CIMA TAX ACADEMY · FREE STARTER COURSE
Start Your Tax Business.
Understand Every Step.
New to the industry? Learn what the roles mean, what your software does and how a client moves from appointment to filed return. Six short lessons. Real examples. A next step you can use.
YOUR CIMA CLASSROOM
The Cima Foundation
Work through the lessons in order. Each explains one task, shows an example and asks one practical question. Allow about 35–45 minutes, plus time for your exercises.
Original Cima starter course. Software screen training is provided through your assigned provider classroom; tax-law instruction is a separate learning track. These starter lessons do not award CE credit. Progress here saves in this browser; use your classroom or enrollment desk for account-based progress.
01Choose Your Role: Preparer, Office Owner Or Network LeaderStart Lesson
ABOUT 5 MINUTES
Start with the work you want to do. A preparer helps clients complete tax returns. An office owner manages the people and process behind those returns. A reseller helps other professionals choose software. A service bureau supports a network of tax offices. You do not have to do all four.
Step By Step
- If you are new and want returns reviewed before filing, start with Foundation. You need a PTIN: the IRS number used by a paid tax preparer. You work through the assigned filing office rather than purchasing an EFIN.
- If you already prepare returns and want to run your own office, choose Independent Practice. An EFIN identifies an approved electronic filing provider; the ERO is the person or business originating the electronic return. Your PTIN and EFIN serve different purposes.
- Choose Reseller when you want to sell preparer and office packages. Choose Service Bureau when your work includes onboarding and supporting multiple offices. These add business responsibilities as well as sales opportunities.
Tasha is new to preparing taxes. She chooses Foundation, completes her training and sends her prepared returns to her assigned reviewer. Marcus already has an EFIN and runs an office. Independent Practice matches his need to manage his own preparation and filing workflow.
Your Next Step
Write one sentence: “I want to prepare returns / run an office / sell software / support a network.” Then compare that goal with the four packages.
02Know Your Three WorkspacesStart Lesson
ABOUT 5 MINUTES
Your Cima account, tax software and provider training have different jobs. Knowing where to go saves time and prevents a common first-day frustration: trying the right password on the wrong website.
Step By Step
- My Cima Desk is your enrollment home. Find your order, Cima orientation, document records and setup progress here. Return through the account link in the website menu.
- Your tax software is where you prepare returns and use the tools assigned to your office. The core software offering includes federal individual Form 1040 preparation, state-return software and document storage. Software archives cover earlier years; current e-filing availability depends on the filing year.
- Cima Tax Academy explains how to organize your work. Provider software training teaches the actual screens and menus. Rasheeda coordinates your setup and the provider login. Save that exact address when it arrives, then set up your own password and available multi-factor authentication.
You finish a Cima lesson but cannot find a “New Return” button. That is expected: you are in the Academy. Open the software link in your desk after setup, then follow the provider lesson for starting a practice return.
Your Next Step
Make three bookmarks: My Cima Desk, Cima Tax Academy and your assigned tax-software login. Add the third when Rasheeda confirms setup.
03Take A Client From Appointment To Ready To PrepareStart Lesson
ABOUT 7 MINUTES
A complete intake means you have the information needed to begin. It is more useful than a folder full of unexplained uploads. Give each client a clear next step and keep a short list of what is still missing.
Step By Step
- Start with the year being filed, contact details, household changes and the types of income involved. Use the office intake questionnaire to guide the conversation instead of assuming this year matches last year.
- Send the secure document-upload instructions assigned to your office. Ask for the records needed for that client’s situation, such as W-2s, relevant 1099s and prior-year information. Request identity and sensitive records only through the secure process.
- Review the intake for gaps. Track status with simple labels: Appointment Booked, Waiting For Documents, Ready To Prepare and In Review. Keep Social Security numbers and tax documents out of ordinary task notes.
A client uploads a W-2 and mentions weekend delivery work. “W-2 Received” is not “Ready To Prepare.” Ask about the delivery income and related records before marking the file ready. Do not guess the missing amounts.
Your Next Step
Create a fictional intake checklist with three columns: Received, Missing and Follow-Up Date. Practice writing one clear request: “Please upload your remaining income records through the secure link by Friday.”
04Follow The Return: Prepare, Review, Sign, File, ConfirmStart Lesson
ABOUT 7 MINUTES
Preparing a return and filing it are separate stages. A repeatable sequence helps you catch missing information and explain the status to your client. Learn the sequence here, then practice the software steps in the provider’s training environment.
