns.
Plan Ahead
Busy season has a calendar. Hire before it starts.
Spin the year. Every month shows what lands on your desk and what your preparer takes off it. Notice where the green tag sits: the firms that hire in the fall walk into January with a trained preparer.
January · Peak
The season opens
- Jan 15: fourth-quarter estimated tax payments for individuals
- Jan 31: W-2 and 1099-NEC forms due to recipients and to the government
- Organizers go out and client documents start to arrive
Your preparer
Your preparer chases missing documents and sets up returns, so your team starts the season organized.
Federal due dates for calendar-year filers. A date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day, and state due dates vary.
Start in the fall
Onboarding takes about two weeks. So the firms that start in the fall walk into January with a preparer who already knows their software, their clients and their review style.
Keep them after April
When April ends, the work doesn’t. Extensions through October. Notices. Amended returns. Bookkeeping cleanup. Planning for next year.
A year-round preparer means you never train someone new each January.
Who We Place
Credentialed preparers. Not just people who know the software.
Anyone can learn to click through tax software. We place people who understand the return behind it. Two kinds of professionals, both based in Latin America and India, both working during your U.S. business day.
A tax preparer with an active PTIN
Registered with the IRS and renewed every year. Experienced in individual and business returns, working from your clients’ QuickBooks Online books.
An Enrolled Agent or a CPA
For complex business returns, first-level review, IRS notice responses and planning support, all under your partners’ sign-off.
One monthly rate, full-time or part-time, with no placement fee and nothing on top. See current pricing →
What they take off your plate
From organizer to review-ready return
They prepare→tie out→flag→You review and sign
- Individual returns (Form 1040) with schedules
- Partnership returns (Form 1065) and K-1s
- S corporation returns (Form 1120-S) and K-1s
- C corporation returns (Form 1120)
- Book-to-tax work from QuickBooks Online
- Extensions and estimated payment calculations
- Workpapers, tie-outs and prior-year comparisons
- Organizer follow-up and missing-document requests
- Draft responses to IRS and state notices
- Off-season work: cleanup, planning prep, amended returns
Which preparer fits?
Tap what fills your season
A starting point, not a quote. We confirm it with you on the first call.
A tax preparer with an active PTIN, experienced in business returns
Returns prepared inside your software and tied out to the books.
Many firms pair one of each: the preparer builds the returns, the Enrolled Agent or CPA takes first-level review.
Don’t worry about the title. You may have searched for any of these:
Tax PreparerRemote Tax PreparerOffshore Tax PreparerSeasonal Tax PreparerTax AssociateTax SeniorTax AccountantEnrolled Agent (EA)PTIN Holder1040 Preparer1065 Preparer1120 / 1120-S PreparerBusiness Tax PreparerTax ReviewerCPA
You don’t have to know which one you need. That’s our job.Tax software they work in
Your Options, Compared
How CPA firms add tax preparers, side by side.
Most firms weigh the same four options. Here’s an honest look at each.
| Factor | U.S. seasonal hire | India-only offshore firm | LATAM-only nearshore firm | Simpalm Staffing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Highest. U.S. wages plus recruiting time. | Lowest hourly rates. | Mid-range monthly rates. | One monthly rate. Nothing on top. |
| Working hours | Your hours. | Often overnight. Work waits for you the next morning. | Your time zone. | Your hours, from both regions. |
| Talent pool | Tight and competitive. | Deep CA and EA bench. | Bilingual, smaller bench. | LATAM and India, matched to your work. |
| Credentials | Varies. | Varies by provider. | Varies by provider. | Active PTIN or EA on every preparer. |
| Vetting | Your own interviews. | Varies by provider. | Varies by provider. | Tax test on Ducknowl plus a tax expert interview. |
| Each January | Recruit and train again. | Dedicated staff carry over. | Dedicated staff carry over. | Dedicated year-round. Onboarded in about two weeks. |
| If it’s not a fit | Severance, rehiring, lost weeks. | Varies by provider. | Varies by provider. | 30-day zero-invoice guarantee. |
All factorsSeven things CPA firms weigh most. Pick one to see how each option handles it.
Cost
- U.S. seasonal hire
- Highest. U.S. wages plus recruiting time.
- India-only offshore firm
- Lowest hourly rates.
- LATAM-only nearshore firm
- Mid-range monthly rates.
- Simpalm Staffing
- One monthly rate. Nothing on top.
One monthly rate per professional. No placement fee, no recruiting cost, nothing on top.
Swipe the card, or use the arrows, to see all seven factors.
A general comparison. Pricing, hours and terms vary by provider.
How It Works
We listen first. Then we find the right preparer.
