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Getting Started

Start Here — Your Path Into the Academy

New to LWS Tax Academy? Follow these steps in order and you'll be fully set up before the season — nothing missed, nothing out of sequence.

Four steps. Do them in order, and you're in.

This is the exact path every preparer, ERO, and Service Bureau owner takes. If you get stuck at any point, the Help Center has answers — and a real person is always one help ticket away.


Log into your portal

Everything lives in your LWS client portal — your courses, your trainings, and your account.

Log into your portal →

Use the same email you signed up with — a different email won't connect to your account. Can't get in? Recover your access here.

Whitelist our email

Your software access, onboarding steps, and rebate updates all arrive by email — and providers sometimes route new senders to spam. Two minutes now means you never miss the email you're waiting on mid-season.

How to whitelist our email →

Watch for your software access

Once your onboarding is complete, your preparer login / tax software access arrives by email. Check your spam folder — access emails land there more often than you'd think.

Can't find it, or it doesn't work? Submit a help ticket and we'll get you sorted — never guess at credentials.

Start your track in order

Open your courses in the portal and work your track in order — preparer, ERO, or Service Bureau. If you're an ERO, the EFIN application lesson matters early: IRS approval can take up to 45 days, so don't leave it for December.

A course you expect is missing? Submit a help ticket and we'll check your access.


Have a question?

The FAQ covers portal login, software access, EFIN applications, referral rebates, and payouts — searchable, answered fast.

Browse the FAQ →

Referred by someone?

Make sure you named them at sign-up under "who referred you" — that's what ties the referral rebate to the right person.

How referrals work →

Stuck on a step?

Don't spin your wheels — tell us where you're stuck and a real person will get you moving.

Submit a help ticket

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