Individual Tax Professional (CPA / EA)
Trapezoid · $110–$130/hr · Remote · US only · Accounting & Finance
About the role
Mercor is seeking experienced individual tax professionals to help evaluate advanced AI systems on realistic personal tax scenarios. You will work through a series of tax "worlds" built around complex individual taxpayers, completing well-scoped tasks that mirror real return preparation and tax planning work.
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What You'll Do
- Apply federal and state (New York and/or California) tax rules to prepare, review, and reason through complex returns.
- Evaluate and correct tax analyses, calculations, and positions for accuracy and completeness.
- Provide clear, structured written explanations of your reasoning and conclusions.
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Scenarios You'll Work With
- Technology professionals with ISO equity and company tender offers (AMT planning)
- W-2 employees with a primary residence and multiple rental properties
- Finance professionals with multiple K-1 investments (real estate, private equity, fund of funds)
- Retirees with RMDs and side consulting income
- High-earning W-2 employees with backdoor Roth IRA, maxed HSA, and NY-to-CA part-year / dual residency
- Business owners reporting income on Schedule C or via K-1
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Required Qualifications
- 3–8 years of hands-on experience preparing complex individual (Form 1040) returns, currently or recently.
- Senior Associate to Manager level in individual tax compliance.
- Strong working knowledge of federal individual tax returns plus New York and/or California state returns.
- Excellent attention to detail and clear written communication.
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Preferred Qualifications
- CPA or Enrolled Agent (EA) credential.
- Big 4, national, or strong regional firm experience in private client / individual tax.
- Experience with equity compensation (ISOs/RSUs), AMT, partnership K-1s, rental properties, and multi-state residency.
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Why Join?
- Apply your tax expertise to shape how AI systems handle real-world personal tax work.
- Short-term, flexible, and intellectually engaging.
- Collaborate with a leading AI research organisation.