About two weeks from our first call to your new preparer’s first day. The decision is yours at every step.
- 1First callUnderstand your firm
Your return mix, your software, your review process and your busy-season pressure points.
- 2Our adviceRecommend the right fit
PTIN preparer, Enrolled Agent or CPA. We explain why, and you decide.
- 3Before you meet themTax-tested, expert-vetted
A tax-specific assessment on Ducknowl, then an interview with a tax expert on our team.
- 4By week twoYou choose. They start.
You interview and decide. Start with one return type or one client group, then grow.
Not a Replacement Guarantee
If the preparer isn’t the right fit, you never see an invoice.
Most staffing companies send a replacement after you have already paid for the first person. We do it differently. If within the first 30 days the preparer isn’t the right fit, for any reason, we don’t send an invoice at all. Not a credit. Not a discount. No bill.
You take the interview. We take the risk.
Before Busy Season
A good return starts with clean books.
Three reads from our blog on the work underneath the return: the books, the people who keep them, and how to choose a remote partner you can trust.
Simpalm Staffing Blog
Your Business Has Outgrown Your Bookkeeper. You Just Haven’t Admitted It Yet.
Messy books become slow returns. The signs your clients’ bookkeeping can’t keep up, before it lands on your desk in March.
Read the article →
Simpalm Staffing Blog
How Do Virtual Bookkeeping Assistants Actually Work? A Day in the Process
What a remote finance professional does day to day, from reconciliations to the month-end close a good return is built on.
Read the article →
Simpalm Staffing Blog
How to Choose a Reliable Virtual Bookkeeping Provider: What “Top-Rated” Actually Means
Credentialed oversight, error rates and tax-compliant categorization: the same questions to ask any remote tax partner.
Read the article → FAQ
Questions CPA firms ask us.
Answers open right here. No new tab.
Can an offshore tax preparer legally prepare U.S. returns?
Yes. Preparers who live outside the U.S. can obtain an IRS PTIN using Form W-12 and Form 8946, and they renew it every year. Every preparer we place holds an active PTIN or is an IRS Enrolled Agent. Source: IRS PTIN FAQ.
Do your preparers work within Section 7216?
Yes. They work inside your consent process and your secure systems, the same way your own team does.
What’s the difference between a PTIN preparer and an Enrolled Agent?
A PTIN is the IRS number every paid preparer needs. An Enrolled Agent is federally licensed by the IRS after passing a three-part exam, and can represent taxpayers before the IRS. We place both. Learn more about Enrolled Agents on IRS.gov.
How do you vet tax preparers?
Two steps before you ever see a profile. First, a tax-specific assessment on Ducknowl, our AI hiring platform. Then an interview with a tax expert on our team. Only candidates who pass both reach you.
What returns do your preparers handle?
Both individual and business returns: Form 1040 for individuals, Form 1065 for partnerships, Form 1120-S for S corporations and Form 1120 for C corporations, plus extensions.
Who signs the return?
Your firm does. Our preparers prepare and flag. Your CPAs review and sign, under your firm’s name.
What tax software do they use?
The software you already use, including UltraTax CS, CCH Axcess Tax, CCH ProSystem fx, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake and GoSystem Tax RS. They also work in QuickBooks Online, so they can prepare directly from your clients’ books.
Can you help just for busy season?
Onboarding takes about two weeks, so we recommend starting in the fall. Many firms keep their preparer year-round for extensions, notices, amended returns and planning, so they never train someone new each January.
What hours do they work?
U.S. business hours, in both regions. Professionals in Latin America share your time zones. Our India bench works night shifts, so they are online during your day.
How much does it cost?
One monthly rate per professional, full-time or part-time, set by the role (PTIN preparer, Enrolled Agent or CPA), experience and hours. No placement fee and nothing on top of the monthly rate. Current rates are on our pricing page.
How do you protect client data?
Every professional signs an NDA. They work inside your secure systems, with access matched to the role, and your firm decides who sees what.
What if the preparer isn’t the right fit?
You have 30 days to find out. It’s a zero-invoice guarantee: if it isn’t working, for any reason, you don’t get billed at all. Not a credit. Not a discount. No bill.
Do you also work with fractional CFO firms?
Yes. See our Fractional CFO Staffing page.
The clock is already running
Busy season starts long before it lands on your desk.
Count back from the deadline. Call us this week, and your preparer can be working inside your tax software by October 21, with 176 days to spare before April 15.
Days until April 15
Inside your tax software, on your workflow, under your review.
Federal due dates for calendar-year filers. A date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next business day. Simpalm Staffing provides staffing, not tax advice: your firm reviews and signs every return.