Flashcards · Finance & Accounting

EA Flashcards

intermediate 22 cards

Free flashcards for the Enrolled Agent (SEE) exam: flip each card to reveal the definition. Built from the EA glossary as a study aid, these are concept checks, not real exam questions. Tax law changes yearly, so confirm current rules with the IRS.

By The Exam Atlas Editorial Team · Verified 2026-06-07

All 22 terms

Enrolled Agent (EA)
A tax practitioner federally authorised to represent taxpayers before the IRS; the highest IRS credential.
SEE
Special Enrollment Examination - the three-part exam to become an EA.
Part 1 - Individuals
The SEE part covering individual income tax (income, deductions, credits, basis).
Part 2 - Businesses
The SEE part covering business entities and their tax; the broadest part.
Part 3 - Representation
The SEE part covering practice before the IRS, ethics and procedures.
PTIN
Preparer Tax Identification Number - required to prepare returns and to sit the SEE.
Circular 230
The Treasury Department rules governing practice and ethics before the IRS.
Unlimited representation rights
The right to represent any taxpayer on any tax matter before any IRS office.
Form 23
The application for enrollment to practise as an EA, filed after passing the SEE.
Form 8554
The form used to renew EA enrollment every three years.
Form 2848
Power of Attorney, authorising a representative to act for a taxpayer before the IRS.
Enrollment cycle
The three-year period over which EAs renew and complete continuing education.
Continuing education (CPE)
72 hours per three-year cycle (including 6 ethics hours) to keep EA status.
Scaled passing score
500 on a 200-800 scale is needed to pass each SEE part.
Carryover period
The three years a passed SEE part stays valid before enrollment.
Basis
The amount (usually cost, adjusted) used to figure gain, loss or depreciation.
Pass-through entity
A business (e.g. partnership or S corporation) whose income is taxed to its owners.
Schedule K-1
The form reporting each partner's or shareholder's share of pass-through income.
Self-employment tax
Social Security and Medicare tax paid by the self-employed on their net earnings.
Independent Office of Appeals
The IRS office where taxpayers can dispute an examination result.
Statute of limitations (assessment)
Generally three years from filing for the IRS to assess additional tax (longer for major understatements or fraud).
Disbarment
The most severe Circular 230 sanction - barring a practitioner from practice before the IRS.