Can enrolled agents work from home

Can enrolled agents work from home

Posted: komp06 On: 05.07.2017

I am an Enrolled Agent EA and the publisher of the award winning website TaxMama. I come by my credentials honestly, having earned a BA in accounting, an MBA in International Business and having earned the EA the hard way — by passing the exam.

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The concept of Enrolled agents was created with the passage of the Circular regulations after the Civil War, in with the so-called Horse Act to combat fraud in the requests for reimbursements for horses taken during the war. CPAs were established in law, soon after, on April 17, according to Flesher, D. The big difference in the focus and creation of EAs and CPAs is — EAs were created to help people who needed to intercede with the Federal government on their behalf.

While CPAs were created to establish uniformity in accounting. Enrolled agents are regarded by the IRS as the highest level of tax professionals in the country — because all our CPE must be federal income tax related.

Better yet, because so many EAs come to the profession later in life, they also have a variety of business skills, specialized industry expertise, life skills and licenses — as well as a broad base of contacts within your community. The backgrounds or prior careers of some of the EAs I have taught or have known?

Engineer, physician, nurse, secretary, PTA mom, truck driver, military, minister, bookkeeping, athlete, law enforcement, national CPA tax manager, mediators, stockbrokers, financial analyst, physical therapist, banking, attorney, notary public, and that just scratches the surface.

So they use the EA as a springboard to become a CPA or attorney. The person you hire, is apt to be ambitious enough to want to grow with your company or firm — and to become quite a rainmaker.

Your top CPA candidate recruit was probably a star in college. He or she is undoubtedly brilliant and driven. Because they do have Power of Attorney authority. Instead, you can hire a brand new EA, even if they have little or no experience. You can put them on a power of attorney along with you from day one. But they can handle all IRS correspondence with your oversight and review, of course ; make all calls to get levies released; talk to IRS, state and local tax agencies on behalf of the client, set up installment agreements, or prepare offers in compromise documents — and actually speak to the government agencies about routine matters.

How many of those insidious and annoying IRS or state notices do your clients get that someone like this could take off your hands? Using e-services is a privilege and a mark of great trust. Even IRS agents looking up taxpayer information without valid authorization get into serious trouble.

Just imagine what happens if you are caught letting someone else log in as you:. The information in that database is ripe for identity theft. Your new hires will not be CPAs for at least two years because of the testing and experience requirements.

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But if you encourage your staff to sit for the EA exam, they can become more useful to you in your tax department — even before they qualify for their own POA rights as a CPA. Your juniors and staff members are recent college graduates.

can enrolled agents work from home

They are fairly used to taking exams. It would not be all that hard for them to pass the EA exam, with a little bit of study.

In fact, your clerical staff have been proof-reading your tax returns and financial statements and tax correspondence. They probably know a lot more about taxation than you realize. They are also excellent candidates for the EA Exam. The EA exam used to be administered by IRS once a year.

It was a two day affair, consisting of 4 exams. IRS would release the questions and answers a few months after each exam was completed. Today, it consists of three exams. You can take each one up to 4 times a year within a month window from May — Feb of the next year. The exams are harder than they used to be. And we no longer get the answers, or even sample questions.

Incidentally, there IS another way to become an EA — without taking the exam. You can work for IRS for 5 years in certain capacities and get your EA automatically when you leave the IRS.

My assistant worked her way up from proof-reading to preparing returns, to passing the EA Exam — to taking over all my IRS correspondence and routine phone calls. She can fill out and understand most tax-related forms. She is an EA in her own right now. Lulu deals with tax audit workpapers. In fact, during the 2 year span of the Homebuyers Credit, Lulu managed a small team of EAs who processed over 1, homebuyers Credit returns, dealing with all the IRS rejections due to their own internal administrative problems — and some lack of clarity in the laws and procedures.

I set up the framework and did the research and legal-writing — they fought the battles and got millions of dollars released to brand new homeowners around the country.

As a result of her skillful management of that project, I have now turned over most of my clients to her, as the foundation of her own practice. These days, I devote more of my own attention to teaching and writing. Over the years, I have seen many tax and accounting offices turning referring out work related to IRS audits and complex collections issues. In fact, many of those referrals have come my way.

can enrolled agents work from home

Especially people in practice for many years. This is especially true for the sole practitioner or those with small practices. For many years, in fact, the exact rules of the game were shrouded in mystery and fear. IRS did their best to keep taxpayers and tax professionals off balance. However, tax pros who sit for the EA Exam MUST learn these areas of the law. They must become experts in Circular do you know what that is?

You cannot pass the EA exam without knowing how to arrange for an installment agreement. You must know how to use a POA properly.

You must understand the mechanics of an offer in compromise — and to get an Appeals hearing. And, at least in my course, you learn how and when to file Tax Court petitions — even without being able to practice before the Tax Court. They already have a strong foundation in collections, and IRS rules of practice. And they are in a position to help you learn more about this, as well. Having an EA in your office means you can keep this kind of work in-house. How much extra income will that bring in?

Are you talking about fixing the political process? Or working with your clients within the system? Bring problems WITH VIABLE SOLUTIONS to the attention of key personnel at IRS and the Taxpayers Advocate Service and your own tax or accounting society.

If they are systemic issues, errors on the website or in publications, IRS can fix the problem. If they are legal issues, both IRS and TAX both propose legislation to Congress.

So does NAEA, CSEA, NATP, AICPA, etc. I do this all the time, myself — and have helped fix some things and have made some things run more smoothly. The best way to do remove or reduce IRS and State burdens when it comes to working with your clients is to take an active approach.

Call each client and schedule a planning appointment with them at least once a year. Review their circumstances and keep their taxes as low as possible. Prevent them from facing penalties and interest using withholding and estimated taxes as skillfully as possible. What I do mean is — disclose, disclose, disclose.

Careers – Where Does an Enrolled Agent fit into the Accounting Landscape? – TaxMama's Enrolled Agent (EA) IRS Exam Review Course

This generally avoids audits, since all the information is already spelled out in the disclosure statements on the tax return. And as to collections — if you always respond in a timely fashion, most problems can be averted! The hardest thing is to train your clients to get you the correspondence on time.

I have always had at least ONE part-time person working for me. With one good support staff person, and doing nothing but tax returns no writing, teaching, etc I was always able to handle about clients, multiple years at first , plus their business returns, and a variety of other problems — working about hours a week, often on a three-four day schedule. EA Exam Course Course Materials Pricing Testimonials Information What Is An Enrolled Agent?

So Where Do Enrolled Agents EAs Work?

My name is Eva Rosenberg. Where an Enrolled Agent fits in the accounting landscape The concept of Enrolled agents was created with the passage of the Circular regulations after the Civil War, in with the so-called Horse Act to combat fraud in the requests for reimbursements for horses taken during the war CPAs were established in law, soon after, on April 17, according to Flesher, D.

can enrolled agents work from home

What an EA can do for your firm. Just imagine what happens if you are caught letting someone else log in as you: You can not only lose your access to the online service, but the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility is apt to disbar you — and so will your State CPA Society or Bar Association.

The EA Exam The EA exam used to be administered by IRS once a year. Improve your IRS audit and collections representation in the process Over the years, I have seen many tax and accounting offices turning referring out work related to IRS audits and complex collections issues.

Hi Richard, Are you talking about fixing the political process? How to improve the audit and collections process?

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