How Do I Become a Revenue Officer?

A revenue officer is an individual who works directly for a government collecting revenue and taxes. Within the United States, a tax examiner is someone who reviews personal tax returns, while a revenue officer is in charge of reviewing more complicated business returns in most cases. In order to become a revenue officer, an individual will need at least some college level education and a significant amount of previous work experience. There is also typically a substantial amount of in-house training required to become a revenue officer.

Taxes are apart of everyday life in all parts of the world. How taxes are collected and what is taxed may change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; however, the obligation to pay taxes is a fairly universal concept. As a result, each jurisdiction throughout the world has a government agency that is responsible for the collection and oversight of taxes and revenue. The agents who work for the tax agency are often referred to as tax examiners or revenue officers. Within the United States, at the federal level, the revenue officers are responsible for reviewing the more complicated business tax returns filed each year.

In the United States, local, state, and federal agencies all employ revenue agents as all three levels of government collect taxes and revenue. The requirements to become a revenue officer may vary among the local and state agencies. Typically, at least some college level education is required to become a revenue officer with a local or state revenue agency. Often, however, work experience in the field, or a similar field, may substitute for the preferred college credits.

Within the United States government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is responsible for collecting taxes and revenue at the federal level. In order to become a revenue officer with the IRS, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree in accounting, business, or a related field, or a combination of college and related work experience. Typically, a tax examiner may be hired without a bachelor's degree, but someone applying for a more advanced entry-level position, such as a revenue officer, will need a bachelor's degree.

Another consideration for anyone who wishes to become a revenue officer is that a thorough background check will be required as revenue officers work with highly confidential information. Once hired as a revenue officer, the agency will likely provide a lengthy in-house training program. Regardless of educational credentials or work experience, each tax agency operates differently, which requires training, or re-training, for all new hires.