What credentials do your tax preparers have?

Zenith Financial employs Enrolled Agents (EAs) and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) who specialize in US expat and cross-border taxation. Our team holds the highest professional credentials recognized by the IRS for tax preparation and representation.

Enrolled Agents (EAs) are tax professionals licensed directly by the IRS. They have earned this designation by passing the rigorous three-part Special Enrollment Examination, which covers individual taxation, business taxation, and representation/ethics. EAs are authorized to represent taxpayers before all levels of the IRS — including audits, collections, and appeals — and they are the only tax professionals whose credentials are granted by the federal government specifically for tax expertise.

Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) hold state-licensed credentials that require passing the Uniform CPA Exam, meeting education requirements, and completing experience requirements. CPAs with international tax expertise have typically pursued additional training and specialization beyond the standard certification.

Beyond their core credentials, our team members maintain expertise through: Annual continuing education requirements focused on international tax law; Membership in professional organizations such as the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) and American Institute of CPAs (AICPA); Regular training on tax treaty developments and IRS international enforcement updates; and specialization in cross-border tax issues that general tax preparers rarely encounter.

What sets our team apart is specialization. General tax preparers may handle a few expat returns per year, while our team prepares hundreds of cross-border returns annually. This focused experience means we are intimately familiar with the nuances of FEIE, FTC, FBAR, FATCA, PFIC, treaty provisions, and the many other complexities of international tax.

Every return prepared at Zenith undergoes a multi-level review process: the assigned preparer completes the return, a senior reviewer checks all positions and calculations, and a final quality assurance review is conducted before delivery to the client.