How do you check a tax preparer before you hire one?

Every paid preparer must have an IRS preparer tax identification number, sign your return and put that number on it, and only a CPA, an enrolled agent or an attorney can represent you before the IRS in any matter. Check the credential before you hire, and walk away from a preparer who takes a share of your refund or asks you to sign a blank form.

By ProTherapy Staffing, published November 6, 2026.

What does every paid preparer have to do?

Sign your return and put their preparer number on it. The IRS says that a paid tax return preparer “is primarily responsible for the overall substantive accuracy of your return and by law, is required to sign the return and include their preparer tax identification number (PTIN) on it.”

Check the copy that is filed, not only the one you keep. The IRS credentials guide says to make certain your preparer has a number “and enters it on your return filed with the IRS,” and adds: “They are not required to enter it on the copy they provide you.”

The signature does not move the responsibility off you. The same topic page says that “you’re ultimately accountable for the accuracy of every item reported on your return.”

What is the difference between a CPA, an enrolled agent and other preparers?

Mostly, who can speak for you to the IRS. The IRS explains that anyone with a preparer number may prepare returns, but that “tax professionals have differing levels of skills, education and expertise,” and that the important difference between types of practitioners is what it calls “representation rights.”

“Enrolled agents, certified public accountants, and attorneys have unlimited representation rights before the IRS,” the guide says, and they “may represent their clients on any matters including audits, payment/collection issues, and appeals.” Enrolled agents are licensed by the IRS itself; CPAs are licensed by state boards of accountancy; attorneys by state courts or bars.

Preparers in the IRS Annual Filing Season Program have limited rights, for returns they prepared and signed. A preparer with a number and no credential or program record has “no authority to represent clients before the IRS” for current returns.

If you want an offer split into taxable wage and stipends to bring to your preparer, ask a ProTherapy recruiter: Find my next contract.

Why does representation matter on a travel return?

Because a travel return carries the questions most likely to need answering later: whether you kept a tax home, why your stipends were left out of wages, and how your income was split across states. If the IRS asks about any of them, the person who can answer for you is the one with representation rights.

The IRS advises you to “choose a tax return preparer you’ll be able to contact in case the IRS examines your return and has questions regarding how your return was prepared.” A preparer who is gone after filing season cannot do that, whatever their skill.

How do you check a preparer's credential?

Look the person up before you hand over your documents. The IRS says its Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications “can help you find preparers in your area who currently hold professional credentials recognized by the IRS, or who hold an annual filing season program record of completion.”

For a CPA, the license comes from a state board. The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy runs CPAverify, a public search by name or license number.

A missing listing is not proof of a problem. The credentials guide says that preparers who have numbers “but are not listed in the directory may provide quality return preparation services, but choose any return preparer wisely. Always inquire about their education and training.”

What should make you walk away?

A fee tied to your refund, or a request to sign before the return is finished. The IRS tells taxpayers to “avoid tax return preparers who base their fees on a percentage of the refund or who offer to deposit all or part of your refund into their financial accounts,” to “be wary of tax return preparers who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others can,” and, in four words: “Never sign a blank tax form.”

A preparer who will not put their number on the filed return belongs on the same list. So does one who promises that every stipend is safe without asking where you lived and worked.

What should you bring to a first conversation?

Your records, and the questions a travel year raises. The IRS says that “good preparers will ask to see your records and receipts.” For a traveler that means each agency’s wage statement, your contract dates and states, and the evidence for your tax home; what to gather at year end lists them.

Then ask the preparer what credential they hold, whether they will sign the return and enter their number, how they handle filing in more than one state, and who would answer for you if the IRS writes. Finding a travel therapy CPA covers the questions about travel experience.

Frequently asked questions

Does a tax preparer have to sign my return?

Yes. The IRS says a paid tax return preparer is required by law to sign the return and include their preparer tax identification number on it. They are not required to enter it on the copy they give you, so check the filed return.

What is the difference between a CPA and an enrolled agent for taxes?

Both can represent you before the IRS in any matter, including audits, collection issues and appeals. Enrolled agents are licensed by the IRS; CPAs are licensed by state boards of accountancy.

How can I check a tax preparer's credentials?

Search the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications, and for a CPA, the state board's license records, which NASBA's CPAverify searches by name or license number.

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