How much can I make preparing taxes?

[IntellectualBig734]

Your business model is fatally flawed. By focusing solely on the 1040-EZ and 1040-A crowd you will be cutting yourself short of the experience necessary to make some real money in the tax prep field. You might be able to snag $75 per return but you'll be turning around and giving 1/3 of that to Intuit. Once your other costs are covered, you'll be making considerably less than minimum wage.

Take the Block course and strive to ace it. That should get you an offer of temporary part-time employment during the tax season. Try to get located in a year-round office with a full-time EA on staff and latch on to him or her like a hagfish on a flounder. Bust your butt cranking out returns and take on every return that comes your way. Ask questions constantly. If you have any doubt at all, ASK. Get a rep for being someone who works hard, wants to learn, and strives for perfection.

In your spare time, study for your EA exam. You can gain the knowledge to pass it with a couple of years of experience and a few hours of dedicated study every day. Once you pass your EA, consider setting up your own practice. That's if Block does not make you a pretty lucrative offer of full-time employment. At least at that point you'll have options and a pretty good shot at success whichever road you choose.