Three credentials can represent you before the IRS - attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents - and around them swirls an industry of sales floors dressed as professional firms. This lesson is the neutral comparison plus the verification habit that protects you from the rest.

The Three Credentials, Honestly

All three hold full practice rights before the IRS; the form treats them identically. The differences are structural. Attorneys bring privilege - what you tell a lawyer is protected in civil and criminal matters alike, where accountant communications can be compelled - and litigation, since only attorneys file and try the Tax Court case whose possibility prices every settlement. CPAs are accounting professionals first: returns, books, complex financial work, indispensable in their lane. Enrolled agents are IRS-credentialed practitioners, often economical and capable at the routine representation tiers. The honest matching rule: sensitive facts or high stakes point to an attorney; complex accounting points to a CPA; straightforward representation can suit an EA - and serious cases often use a team, with the attorney engaging the accountant under privilege.

The Five Questions

Before any money moves, ask: Who exactly will work my case, and what is their license? Will you file a Form 2848, and when? What is your actual assessment of my situation - paths and tradeoffs, not a program pitch? How are fees structured, and what happens if the strategy changes? And what should I do today? Legitimate professionals answer all five instantly; script-readers pivot to pennies-on-the-dollar regardless of your facts. One more tell: an honest practitioner will sometimes say you do not need to hire anyone - the cheapest credibility test in the industry.

The Verification Habit

Trust nothing claimed on a phone; verify against sources. State bar and accountancy board sites confirm licenses and discipline history in minutes. The IRS's records show whether a 2848 was actually filed for you. Your own transcripts show whether any work was ever done - offers, agreements, and determinations all post as account actions. And anyone promising a settlement before reviewing your finances is reciting marketing, because the offer in compromise runs on math nobody computed on a sales call. Take all five questions to anyone you are considering - including me. The free consultation here answers them on the spot.