Staff Accountant

Staff Accountant, Tax & Accounting

OnTarget CPA · Indianapolis, IN · Full-Time · In-office

About OnTarget CPA

OnTarget CPA is a growing Indianapolis-based accounting and advisory firm serving individuals and businesses across Indiana and beyond. We are building the team that will take the firm to its next stage, and we’re looking for accountants who already know how to produce accurate work on a deadline and want to keep getting better at it.

The Role

You’re part of the production arm of the firm: preparing individual and business returns, maintaining client books, and delivering accurate work on schedule. This isn’t a first job. You’ve done a few busy seasons, you know what a complete organizer looks like and what to do when it isn’t, and you’re ready to carry a real client load with manager review rather than hand-holding. You’ll build toward the senior level by widening the return types you handle and tightening your review scores.

What You’ll Own

Tax Preparation

• Prepare individual returns from client organizers: W-2 and investment income, rentals, Schedule C and E, basic K-1 activity
• Prepare 1099s, payroll returns (941/940), and Indiana personal property tax returns
• Take on straightforward business returns (1120-S, 1065) as your experience supports, with manager review
• Apply firm-issued checklists to every return before submitting for review; maintain a 3.2+ review score
• Flag data gaps, unusual items, and potential SALT issues to your manager before proceeding

Client Accounting

• Perform monthly bank and credit card reconciliations, post journal entries from source documents, and maintain A/R and A/P ledgers for assigned clients
• Prepare draft P&L and balance sheet for manager review
• Execute client payroll and pull reporting from the firm’s payroll platforms

Client Communication

• Handle routine data-gathering directly with clients: missing documents, depreciation schedules, expense categorization
• Route IRS and state notices internally; escalate any client concern immediately
• Escalate tax positions, fee questions, and return results to a Senior or Manager rather than answering them yourself

Development

• Research bounded tax questions assigned by your manager and prepare findings for sign-off
• Provide weekly updates on project progress, capacity, and roadblocks
• Complete 40+ hours of CPE annually or as required for your licensure track
• Raise questions in review debriefs and don’t repeat the same error across similar returns

How Success Is Measured

• On-time delivery of assigned returns and projects
• Review score and rework rate
• Billable utilization and realization against firm targets
• Client satisfaction on assigned accounts

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field
• 2–4 years of experience preparing individual and small business tax returns in a public accounting or tax firm
• Hands-on bookkeeping experience: reconciliations, journal entries, and draft financial statements in QuickBooks Online
• A personal standard for accuracy and the judgment to ask before guessing
• Comfort communicating directly with clients on routine matters

What will make you stand out

• CPA-eligible or actively sitting for the exam
• Experience with CCH ProSystem fx Tax or comparable professional tax software
• Familiarity with Indiana INTIME, ESS, and personal property tax filings
• Exposure to S-corp or partnership returns

Compensation & Benefits

This role is elligible for quarterly performance bonus. [CPA exam support, if offered.]

OnTarget CPA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve.