Enrolled Agent Exam Prep Training Courses
How To Become An Enrolled Agent
What Is An Enrolled Agent?
An Enrolled Agent has earned the right to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service worldwide.
Becoming an enrolled agent presents opportunities to not only help clients, but to increase your income since it allows you to offer a wider range of tax services to the general public.
What Are The Responsibilities Of An Enrolled Agent?
As someone with the Enrolled Agent designation, your main duty will be to prepare both federal and state tax returns for individuals or businesses. However, Enrolled Agents often take on adjacent responsibilities, such as consulting on tax-related matters.
Why Become An Enrolled Agent?
Enrolled Agents are federally authorized tax professionals licensed by the Internal Revenue Service. Unlike many other tax credentials, an EA license allows you to represent taxpayers before the IRS in every state, regardless of where you live or work.
Professionals pursue the EA credential because it can help them:
- Expand tax preparation and representation services
- Increase professional credibility
- Build a tax-focused career
- Serve individuals and businesses with complex tax matters
- Develop expertise in federal taxation
- Create new opportunities for career advancement
Whether you're an experienced tax preparer or just beginning your journey, earning the EA credential can be an important step in your professional development.
About The IRS Enrolled Agent Exam
Candidates earn the EA credential by passing the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE), a three-part exam covering federal tax law and IRS representation. The three exam sections are:
- Part 1: Individuals
- Part 2: Businesses
- Part 3: Representation, Practices & Procedures
You must pass all three parts within a three-year period. Keep in mind that the pass rate average is only 66%, which suggests that the EA exam is challenging but very achievable with consistent preparation. Candidates who use a structured study plan, complete extensive practice questions, and take full-length practice exams like those described below generally have a much stronger chance of passing on their first attempt.
How To Prepare For The IRS Enrolled Agent Exam - And Build A Career In Tax Representation
Whether you're launching a career in taxation, advancing your accounting practice, or preparing for IRS representation work, our Enrolled Agent training courses provide the knowledge and exam preparation you need to move forward with confidence. Benefits include:
- Self-Paced Online Learning
- Comprehensive Exam Preparation
- Covers All Three SEE Exam Parts
- Instructor Support Available
What's Included
Depending on the course you choose, your training may include:
- Comprehensive online lessons
- Practice questions
- Simulated exams
- Study guides
- Progress tracking
- Instructor support
- Self-paced online access
- Regular content updates aligned with the current IRS Special Enrollment Examination (SEE)
Why Choose CPA Training Center?
For decades, CPA Training Center has helped accounting, finance, and tax professionals prepare for professional certifications and advance their careers.
Our Enrolled Agent training is designed to help you understand federal tax concepts, reinforce your knowledge through practice, and prepare confidently for the IRS Special Enrollment Examination.
Whether you're preparing for one exam section or all three, you'll have access to flexible training that fits your schedule and supports your professional goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Enrolled Agent?
An Enrolled Agent is a federally licensed tax professional authorized by the IRS to represent taxpayers in matters involving audits, collections, appeals, and other federal tax issues.
What exam do I need to pass?
Most candidates earn the credential by passing the IRS Special Enrollment Examination (SEE), which consists of three parts covering individual taxation, business taxation, and representation, practices, and procedures.
Can I purchase just one exam section?
Yes. Individual review courses are available for each part of the SEE, as well as complete exam preparation packages.
Do I need prior tax experience?
No. While tax experience is helpful, many candidates begin preparing for the EA exam as they build their tax knowledge. Your ideal starting point depends on your background and professional goals.
Are the courses self-paced?
Yes. Study whenever it's convenient and progress through the material at your own pace.
Can I study while working full-time?
Absolutely. Most EA candidates prepare while maintaining full-time employment. Self-paced online learning makes it easier to fit studying into a busy schedule.
How long does it take to prepare for the EA exam?
Preparation time varies depending on your experience, study schedule, and the number of exam sections you're preparing for. Many candidates spread their studies over several months.
Are the materials updated for the current IRS exam?
Yes. Course content is updated to reflect changes to the IRS Special Enrollment Examination and relevant federal tax law.
Will I receive instructor support?
Yes. Instructor assistance is available for course-related questions.
Which exam section should I take first?
Many candidates begin with Part 1 (Individuals), while others choose the section that best matches their current experience. The best order depends on your background and study strategy.
Ready to Become an Enrolled Agent?
The Enrolled Agent credential is recognized nationwide and can help you expand your tax knowledge, strengthen your professional credibility, and provide valuable representation services to clients.
Choose the training option that fits your goals, create your study plan, and begin preparing for the IRS Special Enrollment Examination today.
Most-Used Training Courses:
Recommended Online Training Courses
Top FAQs
An Enrolled Agent has earned the right to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service worldwide. Enrolled Agents face no restrictions on the types of tax matters they can handle, and the IRS offices before which they can practice.
While an Enrolled Agent can prepare tax returns for individuals or businesses, Enrolled Agents often help with complex tax-related matters.
EA Exam Prep: How To Pass The Enrolled Agent Exam And Become An Enrolled Agent
There are two routes for how to become an Enrolled Agent. If you have worked for the IRS in a capacity that involves the interpretation of the tax code for five years or more, you qualify for an Enrolled Agent designation. If not, you can take the Special Enrollment Exam, or SEE. See further details below.
