US Tax Advisor – Customer Support

OpsArmy; Pretoria; Remote; ZAR 1,246,000 - 1,828,000; Full time

Job summary

OpsArmy seeks an experienced US Tax Advisor (CPA/EA preferred) to provide specialized Level 2 support for US tax, accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll inquiries.

You will handle Form 1040, Schedule C, Form 1120-S, quarterly estimates, and S‑corp compensation, while explaining complex concepts to clients in clear terms.

Qualifications

• Hands-on knowledge of US individual and small business taxation.
• Form 1040 / Schedule C experience for individuals and sole proprietors.
• Form 1120-S experience for S corporations.
• Knowledge of quarterly estimated taxes, safe harbor rules, and payment deadlines.
• Understanding of S corporation compensation and shareholder distributions.

Responsibilities

• Provide Level 2 support for complex US tax, accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll inquiries.
• Investigate and resolve escalated tax and accounting tickets.
• Review and troubleshoot bookkeeping discrepancies and account reconciliations.
• Explain tax concepts and financial information clearly to clients.
• Document resolutions and maintain accurate client records.
• Identify recurring issues and improve workflows and knowledge resources.

Skills

US tax knowledge

Client-facing

Analytical skills

English proficiency

Research ability

Education

CPA or EA certification

Accounting degree

Tools

Zendesk

Excel/Google Sheets

QuickBooks

Slack

Job description

US Tax Advisor (CPA / Enrolled Agent Preferred)

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced accounting professional to provide specialized Level 2 support for complex customer inquiries related to US accounting, individual and small business taxation, bookkeeping, and payroll.

This role requires strong technical tax and accounting expertise, independent judgment, and client-facing communication skills—not just scripted responses, basic ticket routing, or return preparation.

The ideal candidate has hands‑on experience with individual and sole proprietor tax returns (Form 1040/Schedule C), S Corporation tax returns (Form 1120-S), quarterly estimated taxes, and S Corporation compensation, along with the ability to investigate unfamiliar scenarios, research tax questions, and clearly explain technical concepts directly to clients.

Candidates must be comfortable working through complex issues independently, explaining their reasoning, and identifying appropriate solutions within the scope of their expertise.

Key Responsibilities

1. Provide specialized Level 2 support for complex US tax, accounting, bookkeeping, and payroll inquiries.
2. Investigate and resolve escalated and directly assigned accounting and tax support tickets.
3. Review and troubleshoot bookkeeping discrepancies, account reconciliations, and accounting transactions.
4. Assist clients with:

• Individual and sole proprietor tax return questions, including Form 1040 and Schedule C.
• S Corporation tax return questions, including Form 1120-S.
• Quarterly estimated tax payments, self-employment tax, safe harbor rules, and payment deadlines.
• S Corporation compensation, including reasonable salary requirements and shareholder distributions.
• Tax notices, filing status questions, and tax return-related inquiries within the authorized scope.
• Payroll setup, processing issues, and troubleshooting.

Communicate technical findings clearly and professionally through Zendesk, email-style ticket responses, and scheduled phone support.

Explain tax concepts, financial information, and recommended next steps directly to clients in a clear, accessible manner.

Independently investigate unfamiliar scenarios, identify root causes, research relevant tax rules or guidance, and explain the reasoning behind proposed solutions.

Coordinate with internal specialists when necessary and recognize when an issue requires additional expertise or escalation.

Document resolutions and maintain accurate customer records.

Identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve workflows and knowledge resources.

Adapt to new internal systems as the client transitions away from Zendesk.

Learn and work effectively with proprietary platforms and AI-assisted workflows.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated professional accounting and tax experience, with hands‑on knowledge of US individual and small business taxation.
• Required technical tax experience:
• • Form 1040 / Schedule C: Experience with individual and sole proprietor tax returns.
  • Form 1120-S: Experience with S Corporation tax returns.
  • Quarterly estimated taxes: Knowledge of self‑employment tax, safe harbor rules, payment requirements, and deadlines.
  • S Corporation compensation: Understanding of reasonable salary requirements versus shareholder distributions.
• Strong working knowledge of bookkeeping, tax return review, account reconciliations, payroll, and financial reporting.
• Prior experience handling complex tax and accounting inquiries, tax notices, and client‑facing financial support.
• Direct client‑facing experience: Ability to explain tax concepts and financial information to clients, rather than working exclusively on tax return preparation or providing internal team support.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and independent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to reason through unfamiliar tax and accounting scenarios, explain thought processes clearly, and demonstrate a structured approach to researching questions when the answer is not immediately known.
• Ability to explain complex accounting and tax topics to nontechnical clients.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, technology‑driven environment with evolving workflows.
• Ability to learn new systems, including proprietary platforms and AI‑assisted workflows.

Candidates whose experience is primarily in sales/use tax or other indirect taxes, C Corporation taxation, or international taxation are not a strong fit unless they also have the required hands‑on experience with individual and S Corporation tax returns.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) — strongly preferred.
• Enrolled Agent (EA) certification — highly desirable, particularly for candidates with US tax experience.
• Background in a Big Four accounting firm, established accounting practice, or comparable professional accounting environment.
• QuickBooks certification or practical experience.
• Experience with tax preparation and payroll software.
• International CPA credentials may be considered, provided the candidate can demonstrate relevant knowledge of US accounting and tax practices and the required technical tax experience.

Technical Skills & Tools

• QuickBooks or comparable accounting software.
• Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets.
• Zendesk — preferred, not required; training can be provided.
• Slack or similar collaboration tools.
• Familiarity with tax preparation and payroll software.
• Ability to learn proprietary platforms and AI‑assisted workflows.
• Ability to research tax regulations, interpret relevant guidance, and apply findings to client scenarios.

What We Prioritize

Candidates will be evaluated in the following order:

1. Technical US tax expertise: Hands-on experience with Form 1040/Schedule C, Form 1120-S, quarterly estimated taxes, and S Corporation compensation.
2. Client-facing communication and critical thinking: Ability to explain technical concepts, reason through unfamiliar scenarios, research questions independently, and communicate conclusions clearly to clients.
3. Professional accounting and problem-solving experience: Strong judgment in resolving complex tax, bookkeeping, accounting, and payroll issues.
4. Support platform and technology experience: Familiarity with Zendesk or similar ticketing systems, accounting software, and AI‑assisted workflows.

Schedule & Coverage

• Required coverage window: 8:00 AM–8:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)
• Individual schedules will be staggered to provide coverage during US business hours.
• Ability to work shifts that overlap with US business hours is required.
• Specific shifts and weekly schedules will be finalized with the client.