CERTIFICATIONS

Certifications

Our administrative staff are dedicated to keeping updated with the latest regulations. While continuing education is not required for doing some administrative work, all our administrators get at least 6 hours of continuing education per year. Most of our retirement administrators have the ERPA designation (see below). Those that do not are working on getting that designation. Our policy is that administrators get that designation in the first three years of doing administration. Look for that designation in their signatures.

ERPA: A New Category of Practitioner
T he IRS originally established that only those authorized to practice before the IRS can sign the Form 2848, Power of Attorney, including attorneys, certified public accountants, actuaries, appraisers and enrolled agents. This position has hindered retirement plan professionals who do not have the above listed designations from communicating with the IRS on determination letter requests and IRS audits.

Recognizing that retirement plan professionals want an active and critical role in representing taxpayers before the IRS on retirement plan matters, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TE/GE) of the IRS implemented recommendations made by the Advisory Committee for Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT) that a new category of practitioner be created, “Enrolled Retirement Plan Agent,” or “ERPA.” The ERPA program is established under Circular 230 of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and will be administered by OPR and TE/GE.

What is an ERPA?
An ERPA is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the IRS. ERPAs are restricted as to which taxpayers they can represent and to specific tax matters. An ERPA’s scope of practice before the IRS is limited to certain sections of the Internal Revenue Code relating to retirement plan matters. https://erpaexam.org/IRS_ERPA_Brochure-Tri_Fold.pdf


STAFF WITH ERPA AND OTHER DESIGNATIONS
Maureen Carsey, ERPA
Sandra Tyler, ERPA
Joe Zagunis, ERPA
Jeff Brown, ERPA, QKA, QPA, CPC
Marc Smith, ERPA
Rene' Jones, MBA, ERPA
Greg I. Jones, ERPA