Hiring An Enrolled Agent: Common FAQs

There are few things more disconcerting for any business owner, large or small, than filing and paying taxes. You can bring in the aid of a CPA, but it may be much better if you work with an enrolled agent. Enrolled agents are designated by the IRS and have an excellent level of training and expertise to share. Take a look at some of the most common questions about enrolled agents. 

What is so special about an enrolled agent when compared to a CPA?

CPAs come along with their own list of advantages when it comes to keeping tabs on your finances and helping you with filing your taxes. However, a CPA is not suited to represent you before the IRS if you have problems with your taxes. Enrolled agents are tested and trained so they can do tax representation before any IRS office. If you have a CPA already and run into issues with an audit or some tax-filing problem, you may have to hire an agent as well. Enrolled agent status is considered to be the top IRS designation. These professionals receive ongoing additional training and must work to maintain their certification throughout the years. 

How can you verify the status of an enrolled agent?

If you are considering hiring an enrolled agent, it is always best if you check out their credentials before you hire them. Thankfully, checking that an individual is actually enrolled as an agent is not a difficult process. You can simply go to the IRS website and follow the instructions to verify the agent by sending in an email request with a few pertinent details about the candidate. The website states that it does try to get a response to requestors within 72 hours most of the time, so you should not have to wait all that long to find out if your candidate is truly enrolled as an agent with the IRS. 

How much will it cost you to hire an enrolled agent?

Most enrolled agents will charge by the hour for their services, so you can expect to pay anywhere between $12 and $55 per hour. The more skilled and the more years of experience an agent has, the more they will likely charge for their services, but the more skilled an agent is, the more equipped they will be to handle some of the toughest tax situations and represent you before the IRS.  

Contact a company like Jacksonville Tax Advisor for more information about what an enrolled agent can help you with.

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