Whether you’re a 50+ year veteran or newly credentialed, February is about you and the impact the Enrolled Agent credential makes every day.

Enrolled Agents were established in 1884 to help taxpayers fairly present claims against the government, a legacy rooted in representation and fairness that still matters today. That’s 142 years of service and trust. That’s why Enrolled Agents are known as America’s Tax Experts®.

What is an Enrolled Agent?

An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a federally authorized tax professional with unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS (alongside CPAs and attorneys).

The Internal Revenue Service also describes enrolled agent status as the highest credential the IRS awards.

In real life, that means Enrolled Agents serve as trusted tax experts, advisors, and advocates for individuals and businesses nationwide, helping taxpayers navigate complexity, stay compliant, and protect taxpayer rights when the stakes are high.

Throughout the month, look for EA Month features, professional spotlights, and simple ways to get involved, including ways to recognize peers and support the continued growth of the credential. Save this page for quick sharing, then post your story on your preferred platform (or share it directly with NAEA).

Why National Enrolled Agents Month Matters

Public understanding still lags behind professional impact. Many taxpayers still don’t fully understand what “EA” means or why it matters. This month creates a focused moment to make the credential easier to recognize, understand, and trust.

The credential supports a changing profession

The EA profession grew 7% this past year, the largest increase in four years. This growth reflects a broader shift in the tax profession as traditional pathways evolve. While the CPA pipeline has contracted (with first-time exam candidates dropping from 42,626 in 2023 to 28,082 in 2024), the enrolled agent credential is attracting professionals seeking specialized tax expertise without the 150-credit-hour requirement or audit focus that CPAs navigate.

The timing is notable: early 2025 data shows CPA exam volume trending upward following a major exam restructure, suggesting the accounting profession may be stabilizing. Meanwhile, IRS data indicates approximately 71,900+ enrolled agents are actively credentialed, representing a distinct and growing segment of the tax professional landscape.

Together, these trends point to a diversifying profession where multiple credentials serve different career paths. Some favor the broad scope of the CPA, others choose the specialized federal tax authority of the EA.

Visibility helps the profession grow

When you share your work as an EA, you:

  • Help taxpayers recognize the EA credential and understand who can represent them before the IRS
  • Show aspiring tax professionals a clear path into the field without requiring 150 credit hours or a background in audit
  • Remind fellow EAs that the work you do quietly behind the scenes matters and deserves recognition

Share your work. Share your story. Share your credential. Whether it’s a client win, a complex case you navigated, or simply what drew you to tax, your voice helps shape how the profession is understood.

5 Easy Ways to Promote the EA Credential This Month

    • Post a simple “What is an EA?” explainer
      • Use one sentence: “An Enrolled Agent is federally authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS, with unlimited representation rights.“
    • Add “Enrolled Agent (EA)” to profiles and bios
      • Update LinkedIn headline, email signature, website bio, and social profiles.
    • Answer the question taxpayers actually ask
      • Turn this into a post: “If you received an IRS notice, an Enrolled Agent can help you respond and represent you before the IRS.“
    • Tag a fellow EA or mentor someone new
      • A quick public thank-you builds community and raises visibility.
    • Share a “why this matters” moment from practice
      • Example prompts:
        • A time advocacy changed an outcome for a taxpayer
        • A complex issue solved through expertise and persistence
        • A representation win that protected taxpayer rights

Plug-and-Play Resources

Looking for links to share with clients or printed one-pagers to keep on your desk or reception area? Need some social inspiration or maybe people you know are looking for tax help. Use these to save time:

Becoming an Enrolled Agent

If you’ve been thinking about becoming an enrolled agent or recently came across the credential, then make Enrolled Agents Month the start of your journey! EAs can become credentialed in one of two ways: with five years of IRS experience regularly interpreting tax regulations or through the successful completion of the three-part Special Enrollment Exam (SEE).

Am I EA material?

Are you smart, organized, detail-oriented, and always ready to learn? Do you believe in holding to the highest ethical standards possible? Want to potentially be your own boss? You might make a great EA, plus you don’t need a college degree.

Looking for real flexibility? EAs are employed and employable everywhere.

Corporations, consultancies, private practices, independent tax preparation firms, legal offices, and more. Unlike lawyers or CPAs who are licensed by individual states, EAs are free to practice anywhere in the country.

Two ways to launch your EA career

Take and pass the three-part Special Enrollment Exam (SEE)

The SEE is administered online by Prometric. To get started, you must:

Have past service and technical experience with the IRS

You are required to:

    • Possess the experience outlined in Treasury Department Circular 230
    • Apply for enrollment on Form 23
    • Undergo a background check prior to enrollment, which includes a review of your tax transcript

How do I prep for the exam?

Surgent Accounting & Financial Education provides aspiring enrolled agents with an exam prep solution that’s customizable to your level of comprehension.

NAEA members receive exclusive benefits:

    • FREE course access to Part 1 – Individuals
    • Discounts on Premier and Ultimate Pass review course packages for Parts 2 and 3
    • Award-winning adaptive technology that reduces study time by 40%
    • 96% pass rate

Need financial support?

Apply for a scholarship through the NAEA Education Foundation to help you reach your goals.

Additional resources

National Association of Enrolled Agents is the only association dedicated to Enrolled Agents

NAEA exists because Enrolled Agents show up, serving taxpayers, representing clients, and strengthening tax administration nationwide.

This year’s “There’s Only One” campaign reflects that reality: there’s only one credential with unlimited federal tax representation rights, only one professional community built exclusively for EAs, and only one national association solely dedicated to this profession.

NAEA’s work centers on protecting, elevating, and growing the EA credential through education, advocacy, leadership development, and community. When the profession grows, everyone benefits: EAs, taxpayers, and the tax system itself.

