United States · Licensing examWhen is your enrolled agent renewal due?
The first row is the window the IRS lists. The other two are our count from Circular 230, which sets the three groups and has each one apply between November 1 and January 31 of every third year. The IRS opened the current window a month earlier, on October 1, so check its page when your turn comes.
If you first enroll after November 1 and before April 2 of a renewal period, you don’t renew until the next full period.
| Last digit of your SSN | Renewal window |
|---|---|
| 7, 8 or 9, or no SSN | October 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027 (IRS) |
| 0, 1, 2 or 3 | November 1, 2027, to January 31, 2028 (our count) |
| 4, 5 or 6 | November 1, 2028, to January 31, 2029 (our count) |
How do you renew?
- Make sure your continuing education hours are done.
- Renew your PTIN too. That’s every year, between mid-October and December 31.
- File Form 8554 at Pay.gov, which the IRS says is the fastest way to get your new card, or mail it with a $140 check or money order to the IRS in Franklin, Tennessee.
- Wait for approval. Processing takes about 90 days, and your renewal isn’t in effect until it’s approved and you get your new enrollment card. To check on it after March 31, call 855-472-5540.
The IRS may run a suitability check as part of renewal, including a background check and a look at your personal and business tax compliance.
Your enrollment card and enrolled agent number
When the IRS approves your enrollment or renewal, it issues a card or certificate showing your current status. On Form 2848, the power of attorney form, an enrolled agent enters the enrollment card number.
Enrolled agent status: active, inactive and retired
If you don’t meet the continuing education requirement and don’t get a waiver, you’re placed on the roster of inactive enrolled agents. While inactive you can’t practice before the IRS, and you can’t use the terms “enrolled agent” or “EA”.
Form 8554 also lets you ask to be placed in Inactive Retirement status. It isn’t available to anyone under suspension or disbarment.
Keep your contact details current with the Office of Enrollment, through its online form, by fax on 855-889-7959 or by mail.
Sources: IRS · Treasury Department Circular 230 (Rev. 6-2014 and 2 more. Checked October 2026.
- IRS: Maintain your enrolled agent status ↗
- IRS: Form 8554, Application for Renewal of Enrollment (Rev. 11-2022, PDF) ↗
- Treasury Department Circular 230 (Rev. 6-2014, PDF) ↗
- IRS: Instructions for Form 2848 (Rev. September 2021, PDF) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.