Step By Step
- Prepare: enter information from the client’s records and resolve unanswered questions. Review: compare entries with the source documents and address software diagnostics. Foundation returns go to the assigned reviewer before IRS submission.
- Sign: explain the finished return and obtain the required taxpayer filing authorization through the office process. The Cima enrollment agreement is a different document from a taxpayer’s e-file authorization.
- File And Confirm: the authorized filing workflow transmits the return. Check the federal and relevant state acknowledgments afterward. A sent return can still be rejected; resolve the stated issue and track the next action. An accepted return is not a promise of a particular refund date.
The software shows “Transmitted,” but the IRS acknowledgment is “Rejected.” Tell the client the return needs a correction, read the rejection detail and work with the assigned reviewer or support contact. Keep the task open until the result is resolved.
Your Next Step
Write your five-stage checklist: Prepare → Review → Sign → File → Confirm. Put the reviewer’s name and the person checking acknowledgments beside their steps.
05Understand Your Price, Your Share And Bank ProductsStart Lesson
ABOUT 7 MINUTES
Three numbers answer different questions: what you pay to join, what you earn from a return, and what it costs to run your business. Keeping them separate makes a low entry price useful rather than confusing.
Step By Step
- The package price is your enrollment starting cost. Your order also needs the applicable software, renewal, training and transaction-fee details. Read those separately from the fee you charge a tax client.
- In a 70/30 preparation-fee split, 70% of a $300 collected preparation fee is $210 and 30% is $90. That calculation is before your other expenses and any separate charges. Keeping 100% of a preparation fee still does not mean keeping 100% profit.
- A refund transfer can allow eligible clients to pay preparation charges from their refund. A refund advance is a separate loan product. Bank enrollment, charges and approval belong to that bank-product process. Explain the client’s choices and costs before they choose.
Fictional office example: you retain a $300 preparation fee and have $80 in costs for that job. The remaining $220 is a contribution toward overhead and profit—not $300 of profit. Use your own fee schedule instead of these practice numbers.
Your Next Step
List your enrollment cost, fixed monthly costs and costs per return. Then use the planning calculator on the Packages page to test one realistic workload.
06Set Up Your First Week And Know Who To AskStart Lesson
ABOUT 6 MINUTES
Your first week should end with a working routine: you can find your tools, handle an intake, follow a practice return and get help with a precise question. Start small enough to check your work carefully.
Step By Step
- Days 1–2: finish your Cima order steps, check your setup status and gather the information requested through the secure setup process. Rasheeda handles the software setup milestone. Add your assigned provider training to your calendar.
- Days 3–4: use fictional training data to rehearse intake, preparation, review, signature instructions and acknowledgment tracking. For resellers, rehearse matching one prospect to a package; for bureau operators, map one office from enrollment to active support.
- Day 5: review what worked, list unanswered questions and choose your next practice task. For help, send Cima your package, the step you are on, the exact error message and what you already tried. Remove client details from screenshots. Cima routes provider-specific issues through the ERO support system.
Useful support request: “Independent Practice: I can log in, but the state module is unavailable. I checked the assigned training and restarted. Please confirm whether my state setup is ready.” This is easier to act on than “The software doesn’t work.”
Your Next Step
Schedule one training session, one practice session and one follow-up review. Save [email protected] for Cima setup questions and your assigned technical-support route for software issues.
CIMA, DECODED
Big Words.
Plain Answers.
You don’t have to know the vocabulary to belong here. Tap a term for a quick explanation, then ask us how it applies to you.
Service bureau
A business relationship that may combine access to tax software with onboarding, training, and support for other tax offices. The exact services, fees, and responsibilities depend on the written agreement. It is not, by itself, an IRS professional credential.
Reseller
A business that offers another company’s software under an authorized sales arrangement. Ask who supplies the software, who provides support, and which fees or restrictions apply.
Onboarding
The steps that get you ready to begin: reviewing your agreement, completing required account information, receiving approved access, and learning the workflow. An inquiry alone does not enroll you.
ERO
Electronic Return Originator: an authorized IRS e-file provider that starts the electronic submission of a tax return. This describes an e-file role, not a promise of tax expertise. Read the IRS definition ↗
PTIN & EFIN
A PTIN identifies an individual paid tax return preparer. An EFIN identifies an approved IRS e-file provider. They serve different purposes; having a PTIN does not itself authorize an office to e-file. Compare them at the IRS ↗
Professional tax software
Tools used to prepare and manage tax returns. Available features, supported returns, licensing, training, and support vary by product and package. Ask for a demonstration and written terms for the specific offer.
A quick guide, not personalized tax advice. Program details are defined in your agreement.