What is EA tax certification?

An enrolled agent is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by either passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee.

Which is better CPA or EA?

In general, CPAs earn more than EAs in all career levels. However, the CPA credential requires significantly more schooling, time, and upfront costs than the EA credential. The EA credential is also more client-focused than a CPA credential. These are both factors to weigh alongside salary numbers for each profession.

What is the difference between a CPA and an EA?

When to work with an EA vs. CPA. EAs and CPAs are both knowledgeable, experienced professionals who are required to maintain high ethical standards. The primary difference between an EA vs CPA is that EAs specialize in taxation, and CPAs can specialize in taxation and more.

How many enrolled agents are there?

How many enrolled agents are in California? Currently, there are 12,700 active EAs in the state of California.

How long does it take to become an EA?

Depending on your tax knowledge, becoming an enrolled agent can take 3-8 months. You may hear some enrolled agents boast that the EA exam is easy and they passed it in just a few weeks. Yet, the reality is that most candidates are not able to pass in 1 month.

Should a CPA get an EA?

EAs work on tax matters only, so they can specialize in certain areas such as tax preparation or tax resolution. Therefore, CPAs who specialize in tax should consider obtaining the EA so they can display their tax expertise. The EA designation is a federal credential.

Are enrolled agents in demand?

Basically, as long as people must pay taxes, they’ll need the aid of enrolled agents. Therefore, enrolled agents will be in demand indefinitely.

Is the enrolled agent exam difficult?

Even though the EA Exam is daunting, it’s not as difficult as people make it to out to be—as long as you prepare properly. This is not a normal test and you will have to be studying at your best in order to pass. Let’s go over all the steps you will need to take in order to prepare correctly and pass the EA exam!

How difficult is the EA exam?

On the EA exam, candidates have 3.5 hours to answer 100 MCQs. Therefore, the EA exam is not extremely difficult. Rather, it is just different than the CPA Exam.

Do you need a degree to be an EA?

An enrolled agent (EA) does not need a college degree; rather they must demonstrate special competence in tax matters by passing all three parts of the IRS Special Enrollment Examination.