Enrolled Agent career opportunities: 6 great paths for EAs

October 15, 2024

6 min read

Content Marketing Specialist

Enrolled Agents have in-depth tax knowledge and unlimited representation rights before the IRS, allowing them to offer comprehensive tax services, from preparing returns to defending clients in audits. However, where do EAs get to apply this expertise and what jobs await you after earning your credential?

Learn about six different Enrolled Agent career opportunities available and start planning your professional journey!

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#1 Enrolled Agent career path: Accounting firms

Accounting firms provide a plethora of Enrolled Agent career opportunities. However, working at a large accounting firm looks very different than joining the staff at a small firm, which likewise changes when working in a tax-exclusive firm.

Large firm

Large accounting firms have multiple departments that each provide specialized services to the firm’s many clients. As an Enrolled Agent, you would join the tax team and work with clients on any number of tax matters, from ensuring compliance and accuracy to helping resolve disputes with the IRS.

By joining a large firm, you would enter an environment already teaming with clients and activity, and jump head-on into working with a variety of clients and projects. Especially at the start of your EA journey, this is a great opportunity to network and gain experience, while still working under the support of a large team of tax experts. Large firms likewise often have the capacity to offer higher pay and better benefits, when compared with smaller firms.¹

On the other hand, large firms are notorious for long hours, travel, and a strict corporate atmosphere, which may or may not fit your long-term goals.

Small firm

Enrolled Agent career opportunities are also present in small firms. Like working with a large firm, small accounting firms serve multiple clients and provide multiple services. However, the scale of both these areas is much smaller: the clients are likely fewer and less varied, while team members are also fewer and may multitask in their roles.

As an Enrolled Agent, you would still specialize in tax. However, you may not have the support from working with a large team of other tax specialists and should have a solid confidence in working independently on your cases. That said, small firms generally tend to operate with more flexibility, less travel, and greater autonomy over your work.²

Choosing a small firm vs. large firm depends entirely upon your goals, which may also change over the course of your career and personal life.

Tax firm

Tax firms are accounting firms that specialize exclusively in (you guessed it) taxes. They serve individuals, corporations, or both—handling everything from tax prep to resolution to auditing and more, and even provide consulting to implement operations that maximize tax savings.³

They can be large or small and share the advantages and disadvantages of general accounting firms of similar sizes. Joining a tax firm will set you up with a great team of other EAs, from whom you can learn and network to expand your career growth.

Choosing a small firm vs. large firm vs. tax firm depends entirely upon your goals, which may also change over the course of your career and personal life.

#2 Banks

Because banks are government-regulated and must follow strict tax compliance, they also provide Enrolled Agent career opportunities. If hired by a bank, you would facilitate its tax processes, compliance, and reporting.

Working in banking would allow you to focus on a single client, honing your tax expertise in this area and helping you develop a strong reputation for banking tax services.

#3 Law firms

Law firms offer Enrolled Agent career opportunities for both internal tax processing and as part of their service offering to clients.¹

Internal tax processing: As businesses, law firms need to keep their tax affairs in order and fully compliant with regulations. Enrolled Agents therefore work as part of a firm’s team to ensure that these requirements are met.
Tax services for clients: Law firms may also hire Enrolled Agents to take on the important task of representing their clients before the IRS. These cases may include disputing a client’s case before the IRS or representing an individual or company being audited.

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#4 Corporations

Companies who don’t hire an outside firm to manage their tax matters may instead hire an on-staff Enrolled Agent. In this position, you would not only make sure that the company’s tax requirements are met and properly filed to remain complaint, you would also help the company make decisions to optimize its tax savings and processes.

Working with a private corporation provides Enrolled Agent career opportunities across industries—from healthcare to consultancy to commerce, and more. If you have an interest in or passion for a certain industry, this is a great opportunity to become involved while leveraging your specific knowledge and experience.

#5 Entrepreneur / Consultant

One of the benefits of earning an EA credential is that you have the skillsets and legal authority to open your own tax firm or take on your own clients on a freelance basis.

You therefore become your own boss: defining your own rates, working your own hours, and choosing your own projects. However, with these rewards come the risks of finding your own clients and taking on potential financial losses.

#6 Government

If you love serving clients and helping people navigate their tax issues, working in a government agency is a great Enrolled Agent career opportunity. As an EA, you’re authorized to work on-staff with the IRS or a state department of revenue.

Government jobs often enjoy high stability and job security, as well as good benefits. However, these positions may not pay as well as similar work in the private sector.¹

Grow your Enrolled Agent career

Work towards stepping into one of these Enrolled Agent career opportunities by earning your EA credential. Becker can help you get there with our EA Exam Review that includes three new textbooks, engaging lecture videos, practice questions, simulated exams, and more—all designed by experts to help you pass the Enrolled Agent Exam.