NAEA Education Foundation

Awareness of the Enrolled Agent credential is essential to the work of the NAEA Education Foundation (NAEA-EF) because it is the gateway to a profession built on expertise, ethics, and public service. When more people (and especially students) understand what an EA is and the unique authority EAs hold to represent taxpayers before the IRS, the Foundation can more effectively identify, support, and prepare the next generation of tax professionals. Through mentorship, education, and financial support, NAEA-EF removes barriers to entry and advancement, ensuring that talented individuals from diverse backgrounds can pursue and succeed in the EA profession, strengthening both the tax system and the communities EAs serve.

Learn more about the Foundation’s mission, vision, and scholarship opportunities

The Enrolled Agent Advocate Podcast

Launched to spotlight the vital work Enrolled Agents do every day, each episode educates, inspires, and supports growth across the EA community while remaining accessible to anyone who wants to better understand the EA profession and its role in serving taxpayers. Through real stories and expert insight, the podcast helps raise awareness of what sets Enrolled Agents apart.

Listen now

The EA Journal

EA Journal delivers timely, practical content written by Enrolled Agents and credentialed experts across the profession. Widely trusted for its clarity and credibility, the Journal also serves as a powerful resource for explaining “what an EA is” to clients and stakeholders, reinforcing the value and authority of the EA credential.

Read the latest edition

Advocacy

Advocacy is at the heart of the Enrolled Agent profession. From shaping tax policy and building relationships on Capitol Hill to ensuring the EA voice is heard in decisions that impact taxpayers, advocacy keeps the profession influential and respected.

Learn more about our mission, key policy priorities, and latest work in the NAEA Government Relations Advocacy Overview, and explore Capitol Corner in the EA Journal.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

The NAEA PAC amplifies the voice of Enrolled Agents by supporting candidates who champion fair tax policies and effective tax administration. For 20 years, it has strengthened relationships on Capitol Hill and advanced issues that matter most to the EA profession, ensuring taxpayers’ interests are represented at the highest levels of government.

Learn more about the PAC, our goals this year, and how you can contribute

Capitol Hill Fly-In

Fly-In delivers impact on and off the Hill. When Enrolled Agents bring real-world expertise to lawmakers and staff, it creates conversations that connect policy to what happens every day with taxpayers while building relationships that move the profession forward. This is a beloved event by members. If you are interested in attending and you are a member, register this month before spaces fill up.

Attend the most impactful advocacy event of the year!

Enrolled Agent Advocacy Week Across the Nation

EA Advocacy Week helps connect Enrolled Agents with local representatives and reinforces a message every taxpayer benefits from: the EA credential matters, and the EA voice belongs in tax administration decisions.

See the Impact EAs Made in 2025

Education

In 2025, NAEA delivered 300+ webinars and provided members with 40+ IRS/CTEC credits at no cost. Education keeps licensure current and supports the ethical, informed work the EA credential represents as tax law and guidance evolve.

Explore upcoming education opportunities

National Tax Practice Institute (NTPI)

NTPI marks 40 years of defining tax representation excellence, with levels designed to meet Enrolled Agents at different stages of experience. NTPI is one of the longest standing IRS representation programs for a reason. With expert instructors, hands-on learning experiences, and one of the most uniquely designed programs, more tax professionals turn to NTPI to excel in their representation careers. Are you ready to take the next step with your career? Sign up this month for NTPI level 1 or 3 at Tax Summit or level 2 virtually in June or in-person in October.

Learn more about becoming an NTPI Fellow

Tax Summit

Tax Summit brings a wide variety of CE/CPE together in one place (IRS, CTEC, and newly added NASBA approval) paired with networking designed to create connections that last. This month, in honor of National Enrolled Agent Month, NAEA is offering $150 off Early Bird tickets. Hop over to the registration page for the discount code! This is a special year full of celebrations (40 years of NTPI and 20 years of PAC). We want all EAs at Tax Summit 2026!

Register and join a momentous year!

Schuldiner/Smollan Leadership Academy (SSLA)

SSLA is built on a simple idea: leadership should be learned, practiced, and passed on to strengthen the profession. It is a focused leadership development experience designed to build stronger voices, stronger connections, and stronger advocates within chapters, within NAEA, and across the profession.

Start lEAding as an EA and attend SSLA this May—Learn More

Community

Enrolled Agents Month is a reminder that the credential is more than a designation. It’s a network of professionals who show up for each other. From events to chapters to online communities, NAEA helps make connection easier, whether engagement happens locally, nationally, online, or in person.

Explore ways to connect:

Join NAEA this National Enrolled Agents Month!

NAEA membership means you’re never alone. You’re connected to fellow EAs through local chapters, national events, online communities, and a network that shows up when it matters. You also get the education and resources you need to grow your career—plus advocacy that never quits. It’s a professional association that fights for enrolled agents and for taxpayer rights. Join NAEA today and let us get to work for you!

Make the Credential Easier to Recognize

This month is a chance to help more people understand the Enrolled Agent credential: what it means, why it matters, and how Enrolled Agents protect taxpayer rights through representation.

The profession grows stronger when Enrolled Agents show up visibly and consistently. The impact made every day deserves recognition this month and all year.

Post once. Tag a peer. Share what “EA” means.

 

 

FAQ

Is an Enrolled Agent federally licensed?

Yes. Enrolled Agents earn the privilege to represent taxpayers before the IRS and have broad practice rights.

Is EA the highest credential the IRS awards?

Yes. The IRS describes enrolled agent status as the highest credential it awards.

Where can taxpayers verify or find an Enrolled Agent?

NAEA hosts the Find a Tax Expert Directory, a tool taxpayers and professionals can use to find an EA. Additionally, they can use IRS credentialed preparer tools and directories found on the IRS website.