How to verify a tax professional before you hire

A practical step-by-step check of a tax professional: PTIN, credential, discipline, fees, signature and refund routing, plus warning signs.

Paying someone to prepare your taxes or speak to the IRS puts your finances in their hands, and you remain responsible for what is filed in your name. Ten minutes of checking is cheap insurance. This guide gives a practical order of steps based on IRS guidance. General information, not advice.

1. Ask for a PTIN

The IRS says anyone can be a paid tax return preparer as long as they have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number. Paid preparers must put the PTIN on the return. If a preparer will not give you a PTIN, walk away. A PTIN shows registration with the IRS, not qualification.

2. Check the credential

The IRS maintains a Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications. It lists attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents and others, and participants in the Annual Filing Season Program. CPAs should also be checked with the state board of accountancy and attorneys with the state bar. The IRS table on credentials and representation rights shows how to verify each type.

The listings on this site come from the IRS's public preparer file. They say a practitioner is "listed as an Enrolled Agent in the IRS preparer file." The file does not say whether an enrollment is active today, so confirm in the IRS directory. We do not say anyone is approved or endorsed by the IRS.

3. Check for discipline and complaints

Search the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility's published disciplinary actions for the person's name, and check your state board or bar for CPAs and attorneys. A name match is not proof the same person is involved, so compare location and credential. A clean record does not guarantee quality, and absence from a list is not an endorsement.

4. Understand how they charge

Ask for the fee in writing: flat, hourly or per form. Be cautious about anyone who bases the fee on a percentage of your refund or who promises a larger refund than others before seeing your documents. Ask what is included, such as e-filing, a copy of the return and help with a later notice, and what costs extra.

5. Make sure they sign, and you review

A paid preparer must sign the return and include a PTIN. Do not use anyone who will not sign, and never sign a blank return. Read the return before it is filed, and ask for an explanation of anything you do not understand. Ask for a full copy and the filing confirmation.

6. Route the refund to you

Check that any refund goes to an account in your name. Be wary of arrangements where the preparer receives the refund and deducts a fee without a clear agreement.

Warning signs

• Fee as a percentage of the refund.
• No PTIN, no signature, or a request to sign a blank form.
• Guarantees of a refund, or of settling a debt for "pennies on the dollar".
• A temporary office, or no way to reach them after filing season. The IRS warns about "ghost" preparers who disappear with client information and money.
• Asking you to put false information on a return.

Worked example (made-up): two quotes arrive. One preparer asks for a flat $300 and shows a PTIN that you find in the IRS directory. Another asks for 10 percent of your expected refund and says the PTIN will "come later". The second fails steps 1 and 4 before you have compared prices.

If you need representation

If a notice or audit is involved, the person must be eligible to represent you: an enrolled agent, CPA or attorney with unlimited rights, or an AFSP participant with limited rights on returns they prepared. You authorize them with Form 2848. Read what the form covers and list only the years and matters you want. If something goes wrong, the IRS accepts complaints about preparers who act improperly. See what to do when you get an IRS notice and Enrolled Agent vs CPA vs tax preparer.

Official sources: IRS: Choosing a tax professional and IRS: Understanding tax return preparer credentials and qualifications.

A five-minute routine

1. Write down the exact name, business name, city and phone number.
2. Ask for the credential and PTIN, and write them down.
3. Search the IRS directory and, for CPAs and attorneys, the state board or bar.
4. Search the IRS disciplinary lists for the name.
5. Get the fee and scope in writing before sending documents.

Do all five before you hand over a Social Security number, bank details or tax documents. If anything does not match, ask about it. If the answer is unsatisfactory, move on to another practitioner.

What this site can and cannot confirm

This directory is built from the IRS's consolidated return preparer file. It keeps entries with an EA credential, a US business address and a phone number. That means a listing shows someone appeared in the IRS file with that credential. It cannot show current standing, discipline, insurance, quality or price, and the file can lag behind changes. Use us to find names and phone numbers, then verify with the IRS and your state. If you find that a listing is wrong, tell us on the corrections page.

If you already hired someone and have doubts

Ask for a copy of the return and engagement letter, check the PTIN and signature, and compare the numbers with your documents. If you think a preparer acted improperly, the IRS accepts complaints about preparers. If a refund was diverted or a return was filed without your approval, contact the IRS and consider the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Keeping a clear paper trail will make any later conversation easier.

Updated 2026-10-02.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Enrolled Agent Finder is not investment, tax, legal or financial advice. We are not an investment adviser, broker-dealer or tax professional, and we do not recommend any firm. Registration with the SEC or a state does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.