IRS Representation · Tax Preparation & Planning
I’m Carrie, an Enrolled Agent in Chesapeake, VA, and I want to help you understand your tax situation.
I am married to a retired Senior Chief who spent 25 years in the Navy. I graduated from Old Dominion University with an accounting degree in 1993. My passion for taxes began in 1997 when I stepped into a tax preparation position with a national firm. I temporarily left the work force in 1998 to care for my family. By 2007, I reentered the workforce with that same national firm. Each year, I expanded my knowledge of more complex tax situations and assisted clients with their tax issues.
I was highly motivated to continue to learn, so I decided to pursue the IRS certification to be an Enrolled Agent. This certification includes a three-part test of one’s knowledge on individual tax, business tax, and regulations. By December 7, 2011, I had passed all three parts of that test and achieved my Enrolled Agent status. Passing the test allowed me more opportunities to expand my responsibilities beyond tax preparation to include representation of clients with IRS audits, Offer in Compromise, negotiation of installment payment plans, and a variety of other issues.
I expanded my exposure within the certification by joining the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA). This organization hosts a yearly three-day tax conference under the National Tax Practitioner Institute (NTPI) that focuses on the representation of taxpayers. The tax conference has three levels. After completing those three levels the member achieves being a Fellow within NTPI. I achieved that level in 2015.
In the world of taxation, you must continually educate yourself. I began working on my Master’s in Taxation in 2016 and completed my degree in 2017.
My passion to continue learning tax regulation is also coupled with the heart of educating the taxpayer in explaining their tax return or tax situations. The tax return is the perfect time to understand what happened in the past year and moving forward to make changes in the current year. I call it a success when I can improve a taxpayer’s life through educating and advising on tax issues.
What is an Enrolled Agent (EA)?
An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a federally-authorized tax practitioner who has demonstrated competence in tax law.
They are the only taxpayer representatives licensed to practice by the United States government. Only EAs, attorneys and CPAs may represent taxpayers without limitation before the IRS. EAs advise and represent taxpayers who are being examined by the IRS, taxpayers who are unable to pay, and taxpayers who wish to avoid or recover penalties.
We prepare tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, and any other entities with tax-reporting requirements. Unlike attorneys and CPAs, who may or may not choose to specialize in taxes, all EAs specialize in taxation and are required by the federal government to maintain their professional skills with continuing professional education.
