How to hire tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents

A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.

$29.98U.S. median hourly pay
$49,450–$83,390Middle half, yearly
56,610People in this job in the U.S.

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Answer questions from taxpayers and assist them in completing tax forms.
• Confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
• Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.
• Maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken.
• Notify taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment, and either issue a refund or request further payment.
• Send notices to taxpayers when accounts are delinquent.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, critical thinking, active learning and mathematics skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language, mathematics and administrative
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.98 an hour ($62,370 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Check your finished job post

Interview questions for tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

  1. Tell me about a time you had to answer questions from taxpayers and assist them in completing tax forms. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  2. Tell me about a time you had to confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  3. Tell me about a time you had to contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  4. Tell me about a time you had to maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
  6. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
  7. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
  8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents do

  • Answer questions from taxpayers and assist them in completing tax forms.
  • Confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
  • Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.
  • Maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken.
  • Notify taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment, and either issue a refund or request further payment.
  • Send notices to taxpayers when accounts are delinquent.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive LearningMathematicsCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageMathematicsAdministrative

Education, experience and outlook for tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents

  • Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
  • Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
  • Job outlook: -1% over ten years, little or no change · about 4,400 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

StateMedian yearly pay
New Jersey$96,420
Connecticut$89,140
Illinois$80,720
Minnesota$79,000
Ohio$76,240
Utah$49,940
Florida$46,760
Mississippi$41,860

See tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents pay in every state

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Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.