A life that provides many happy returns

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Each spring, the too busy, the too intimidated and the mathematically challenged flock to Sandra Casey and Cindy Watts, bearing W-2s, 1099s, mortgage loan statements, receipts and other documents needed to prepare and file an income tax return.

What is an aggravating annual obligation for their clients is Mrs. Casey’s and Mrs. Watts’ life’s work.

“We take that miserable job away from people. ... It’s a labor of love you could say,” said Mrs. Casey, a shareholder of Your Tax Matters in Ross.

“I like taking that stress off of other people,” she said, adding, “I like the paperwork. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

Tax preparation jobs in the Pittsburgh region have fallen 6.4 percent since 2013, according to U.S. Department of Labor figures. That was news to Mrs. Casey and Mrs. Watts, who have a much greater degree of education, skill and experience than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says it technically takes to be a tax preparer.

While the agency lists the job requirements as a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training, Mrs. Casey and Mrs. Watts are certified public accountants. In Pennsylvania, it takes the equivalent of five years of college, passing the rigorous CPA exam, and one year of work experience to obtain a state CPA license. Then there’s the 80 hours of continuing education every two years that it requires to keep it.

The more strenuous career requirements are why Pittsburgh region CPAs earn an average of $71,820 per year while tax preparers earn only $40,660, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Education and experience aside, it takes a certain type of person to be a tax preparer. Being able to manage stress helps.

“The stress is not the work itself,” said Mrs. Watts, 61.