New Business & New Employer Workshops (2012)

The Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, NMSEA, and NMCPAS in partnership with the New Mexico Dept of Tax & Revenue will present New Business Workshops (Combined Reporting System) in Albuquerque. For 2012, Steve Stauss, EA, NMSEA will conduct the Spanish language New Business Workshops. The meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, visit:

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=99144,00.html

The Skinny on EA Renewals and Applications (NAEA E@lert January 6, 2012)

EAs have experienced a variety of processing issues in recent months. The main troubles fall into two categories: renewals (Forms 8554) for those in the delayed renewal cycle (SSNs terminating in 4, 5, or 6) and applications (Forms 23) for those who are seeking to become enrolled agents. We'll cover these individually and also comment on the current renewal cycle based on conversations NAEA staff had this week with RPO leadership.

NAEA has been working with enrolled agents whose renewal requests have been delayed. Readers are aware of this from the several items we've included in E@lert over the past months, including our call for members to contact us if they had not received their cards by December 1, 2011. NAEA in December sent roughly 200 EA names to RPO, which we are told helped the office uncover a processing glitch. We are informed that all Forms 8554 submitted before November 28, 2011 have been processed and cards issued. If for any reason you fall in this camp and have not received your EA card, please email the GR team kdrake@naea.org and include your EA number, the date you applied, and your pay.gov confirmation number (if you renewed online) and we'll request action on your behalf.

In an effort to process the backlog of renewals from the delayed renewal cycle, IRS has put aside Form 23 processing. We've received a number of inquiries from EA applicants and can report that IRS is working overtime to process this backlog. RPO expects that by January 30th (yes, of this year for those of you doubters out there!) the Form 23 inventory will be current and back to its standard 60 day response time.

During this backlog it has been difficult (if not impossible) to communicate either by email or telephone with the Detroit office that processes EA applications and renewals. RPO is aware of these issues (if not before NAEA started our lengthy back-and-forth on renewal/application troubles then certainly afterward!) and expects to resolve phone and email issues by the end of the month.

The delays have been frustrating for EAs (and prospective EAs). RPO has been as responsive as possible particularly considering the new organization took control of the Detroit processing site in October. To quote from a message NAEA received from RPO: "We apologize for the delays, and are diligently working to catch up on the inventory issues created by the delayed renewal cycle. We will continue to work with you...[and] thank you for your understanding and patience." Further, please do not be concerned about your license to practice being terminated--RPO has assured NAEA that the annual termination will not be run until all processing issues have been resolved.

But Wait! We Have More on EA Renewals

EAs with SSNs terminating in 7, 8, or 9 are in cycle right now (the standard renewal cycle runs from November 1 through January 31). Our conversations with RPO leadership indicate that these renewals will begin processing no later than January 30th. The GR team has heard through the membership grapevine that at least one member in cycle right now has already received his EA card, so we remain guardedly optimistic about the timeliness of your cards.

Those of you who have not yet sent in your renewal request can learn from the mistakes of others:

Use Form 8554, NOT Form 8554-EP! The Form 8554 is for enrolled agent renewal while the Form 8554-EP is for enrolled retirement plan agent (ERPA) renewal. Using the wrong form wil

Include your PTIN on the form. Amongst other things, this allows RPO to link your EA file with your PTIN file. Also, please don't argue that you don't file returns and therefore do not need a PTIN. You are guaranteed to lose this argument (and at the same time irritate the very people who are saying grace over your renewal request). RPO suggests online renewal (through pay.gov). While we have not yet seen any evidence this speeds your renewal, it does at the very least give you proof of transmission and eliminates transcription error, both of which are good things.