Laid Off? How to Test Tax Preparation as a Career Change
Last reviewed: July 16, 2026.
A layoff creates pressure to replace income quickly. That is exactly when a story about earning $200,000 in four months can do harm.
The earlier version of this article described a supposedly repeatable Colorado family-office practice run by “Marcus.” We could not verify that person, revenue, client count, schedule, or history. The story has been removed.
What tax can offer
The IRS examination route to enrolled-agent status does not list a college degree requirement. EAs generally have unlimited representation rights before the IRS. Tax firms may offer seasonal, permanent, in-person, or remote roles depending on experience and operations.
Those facts make tax worth investigating. They do not establish a salary, timeline, recession immunity, or client pipeline.
Current entry costs
For 2026, the required examination-route fees are:
- PTIN: $18.75
- three SEE parts: $317 each, or $951 total
- Form 23: $140
- minimum before preparation or retakes: $1,109.75
A lower-risk sequence
- Preserve cash and do not buy a premium course immediately.
- Take free diagnostics for all three exam parts.
- Read several current job postings and record disclosed pay, experience, hours, and location requirements.
- Ask reputable firms how they train and review beginners.
- Decide whether you want preparation work, AFSP participation, or full EA representation authority.
- Budget a retake and a longer search than marketing pages promise.
An EA can support a tax career, but the credential does not replace supervised experience, client acquisition, software, security, or business operations.
Related: Career Change to Tax Preparation · EA Exam Cost Breakdown · Remote Tax Jobs