Enrolled Agent Near Me? A CPA Has the Same IRS Rights
If you are searching for an enrolled agent near me, what you actually need is a representative with unlimited practice rights before the IRS. A CPA has them. Catalyst CPA handles IRS and California tax problems from Moreno Valley across Riverside County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
Adham Abadier, CPA - California License #158599. Unlimited IRS practice rights under Circular 230.
Looking for an Enrolled Agent Near Me? Read This First.
An enrolled agent is credentialed by the IRS and can represent taxpayers in audits, collections, and appeals. So can a CPA and an attorney. Circular 230 section 10.3 grants all three the same unlimited practice rights, so the credential matters less than whether the person handles these cases regularly.
Plainly stated: Catalyst CPA is a licensed California CPA firm. Adham Abadier is not an enrolled agent. We are showing up for this search because a CPA holds the same IRS representation authority an enrolled agent holds, and we would rather tell you the difference than let you assume it.
If you have an audit letter, a balance you cannot pay, years you never filed, or a levy already in motion, the question to ask any representative is not which three letters follow their name. It is whether they can pull your transcripts, tell you what the IRS actually has on file, and give you a written plan and a flat fee before starting.
Enrolled Agent vs CPA: What Actually Differs
The honest comparison, so you can decide on facts rather than marketing.
Both Have Unlimited IRS Practice Rights
Under Circular 230 section 10.3, attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents may all represent any taxpayer before the IRS in any matter, including returns they did not prepare.
Who Issues the Credential
An enrolled agent is credentialed federally by the IRS. A CPA is licensed by a state board of accountancy. Ours is California, license #158599, verifiable on the state lookup.
What Only a CPA Can Do
Attest work. Audits, reviews, and compilations of financial statements require a CPA licence. Lenders that ask for CPA-prepared statements cannot accept an enrolled agent's.
What an Enrolled Agent Focuses On
The EA credential is tax-specific by design, earned through IRS examination or qualifying IRS employment. Many EAs practise exclusively in tax and representation.
Which One Should You Hire?
For representation alone, either works. If you also need books, payroll, financial statements, or entity planning from the same firm, a CPA covers the whole picture.
IRS Representation Work We Handle
Representation begins with a signed Form 2848 so we can see your account and speak to the IRS directly.
IRS Audit and Examination Representation
Correspondence and office examinations handled on your behalf, with the document requests answered once and answered properly.
Back Taxes and Balance-Due Cases
Transcripts pulled to establish what is genuinely owed, then the resolution path chosen from installment agreement, hardship status, or an offer.
Unfiled Returns and Substitute Returns
Missing years reconstructed and filed. When the IRS has already filed a substitute return for you, the real return usually lowers the balance.
Wage Garnishment and Bank Levies
Levy response and, where the deadline still allows it, a Collection Due Process request on Form 12153 to get the case in front of Appeals.
Penalty Abatement Requests
First-time abatement where the compliance history supports it, and reasonable-cause requests documented properly where it does not.
California FTB, CDTFA, and EDD Matters
State cases run on separate tracks with their own authorization forms. Resolving the federal balance alone leaves the state one collecting.
Enrolled Agent Near Me - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Catalyst CPA an enrolled agent?
Can a CPA represent me before the IRS like an enrolled agent?
Is an enrolled agent cheaper than a CPA?
Do I need an enrolled agent for an IRS audit?
What is Form 2848?
Do you handle California state tax problems too?
Get Represented by a Licensed CPA.
Book a free 30-minute review of your IRS problem. You will get a straight read on what the IRS has on file, what the realistic options are, and a flat fee in writing before anything begins.