Career track | 5 emails
Become a Tax Preparer in 5 Days
See the job, pay questions, federal starting steps, a simple Form 1040, and the routes into supervised or independent work.
Start the Career CourseFree 5-Day Course · No Card Needed
Become a paid tax preparer. Start free today.
Tax offices recruit seasonal preparers ahead of filing season, including entry paths for people with no prior experience. Our free 5-day course shows you the job: what it pays, what the IRS requires, and whether it fits your life. No degree or experience required.
Free forever · No credit card
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The Preparer's Almanac
A Free Tax School Field Guide
2026 EDITION
§1The free 5-day course
§2The Bootcamp (optional)
§3Your PTIN, step by step
§4Hired, or independent
FREETAXSCHOOL.COM · BY TAXAROO
Built from 20+ years in the tax industryTwo free email coursesNo card required
Choose a free track
Learn the work, or build the practice.
Practice track | 5 emails
Build Your Tax Practice in 5 Days
Choose a market, shape the offer, map the client journey, select three acquisition channels, and set capacity for a 30-day plan.
Start the Growth CourseStart where you are
This is a job you can learn from scratch.
No degree? No experience? Good.
The Bootcamp starts with the basics and assumes you have not prepared taxes for pay.
See how it works →Interested in seasonal tax work?
Tax offices often add preparers for filing season. Learn what the work involves and how to pursue it.
See the 4-step path →Not sure it's for you?
Find out free in 5 days. One short lesson a day, no card, unsubscribe anytime.
Start the free course →Built on work you can inspect
A real curriculum, not a wall of promises.
Start with the lessons and resources already published. Each number below maps to material you can read, request, or compare on this site.
20+
Years in the tax industry
Founder Mario Costanz has spent more than two decades building tax businesses, hiring preparers, and introducing new technology to the industry.
10
Free email lessons
Two complete 5-day courses cover the path into paid preparation and the first decisions behind a focused tax practice.
13
Launch Kit resources
The workbook set covers positioning, pricing, client acquisition, operations, capacity, and a 90-day launch sequence.
See the Launch KitHow it works
From today to a grounded next step, in four stages.
1
Take the free 5-day course
One short lesson a day. See what preparers do, what it pays, and whether it fits your life.
2
Explore the Bootcamp
Compare the eight learning modules, graded quizzes, completion standard, and 13-workbook Launch Kit.
3
Check the PTIN rule
Learn when the federal PTIN requirement applies and what separate firm, state, and business steps remain.
4
Choose a work setting
Compare supervised employment with the longer path of opening an independent practice.
Tax Preparer Launch Bootcamp
A professional tax preparer program for beginners.
01
The Tax System, Demystified
How returns, the IRS, and refunds actually work.
02
Income
Wages, tips, interest, and the forms that report them.
03
Deductions & Credits
What lowers a tax bill, and how.
04
Self-Employment Basics
Gig workers, 1099s, and Schedule C.
05
Current Federal Rules
Current rules, figures, and forms, checked again before release.
06
Ethics & Your Duties
The preparer's responsibilities and red lines.
07
Federal PTIN Basics
Understand the individual federal identifier and the separate requirements it does not replace.
08
Work Settings and Next Steps
Compare employment, supervision, and independent-practice planning.
Tax Preparer Launch Bootcamp
$199 announced priceone-time enrollment
Eight learning modules pair with 64 quiz questions, a defined completion standard, and the 13-workbook Tax Practice Launch Kit.
COURSE SCOPE
Tax Preparer Launch Bootcamp
Learning modules8
Quiz questions64
Launch Kit workbooks13
Quiz passing score80%
Independent training; no government credential or CE credit.
About the founder
Mario Costanz
Founder, author & tax-industry innovator
More than 20 years building tax businesses, hiring preparers, and helping the industry adopt new technology.
Mario founded Happy Tax and wrote Taxes Made Happy and Crypto Taxes Made Happy. Free Tax School brings that operating experience into a clear path for new preparers.
Meet the founder →From earlier Taxaroo education programs
What students said about the teaching.
These comments were published by Crypto Tax Academy and Cannabis Tax Academy before Free Tax School launched. They describe those earlier courses and instructors.
These courses were worth the time and expense. Thank you Knox for super informative tax review and intro/advance information
This has been a great course. I thank you for the time to put it together for us. Much appreciated
I truly enjoy listening to Knox Wimberly...I could listen to him teach all day.
Read this before you compare
Yes, the big chains have “free” courses.Read This First.
Intuit and H&R Block train people for free too. Those courses are recruiting funnels for their own offices. Free Tax School is independent and explains several paths: their offices, other offices, or an independent practice.
IndependentBuilt for beginnersShows you every door
Questions, answered
Before you start.
The calendar is the deadline
Offices recruit ahead of filing season.Start early so you're ready.
The 5-day course is free forever, and there's no card to start. The best time to be ready is before the rush.
Start Free, No Card Needed