Wondering What an IRS Enrolled Agent Means?

“Enrolled Agent” (EA) is a tax professional who has passed an IRS test covering all aspects of taxation, plus passed an IRS background check.Enrolled Agents have passed a two-day, 8-hour examination. The examination (called the Special Enrollment Examination) covers all aspects of federal tax law, including the taxation of individuals, corporations, partnerships, and various regulations governing IRS collections and audit procedures. Like CPAs and tax attorneys, EAs can handle any type of tax matter and represent their client’s interests before the IRS. Unlike CPAs and tax attorneys, Enrolled Agents are tested directly by the IRS, are licensed by the Federal Government, and enrolled agents focus exclusively on tax accounting.

Here is what NAEA (National Assn of Enrolled Agents has as a tagline on their website : Enrolled agents (EAs) are America’s Tax Experts. EAs are the only federally licensed tax practitioners who specialize in taxation and also have unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS.

Just a bit of trivia. CPA’s have done a terrific job of promoting themselves, and NAEA has started promoting the name EA to get it better known to the public. The EA license was created just after the civil war to help people collect on their claims against the govt, so it has been around a long time, just not well known with the public.