Enrolled Agent EA Salary Guide

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.

• Firms are especially interested in candidates with technology skills that can be applied to growing areas like cloud systems and data analysis.
• Take a look at our Enrolled Agent Salary Guide to get an idea about industry salary range.
• 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.
• And another factor that makes a significant difference is the type of employer for whom you choose to work.
• As an enrolled agent, you can provide services to your clients that other CPAs, bookkeepers, and finance professionals can’t.

Which companies pay enrolled agents the most?

For instance, the range for some posted jobs in these types of companies is between $60,000 and $85,000. 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. On average, CPAs do make more money (closer to $70,000 annually) than enrolled agents.

Enrolled Agent Salary by City

So, having one person serve as both their tax preparer and their tax attorney appeals to these clients quite a lot. Additionally, clients often prefer to work with a single individual or a small team for the sake of efficiency. Therefore, as with the lion’s share of the small accounting agencies out there, specialization is key. Consequently, building a reputation as the tax expert in town (and the tax law expert) can really help your career.

High Paying Enrolled Agent Jobs

Therefore, the EA salary range in that city is a little lower, with the average salary about $51,560. Enrolled agents in Charlotte also earn https://www.bookstime.com/ less than the national average. Well, according to Salary.com, the national average salary for an enrolled agent is just over $53,126.

• The largest firms in the country pull in billions of dollars in revenue annually and employ tens of thousands of people.
• The average enrolled agent salary has risen by $3,188 over the last ten years.
• Chicago’s median salary for enrolled agents is actually lower than that of the rest of the country, according to Payscale’s data.
• Consequently, entry-level positions start on the low end of these ranges, while senior positions claim the highest salaries.
• As per information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for CPAs stands at $78,000.
• Enrolled agent salaries at IDEMIA and Acuity Insurance are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates.

Of course, having your own agency also removes any limitations on your salary. It’s essential to take into account the cost of living expenses in your deliberations as well. Completing the AFSP is not nearly as comprehensive as receiving an Enrolled Agent designation, and you do not have as many rights as an EA. However, it is vastly cheaper than that of preparing and sitting for the EA exam, and takes much less time to complete. This in turn makes you a more popular choice compared to your peers when it comes to a potential client looking for a tax professional. I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley) and the publisher of this and several accounting professional exam prep sites.

• 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.
• But in the long term, corporate salary caps and geographical constraints often limit CPAs’ salaries.
• Enrolled agent salary is impacted by location, education, and experience.
• The biggest step you can take to increase your salary as a tax preparer is to become an Enrolled Agent.

Additionally, the EA credential is more client-focused, with a variety of career paths. Be sure to consider additional factors alongside salary when planning your professional path. The most highly specialized Enrolled Agent probably isn’t going to be earning as much at a smaller organization enrolled agent salary as they could at a larger one. Some larger organizations pay their entry-level Enrolled Agents more than smaller organizations pay experienced Enrolled Agents. Office managers oversee several ongoing projects at once and work with staff to ensure that operations run smoothly.

Offer some benefits (e.g., gyms, cafeterias, and daycare) that smaller firms can’t reasonably fit into their budgets. Tax managers handle all the tax reporting and compliance with local, state, and federal tax laws for an organization. While this position is commonly filled by a CPA, the Enrolled Agent designation is a great way to secure your tax specialization.

Corporations and Private Businesses

• An enrolled agent’s salary ranges from $22,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $54,000 at the 90th percentile.
• Therefore, as with the lion’s share of the small accounting agencies out there, specialization is key.
• At a median of over $53,000, the salary for an independent enrolled agent is not bad.
• Additionally, clients often prefer to work with a single individual or a small team for the sake of efficiency.

Therefore, the ability to expand your client base beyond state borders is an advantage enrolled agents have over CPAs. Enrolled agent salaries typically range between $22,000 and $54,000 yearly. According to ZipRecruiter.com, the average annual salary for an Enrolled Agent as of December 2021 was $59,020. Entry-level tax preparers make less, but can expect their salary to increase after gaining several years of experience, and gathering more clients.

What is the average Enrolled Agent salary?

But the average EA salary in Dallas is jobs posted in the area pay between $44,367 and $61,850 annually. Working as an enrolled agent at one of the larger national tax firms won’t necessarily earn you as much as you might make at a more specialized regional or local brokerage. The big chains pay their more experienced enrolled agents between $20 and $30 per hour on average, which comes to between $40,000 and $50,000 annually. However, jobs posted for smaller regional agencies tend to pay higher.

In the Pacific Northwest, where tech and trees 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.