Tax accountant interview questions...

Are you inquiring about an internal Tax Accountant or finding a good CPA firm?

Thanks for the response Christie! I was referring to an internal Tax Accountant...

Gary - I was originally hired to be a Corporate Tax Accountant, but my roles were expanded and the "Tax" was dropped from my title. Below are some questions I would consider key:

1. What is your knowledge of various sales/use tax laws?

2. Do you have any experience contacting Department of Revenues/Taxations (DOR) to resolve discrepancies between the Department and the company?

3. Have you registered a business with a DOR?

4. Can you reconcile a Federal Tax Return? (Test this by giving them a sample return where the individual would need to identify if an M-1 is correct by balancing to a sample balance sheet and income statement, among other items)

5. How familiar are you with researching tax related questions? (We had a segment that sold construction materials, I had to research when shipping was charged, and when it did not have to be charged, this can make a big difference if $100k+ shipment is being made.)

6. Have you ever filed a 1096, 1099?

7. What is a B-Notice? Who should receive a B-Notice?

Will this person also need to be familiar with filing Corporate Reports for states which your company is considered a foreign-entity? This has been something that was added to my responsibilities about six-months ago.

I will contemplate a little more. I hope the above questions help.

I would add some questions regarding setting up or understanding different business unit / corporate entity structures that may be more tax effective than others and why.