Enrolled Agent EA Meaning, Duties, and How to Become One

This chart shows the overall costs of earning the EA and CPA titles. Similarly, you need to account for the cost of a CPA review course, which is extremely vital to the CPA exam process. And unfortunately, a CPA review course is also more expensive, costing about $1,700 on average. Usually, you pay $208.40 for each of the 4 CPA Exam parts, which comes to $833.60 in total. The REG part of the CPA Exam is most equivalent to the content you’ll find in the EA exam. Yet, just about 70% of the REG content directly relates to the EA exam.

The decision depends on a lot of different factors, such as deciding what kind of colleagues and clients you want to work with and which areas of accounting interest you the most. It’s helpful to compare the differences between a CPA and an EA so you can decide which one is the best choice for your career. Transferring funds from another bank account to your Emerald Card may not be available to all cardholders and other terms and conditions apply. There are limits on the total amount you can transfer and how often you can request transfers.

The Salary Difference Between Accounting and Bookkeeping

Since EAs are the ones protecting the rights of the Americans when it comes to taxes, it’s fair to say they have a pretty important job. So naturally, EAs have lucrative salaries that support the many responsibilities they hold. If you like working with taxes and manage to keep up to date with the complicated regulations, EA seems to be the ideal choice for you and is less expensive to become than a CPA. It can also allow you to work flexible hours and takes less time to become one.

• Otherwise, it would be redundant to go for the EA when you are already a CPA.
• When this San Diego local isn’t writing, she can be found walking her dogs by the beach or sailing on a sunny day in the bay.
• As with any salary reporting, a lot depends on various state and regional differences, which have an impact on both clients and earnings.
• Both types of accountants can represent clients during an audit.
• Their clients may include businesses or individuals who need help in financial planning.

You’ll need to decide for yourself which is a better fit for your skills and lifestyle. From the perspective of the IRS, CPAs and EAs are on the same level. Both ea vs cpa salary types of accountants can represent clients during an audit. The income potential for EAs tends to flatten out over time with peak earnings to be around $60,000.

Virtual Tax Expertise at H&R Block

To become an enrolled agent you should focus your studies on taxation and take the SEE. Using a review course is just as essential to passing the CPA Exam as the EA exam , and CPA Exam prep is also pricier. The best CPA review courses will run you about $1,700 on average. After you pass the CPA Exam, you will probably also have to take the ethics exam, which usually costs $130.

• CPAs can take a holistic approach to improved tax planning.
• Because the CPA Exam is so expensive to take, candidates usually invest quite a bit more in their review courses to better pass the exam on the first attempt.
• Much of your work will require meticulous records keeping as you prepare and draft IRS correspondences.
• Enrolled agents can also work for private firms, in the government, or independently.

And in order to maintain CPA licensure, you will have to take ongoing continuing education courses, which can also cost a pretty penny. Some employers will pay for all your CPA Exam and continuing education materials, but you may have to foot the bill yourself. We’re on your team and are passionate about helping you achieve your career goals, even if it means we don’t make a dime. The US CPA course gives the candidate in-depth knowledge of the concepts related to US Tax, US GAAP, and US Audit. There are many MNCs in India who are desperate for CPAs and are always ready to hire them.

See the Top CPA Review Courses

The concentration varies the public accountant’s duties into specific issues such as taxation. Mostly the EA works with income tax filing and tax returns to give their clients comply with regulations. Forensic accounting, which involves financial fraud investigations, is another branch of specialization for public accountants. If you would like to work for the IRS, you’ll find job openings for those with all levels of experience. It should be noted that the IRS looks at education but will also take experience, licensure and credentials into account when evaluating new candidates.

EA certification appropriate fee structure is given in the below table. The duration of each exam is 4 hours with Multiple Choice Questions and Task-Based Simulations . Along with MCQs and TBS, the BEC section consists of written communication tasks. For more information, please see our Cookie Noticeand our Privacy Policy. The first step will be to get a Preparer Tax Identification Number.