EA vs CPA 2023 Salaries, Degrees & Licenses

Additionally, you must work in an accounting position for 1 to 2 years to meet the CPA work experience requirement. Certified public accountants, or CPAs, have a more flexible and expansive repertoire than EAs. They deal in all sorts of realms within the tax world, making them a great choice if your questions involve multiple topics. In addition, states approve CPAs, while the federal government approves EAs.

Forensic accounting, which involves financial fraud investigations, is another branch of specialization for public accountants. About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity. If you are an enrolled agent, you specialize in tax issues period — such as preparation of taxes for individuals and business entities or advising clients.

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When deciding between an EA or a CPA, you will see thatboth types of professionals are well-qualified. They can both deliver the financial guidance you may need for your taxes. However, which one you should consult depends largely on which issue you’re looking to resolve. The US CPA course gives the candidate in-depth knowledge of the concepts related to US Tax, US GAAP, and US Audit.

• Overall, you must pass each exam part within a rolling two-year window.
• CPAs are elite accounting professionals that can work in every sector of the profession, from tax to audit to consulting and advisory.
• CPAs can also work in general business roles and can easily move horizontally or vertically within the structure of a business.
• Once you’ve hit the five-year mark, you will have enough experience in tax consulting, planning, and training to qualify for a senior-level compensation.

If you get your master’s degree in accounting and earn your CPA you can also expect higher than average salaries. According to EMSI, the median advertised salary for a CPA with a master’s degree is $82.8K, which is $11.3K higher than the government-recorded median salary for accountants and auditors. The federal government oversees the licensing of EAs and with this title, EAs can represent clients before the IRS. Enrolled agents are more specialized than CPAs, as their professional skills center on taxes for individuals and businesses. Almost every aspect that relates to taxes can be handled by an EA, from estate taxes and retirement taxes to corporate taxes.

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The Certified Public Accountant Vs Enrolled Agent Salary agent earns approximately $30,000 to $75,000 per year. According to Payscale.com, enrolled agents typically make anywhere between $30,000-$75,000 a year, while CPAs make between $40,000-$104,000 annually. To become a CPA you must first complete the education requirements of the state in which you plan to practice. On the average, it takes around 8-9 years to become a CPA. You need to have 150 hours of college credit before you can sit for the CPA exam.

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• A case where this might make sense is if you work as an EA while you are preparing to sit for your CPA exam and then continue to specialize in taxation.
• In comparison, many people need months to pass the CPA Exam.
• As a result, the CFP or advisor has a better understanding of their clients needs as well as solutions that ensure the financial well being of their clients portfolios and estates.
• And once you’ve passed, you can apply for enrollment by filling out Form 23.
• Payroll, unemployment, government benefits and other direct deposit funds are available on effective date of settlement with provider.

This eliminates the applying to each individual state board of accountancy each time you move. It also allows you to effectively provide services to clients in any state. However, if your practice is focused on tax and you want to be able to have tax clients from anywhere in the US, the EA option is a very effective option that is also very economical. CPAs provide more financial services than enrolled agents, like reviewed, audited financial statements if needed. EAs are tax experts, would provide tax planning, audit representation, appeals and more. CPAs, or Certified Public Accountants, are licensed individuals with the statutory privilege to sign an audit report.

Learn the exam content.

The duration of each exam is 4 hours with Multiple Choice Questions and Task-Based Simulations . Along with MCQs and TBS, the BEC section consists of written communication tasks. Surgent offers study materials for both theCPA Examand theEA Examto get you on your way to licensure and your new career. Learn more about how the exam will change in 2024 by visiting Surgent’s CPA Evolution resource hub. TheSpecial Enrollment Examination, or Enrolled Agent Exam, consists of three examinations. Each exam lasts 3.5 hours and contains 100 multiple-choice questions.

Applicants have two years in which to pass all parts of the exam. All features, services, support, prices, offers, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. A simple tax return is one that’s filed using IRS Form 1040 only, without having to attach any forms or schedules. Each state also has its own rules for maintaining the license, but most require at least 40 hours of continuing education per year, with four of those hours covering ethics. EAs and CPAs can both be tax experts, and the work they do is often similar, but there are some differences between an EA vs CPA. To understand the difference between an EA and a CPA, you should start with the responsibilities and day-to-day work of each.

Master’s Degree in Accounting Salary: How Much Can You Expect to Earn?

A CPA’s expertise mainly lies in accounting and auditing, but most can provide tax filing services as well. This combination is attractive to small businesses that need both audit and tax services, preferably from the same team. Additionally, the questions on the REG CPA Exam section are harder than those on the EA exam. The EA questions are easier, so most candidates only need a few months to pass the EA exam as opposed to the months typically needed to pass the CPA Exam. In this case, the benefit of the EA exam is that the sooner you can get licensed, the sooner you and your clients can enjoy your improved status with the IRS. Still, when we compare REG’s taxation section to the EA exam’s taxation section, we uncover quite a lot of overlap.

Enrolled agents are the only taxpayer representatives who receive their unlimited right to practice from the federal government . This means if a company or an individual needs to file in more than one state and eventually needs representation before that state in an audit or resolution case, an EA can do both. On top of that will be the cost of the license itself, which averages about $150. Don’t forget that in order to maintain licensure, you will have to take ongoing continuing education courses.

The EA exam has three parts, and most people find the first and third parts to be the easiest because some experienced tax professionals can pass these parts with minimal studying. Conversely, almost everyone must work hard to pass the second part–Businesses– so it’s naturally considered the hardest. A compliance officer has dual responsibilities—both internal and external. As this is a leadership position, a master’s degree in accounting can be pivotal to advancing to this level.

• This saves me at least an hour each week in comparison to the software I used to use.
• There typically is a registration fee and separate fees for each section of the exam.
• Each year, thousands of nonresident aliens become gainfully employed in the United States.
• An EA with many years of experience could earn more than a CPA who is in their first year or two in practice.
• She began her career as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers in New York and Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong.