[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I am done with my CPA. Now i am dilemma to choose between audit career or taxation career. Can anyone share their working experience in taxation or audit.

I heard from a friend that in taxation people are busy at tax season and remaining period is boring. Is this true?

[mandy8041]

I work in Tax and it really depends on where you work. I have heard horror stories about horrendous hours and being slow during the off-season, but my firm is pretty busy year round. We work 40 hours during the summer/winter and 45-50 during tax season. I know all personalities are different but I can honestly say I love doing tax and I would hate to be an auditor. There is just so much paperwork and procedure in Audit that alot of the work is not actual work (if that makes any sense).

It really comes down to preference and what you like to do. I don't ever travel and have very little interaction outside of the office, but I am constantly learning new things and meeting new people in the office. I know I would be miserable if I was at a different firm, but I am very fortunate to be at a firm where my boss understands that my kids should see me every night!!

FAR- 75
REG- 82
BEC- 73, 79!! Its over. Am I dreaming?
AUD- 74, 74, 88

[italianCPA]

Go tax!

It's busy during busy season, which by the way lasts from January through October, and I'm also always busy doing tax research, tax planning and a lot of incoming taxation for foreign entities/individuals.

FAR - 7/26/10 - 95
AUD - 8/10/10 - 88
BEC - 8/31/10 - 88
REG - 10/15/10 - 95

[Anonymous]

I think a career in taxation is more likely to pigeon hole you if you ever decide to leave public accounting. People with audit experience in public accounting can usually get a job in any industry, working at various levels within the accounting department, or go into an internal audit department. If you have nothing but tax experience in public accounting, how can you be expected to take an accounting manager job in the private industry? Maybe Im wrong because Ive never worked in tax, but I would imagine the hiring manager to look at that person and think they dont know how to do anything but tax accounting.

[italianCPA]

It might be. There's also plenty of tax positions in medium-sized and large companies.

However, I took the opposite track.

Worked as controller/CFO in industry for 7 years, then took the CPA exam, went into public (at the beginning only to get the experience) and I'm loving it.

So much more fun than industry.

FAR - 7/26/10 - 95
AUD - 8/10/10 - 88
BEC - 8/31/10 - 88
REG - 10/15/10 - 95

[rknight21]

CalCPasoon says it perfectly…… if you leave your best shot is doing taxation at a big company….with auditing the opportunities are vast. taxations bust season can be longer too… at my firm to meet the october deadline most of the ppl were working until 5 in the morning and then came back in at 9 to do it again….

[Author]

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