Tax Preparer Intern | Morris & Associates | Handshake

Morris & Associates; Emeryville (CA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Morris & Associates is hiring two Tax Preparer Interns for the 2027 tax season in Emeryville. You’ll prepare individual returns from day one with coaching from senior CPAs, with a potential full-time Staff Accountant role after the season.

The role starts in Emeryville and may move to San Rafael, offering exposure to bookkeeping, payroll, and small-business accounting alongside tax.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting completed in 2025 or 2026, or currently enrolled with at least one tax course.
• Strong Excel skills including lookups and pivot tables.
• Attention to detail and ability to double-check work.
• Discretion with confidential financial information.
• Clear written and verbal communication with clients.
• Ability to work on site in Emeryville during tax season.

Responsibilities

• Prepare individual (Form 1040) returns and California Form 540 using Lacerte.
• Assist with simpler business returns (Forms 1065, 1120-S) and extensions.
• Organize and review client documents (W-2s, 1099s, K-1s) and flag missing items.
• Track return status and next steps in the practice system.
• Draft follow-up requests to clients for missing information.
• Support e-file acceptance tracking, return assembly, and secure delivery.
• Assist with data entry and reconciliations for small-business clients as time allows.
• Suggest process or tool improvements to increase efficiency.

Skills

Attention to detail

Discretion with confidential financial

Clear written and verbal communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

Tools

Excel (lookups, Pivot tables)

Lacerte

QuickBooks Online

Job description

ABOUT US

Morris & Associates is a women-owned boutique CPA firm that has served Bay Area families and business owners since 1961. Many of our clients have been with us for decades, and we know them by name. We're a small team on purpose. We pair that personal attention with modern tools: secure client portals, paperless workflows, and smarter ways to get routine work done so we can spend more time on the conversations that matter. You'll join at a moment when we're actively building that next chapter, and your ideas will be heard. Our firm family also includes an affiliated bookkeeping and payroll practice in San Rafael, which gives interns a view of the full financial picture for small businesses.

THE ROLE

We're hiring two Tax Preparer Interns for the 2027 tax season, January through April 2027. This is a real working seat, not a shadowing program: you'll prepare individual returns from day one, with close review and coaching from our senior CPAs. We built this as a tryout in both directions. At the end of the season we plan to offer a full-time Staff Accountant position to the intern who is the best fit. That role starts at our Emeryville office and is expected to move over time to our San Rafael office, where you'd broaden into bookkeeping, payroll, and small-business accounting alongside tax.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Prepare individual (Form 1040) returns in Lacerte, including Schedules A, B, C, D and E, and California Form 540
• Assist with simpler business returns (Forms 1065, 1120-S) and extension filings as you build confidence
• Organize and review client documents (W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, brokerage statements) and flag what's missing
• Track return status and next steps in our practice management system so nothing falls through the cracks
• Draft friendly, clear follow-up requests to clients for missing information, reviewed before sending
• Help with e-file acceptance tracking, return assembly, and secure delivery to clients
• Support data entry and reconciliations for small-business clients as time allows
• Bring fresh eyes: suggest ways our process or tools could work better

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• Bachelor's degree in accounting completed in 2025 or 2026, or currently enrolled in an accounting or finance program with at least intermediate accounting or one tax course completed
• Solid working knowledge of Excel (lookups, pivot tables, basic formulas)
• High attention to detail and comfort double-checking your own work
• Discretion with confidential financial information
• Clear, warm written and verbal communication; you'll occasionally speak with clients
• Able to work on site in Emeryville during tax season

Nice to have

• Interest in becoming a CPA, or progress toward the CPA exam or 150 units
• Prior tax experience: VITA volunteer, a seasonal tax role, or a tax course with return-prep projects
• Exposure to Lacerte, QuickBooks Online, or another tax or accounting software
• Willingness to commute to San Rafael for a future full-time role

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• How a full tax season runs at a real CPA firm, from document intake to e-file
• Hands-on Lacerte experience on a wide range of individual returns
• Direct mentorship from CPAs with decades of experience, with detailed review notes on every return
• How to communicate with clients professionally and kindly, a skill many firms never teach
• How a modern small firm uses technology to stay efficient without losing the personal touch If you join us full time, we'll support your path to CPA licensure and train you in-house across tax, bookkeeping, and payroll.

SCHEDULE AND PAY

• Dates: Early January through April 15, 2027, with possible extension work after
• Hours: 20 to 40 hours per week. We'll work around class schedules for students; recent graduates may work full time. Expect some Saturdays in March and early April.
• Location: In office at 2200 Powell Street, Emeryville
• Pay: $24 to $28 per hour, based on education and prior tax experience. Overtime paid per California law.
• Full-time offer: Staff Accountant salary and benefits shared at offer stage

Morris & Associates is an equal opportunity employer.