Frequently asked questions

Yes. The File Your Own Taxes path is a separate, step-by-step course of about 10.5 hours plus one 2–3 hour software lab. You learn on practice returns with answer keys, then prepare your own return. It has no prerequisites and doesn't require any of the professional levels.

TurboTax, H&R Block Online, TaxAct, FreeTaxUSA, Cash App Taxes, TaxSlayer, IRS Free File (including Free File Fillable Forms) and MilTax for military families. You choose one lab; free tiers and prices change each season, so the labs are refreshed every fall.

Possibly. IRS Free File offers guided software for AGI of $89,000 or less in the 2026 filing season, and Free File Fillable Forms work at any income. VITA and TCE volunteers prepare returns for free for many people, and MilTax is free for eligible military families. Module S1 helps you decide.

No. The Confident Self-Filer Certificate is for preparing your own return. Preparing returns for others for pay requires a PTIN and the professional path, and the self-preparer path is a good on-ramp to Level 1.

Marcus and Elena are the academy's AI tutors. Both teach at the level of a seasoned tax professional: they explain tax law for individual, business and nonprofit returns and walk you around professional software (ProSeries, Lacerte, ProConnect, Drake, TaxSlayer Pro, TaxWise and more) and consumer software (TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct and others). Marcus has a male voice and teaches with worked examples; Elena has a female voice and teaches with guiding questions.

Yes. Press the microphone to ask your question by voice, and turn on voice replies to hear the answer. Voice uses your browser's built-in speech, which works best in Chrome, Edge and Safari; you can choose the exact voice for each tutor.

No. The tutors are AI and teach for learning purposes. They don't give advice for a specific person's legal or tax situation, and you should check important answers against IRS sources. Never share Social Security numbers or account numbers in the chat.

Yes, a free student account. Each student can send up to 75 tutor messages a day.

No. The academy serves new seasonal preparers with no tax background, as well as working preparers adding business or nonprofit returns, preparers switching or adding software, and firm onboarding cohorts and VITA/TCE-style volunteer programs.

The academy turns a beginner into a return-ready preparer in about 14 weeks part-time, then certifies them on specific software in 1–2 week add-on tracks. The full path is about 185 hours of tax content plus 10 hours of software core and 4–18 hours per software track.

Yes. An individual-only preparer can stop after Level 2 (about 100 hours) and go straight to software.

Levels 1–4 use IRS forms and a tax-law workbook; software arrives in Level 5. Learners understand what the screens produce and can review software output. A preparer who understands Form 1040, Schedule C and Form 1120-S can pick up a new package in days; one who only learned screens cannot.

ProSeries, Lacerte, ProConnect Tax, TurboTax, Drake Tax, TaxSlayer Pro and TaxWise, plus elective tracks (CCH ATX, CCH Axcess Tax, UltraTax CS, TaxAct Professional, CrossLink) added when local employers use them. Software tracks can be taken in any order and any number once the core is done.

No. The academy credentials are private certificates, not licenses. The IRS's voluntary Annual Filing Season Program is the federal recognition most unenrolled preparers pursue, and the Enrolled Agent exam is the natural next step for graduates.

A learner who misses a gate gets a targeted review set drawn from the missed items, then a parallel version of the assessment. The goal is mastery, so there is no penalty for needing a second attempt.

Blended: self-paced micro-lessons (5–12 minute videos and readings) for concepts; live or recorded labs for returns; office hours for questions. Roughly 25% concept, 75% practice.