EA Certification: Required Curriculum Candidates who need more info on how to become an Enrolled Agent must meet the following qualifying criteria:
- Apply for enrollment using IRS Form 2587
- Pass a background check to ensure that you have not engaged in any conduct that would justify the suspension or disbarment of an attorney, CPA, or Enrolled Agent from practice before the IRS.
- Follow one of these two tracks:
- Online Examination
Candidates must achieve passing scores on each of a three-part online Special Enrollment Examination (SEE). Candidates can apply to take the SEE by submission of Form 2587, found on the Prometric Testing Center website.
- IRS Experience
Candidates can become an enrolled agent by virtue of past service and technical experience working for the Internal Revenue Service in certain jobs or positions. Generally, there is a five-year experience requirement in positions that require certain levels of technical experience specified in Circular 230.
EA Certification: How To Apply Through the IRS
To apply for Enrolled Agent certification, simply follow or take the steps below.
EA Certification: Prerequisites- Regarding how to become an Enrolled Agent, there are no minimum age, education, citizenship or residency requirements. Candidates do, however, need to know enough about the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, and laws to pass the IRS Special Enrollment Examination.
- Candidates must have a Professional Taxpayer Identification Number (PTIN); to get a PTIN, file IRS Form W-7P (there are exceptions for non-residents of the United States who wish to sit for the Special Enrollment Examination).
- Once you have received your PTIN, you can register at the Prometric website to pursue the certification (there are exceptions for non-residents of the United States who wish to sit for the Special Enrollment Examination).
- A candidate is not required to register with Prometric prior to scheduling your training through CPATrainingCenter.
EA Exam Prep: About The Special Enrollment Exam (SEE)3 Parts
Each part of the SEE contains 100 questions. A student is not required to take all three parts in one sitting:
- Part 1: Individuals
The Individuals exam covers such material as:
- Preliminary Work and Taxpayer Data: Including preliminary work to prepare tax returns
- Income and Assets: Including income, retirement income, property, real and personal and self-employment tax
- Deductions and Credits: Including itemized deductions and credits such as earned income tax credit and child tax credits
- Taxation and Advice: Including various taxation issues and advising the individual taxpayer
- Specialized Returns for Individuals: Including estate tax, gift tax and international information reporting
- Part 2: Businesses
The Businesses exam covers such material as:
- Business Entities: Including business entities and considerations, partnerships, corporations in general, forming a corporation and S corporations
- Business Financial Information: Including business income, business expenses, deductions and credits, business assets, analysis of financial records and advising the business taxpayer
- Specialized Returns and Taxpayers: Including trust and estate income tax, exempt organizations, retirement plans and farmers
- Part 3: Representation, Practice, And Procedures
The Representation, Practice and Procedures exam contains such material as:
- Practices and Procedures: Including practice before the IRS, requirements for enrolled agents, sanctionable acts and rules and penalties
- Representation Before the IRS: Including power of attorney, building the taxpayer's case, preliminary work, taxpayer financial situation, supporting documentation, legal authority and references and related issues
- Specific Types of Representation: Including representing a taxpayer in the collection process, penalties and/or interest abatement, representing a taxpayer in audits/examinations and representing a taxpayer before appeals
- Completion of the Filing Process: Including accuracy, information sharing with the taxpayer, record maintenance and electronic filing
Exam Window 10-month testing window.
Exam Facility The exam is now offered globally, wherever Prometric has a facility (800-306-3926). Candidates will take the examination at a computer terminal.
Exam Fee $109 per part ($327 total)
Rescheduling Fee There is a $35 fee to reschedule 5-29 days before exam; the full price if 5 days before exam.
Re-testing Opportunity A student who does not pass any part of the exam may re-take that part up to four (4) times during the testing window.
Carryover Policy Candidates who pass a part of the examination under the new format can carryover passing scores up to two years from the date the candidate took the examination.
More Info For the IRS and Prometric Bulletin about registration and exam information click
here.
EA Exam Prep: How To Prepare For The EA Exam
There is simply no better way to prepare for the Enrolled Agent exam than to take the appropriate courses and study. The more hours you study for these exams, the higher the likelihood of you passing on the first try. Since each section of the exam is 100 questions, you will probably want to train for them separately, so you can focus your full concentration on one individual section at a time.
At CPATrainingCenter, we can give you all the information you need to pass the exam, whether through a classroom environment, online study or self-study. We have highly qualified instructors and materials carefully designed to allow you to obtain mastery of the required material.
The rest is up to you. We find that an extremely high percentage of our students who put in sufficient hours of study pass this test on the first try. You can be one of them. Get the training, study as much and for as long as you can, earn your EA designation and start preparing taxes professionally right away.
Ongoing CPE/Responsibilities Enrolled Agents renew on a staggered schedule, based on the last digit of the Enrolled Agent social security number. To be eligible for renewal for the enrollment cycle, Enrolled Agents must complete 72 CPE credit hours for the three year cycle, with a minimum of 16 CPE per year. Two CPE credit hours per year must be in Ethics.
Disclaimer: This information provided is based on state laws and regulations, and is subject to change. While we make every effort to asure this information is current and accurate, it is not engaged in rendering legal or professional advice, and shall not be held responsible for inaccuracies contained herein.
