Enrolled Agent Salary: Pay Guide for Enrolled Agents in 2024
Find a place you want to live or a firm you want to work for and then use the table below to inform your salary expectations. Offer more flexibility and greater access to management, giving individuals a greater say in the perks and fringe benefits available. Our job description management tool- JobArchitect streamlines your job description process.
- If your goal is to work at one of the Big 4 accounting firms, the Enrolled Agent designation is one way to stand out from other applicants.
- As an enrolled agent, you can provide services to your clients that other CPAs, bookkeepers, and finance professionals can’t.
- The largest firms in the country pull in billions of dollars in revenue annually and employ tens of thousands of people.
- Of course, having your own agency also removes any limitations on your salary.
- Find a place you want to live or a firm you want to work for and then use the table below to inform your salary expectations.
- BooksTime is not responsible for your compliance or noncompliance with any laws or regulations.
How long does it take to study for the Enrolled Agent Exam?
Consequently, building a reputation as the tax expert in town (and the tax law expert) can really help your career. CPAs are qualified to perform more specialized tasks, such as auditing and consulting. They may also be called upon to provide advice on financial matters for their clients or business organizations. However, this comes with an increased time to earn a CPA certification, more barriers to entry, and a higher price to earn your CPA. In New York City, the average salary for an enrolled agent is above the national average, with NY EAs making $62,423 on average. Additionally, a cursory glance at Boston EA jobs reveals that salaries range anywhere from $50,316 and $70,142.
Average Base Salary
Enrolled Agents usually work more in businesses whose accounting needs are of microfocus. This article is not intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice, and BooksTime does not provide any services in these areas. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon for tax, legal, or investment purposes. BooksTime is not responsible for your compliance or noncompliance with any laws or regulations.
Common Enrolled Agent salary ranges in the United States
So, to determine how lucrative a career as an enrolled agent can be, use this information to learn more about the enrolled agent salary. The biggest step you can take to increase your salary as a tax preparer is to become an Enrolled Agent. And, if you decide to work for a non-finance-related company as an enrolled agent, you can actually expect to earn a bit more. On the other hand, accounting jobs for enrolled agents at top corporations like Apple, Starbucks, FedEx, and GE typically pay between $60,000 to $80,000 per year.
Becoming an EA is one of the best investments you can make in your career as a tax preparer. The benefits you’ll gain from earning the EA designation will far outweigh the cost of taking the EA exam. In addition to the salary benefits, you’ll also enjoy increased representation rights so you can expand your client base and the services you can offer. Plus, the EA designation signals a high level of expertise that will cement your status as a valuable expert on tax topics.
Steps to Earn the IRS Enrolled Agent Salary
Firms are especially interested in candidates with technology skills that can be applied to growing areas like cloud systems and data analysis. Managers are looking for new ideas and are prepared to provide the necessary on-the-job training to prepare new hires for success. This is a great time to go into accounting, and becoming an Enrolled Agent will help you land an even bigger starting salary than you could without it. As of October 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recorded the national median salary for CPAs in the U.S. as $73,560. Jobs paying $58,500 or less are in the 25th percentile range, while jobs paying more than $83,000 are in 75th percentile. But the fact that smaller firms have to specialize can be both a blessing and a curse for enrolled agents.
Large firms are willing and able to pay a premium to attract top talent. The larger the company, the higher the pay for a given role, and the better defined your career path will be. Office managers oversee several ongoing projects at once and work with staff to ensure that operations run smoothly. They must stay up to date on a wide variety of projects and report directly to higher-level executives. Especially in organizations that employ many tax experts, having an office manager with tax expertise is incredibly valuable.
The Enrolled Agent credential expands a tax professional’s career horizons, granting benefits that could not be attained by that of an uncredentialled tax preparer. Compare enrolled agent salaries for cities or states with the national average over time. The average Enrolled Agent Salary in The United States is $56,000 per year. Salaries range from $44,900 to $73,600.The average Enrolled Agent Hourly Wage is $20.00 per hour. Hourly wages range from $16.00 to $26.30.Salaries and wages depend on multiple factors including geographic location, experience, seniority, industry, education etc.
Because enrolled agents have the authority to represent clients before the IRS, they can fulfill a more specialized niche than non-enrolled tax preparers and accountants. Therefore, while CPAs do earn more on average than enrolled agents in the short run, the potential for earnings over the span of a career can be higher for enrolled agents. In the Pacific Northwest, where tech and trees how much does an enrolled agent make reign, Seattle enrolled agents earn anywhere from $49,275 and $68,692. However, San Francisco residents in enrolled agent positions earn a median income of $66,408, which is well above the national number. Of jobs posted in the city by the bay, nearly half pay above $125,000 annually. Moving down to Southern California reveals EA salary numbers that are as sunny as the beaches.
A smaller step, but still one in the direction of earning more for your expertise, is completing the Annual Filing Season Program. The AFSP is a yearly 15 to 18 hour continuing education program governed by the IRS. Once completed, you are listed on the IRS’ RPO database as an official “Annual Filing Season Program Participant”. EAs are federally authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS and have unlimited representation rights.