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Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents

Determine tax liability or collect taxes from individuals or business firms according to prescribed laws and regulations.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Check tax forms to verify that names and taxpayer identification numbers are correct, that computations have been performed correctly, or that amounts match those on supporting documentation.
    • Confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
    • Send notices to taxpayers when accounts are delinquent.
    • Participate in informal appeals hearings on contested cases from other agents.
    • Prepare briefs and assist in searching and seizing records to prepare charges and documentation for court cases.
    • Determine appropriate methods of debt settlement, such as offers of compromise, wage garnishment, or seizure and sale of property.
    • Notify taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment, and either issue a refund or request further payment.
    • Impose payment deadlines on delinquent taxpayers and monitor payments to ensure that deadlines are met.
    • Collect taxes from individuals or businesses according to prescribed laws and regulations.
    • Direct service of legal documents, such as subpoenas, warrants, notices of assessment, and garnishments.
    • Review filed tax returns to determine whether claimed tax credits and deductions are allowed by law.
    • Review selected tax returns to determine the nature and extent of audits to be performed on them.
    • Enter tax return information into computers for processing.
    • Maintain knowledge of tax code changes, and of accounting procedures and theory to properly evaluate financial information.
    • Investigate claims of inability to pay taxes by researching court information for the status of liens, mortgages, or financial statements, or by locating assets through third parties.
    • Maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken.
    • Secure a taxpayer's agreement to discharge a tax assessment or submit contested determinations to other administrative or judicial conferees for appeals hearings.
    • Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.
    • Examine accounting systems and records to determine whether accounting methods used were appropriate and in compliance with statutory provisions.
    • Secure a taxpayer's agreement to discharge a tax assessment or submit contested determinations to other administrative or judicial conferees for appeals hearings.
    • Examine accounting systems and records to determine whether accounting methods used were appropriate and in compliance with statutory provisions.
    • Investigate claims of inability to pay taxes by researching court information for the status of liens, mortgages, or financial statements, or by locating assets through third parties.
    • Prepare briefs and assist in searching and seizing records to prepare charges and documentation for court cases.
    • Answer questions from taxpayers and assist them in completing tax forms.
    • Examine and analyze tax assets and liabilities to determine resolution of delinquent tax problems.

    Skills

    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    Abilities

    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.

    Knowledge

    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    72520/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    34.86/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    1,140
    Yearly Projected Openings
    100

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Self Control
    • Independence
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Desktop calculator
    • Desktop computers
    • Laser printers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Scanners
    • Special purpose telephones

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Compliance software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Human resources software
    • Internet browser software
    • Office suite software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Tax preparation software
    • Word processing software