The EA Exam Just Got $99 Cheaper. Nobody Noticed.
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026. This article reflects current IRS user fees and PSI testing fees as of this date.
On April 20, 2026, the IRS published something in the Federal Register that almost nobody read. The user fee for each part of the Special Enrollment Examination dropped from $99 to $66.
That's $99 saved across all three parts. Not life-changing money. But combined with the other changes to the EA exam this year. PSI taking over from Prometric, remote testing launching for international candidates. the total barrier to entry just got lower than it's been in years.
The IRS didn't announce this with a press release. Most of the EA prep industry hasn't updated their pricing pages. Gleim still lists old numbers. Surgent's cost breakdowns reference the Prometric era. The fee change slipped through while everyone was watching the PSI transition.
Here's what the numbers actually look like now.
The current per-part cost
Each part of the EA exam costs $66 in IRS user fees plus PSI's testing center fee. PSI's fee varies by location and whether you're testing in-person or remotely. The in-person fee at a US PSI test center is $209 per part. The remote proctoring fee for international candidates is $209 per part plus any local taxes or surcharges.
Total per part: $275 (US in-person) or $275+ (international remote).
Across all three parts: $825 for US candidates taking all three exams at a PSI test center. Add $18.75 for your PTIN and $140 for the enrollment fee after you pass (Form 23), and the total direct cost to become an Enrolled Agent is $983.75.
That's down from the $1,109.75 that every EA prep website was quoting six months ago. The difference is the $99 IRS user fee reduction plus the PSI testing fee being slightly lower than Prometric's was.
The numbers change if you take exams remotely from outside the US. International candidates pay the same $66 IRS user fee plus PSI's international remote proctoring fee, which varies by country. Check PSI's scheduling portal for your location.
What else changed
The fee reduction came as part of a broader update to IRS user fees across multiple programs. The EA exam wasn't singled out. The IRS periodically adjusts user fees to reflect actual costs of administering programs, and the EA exam came in under budget.
The PSI transition is the bigger story for most candidates. Prometric is gone. PSI runs the show now. Testing centers are different. Scheduling is different. The exam content didn't change. The cost went down. The logistics got more complicated in some ways and simpler in others.
The 2026-2027 testing window opened July 1, 2026 and runs through February 28, 2027. The annual blackout period in March and April is when the IRS updates the exam for new tax law. If you're studying now, you have until the end of February to sit for all three parts.
What this means if you're on the fence
The cost to become an EA was never the main barrier. The main barrier is passing three exams that each have a 60-75% pass rate depending on the part. But every time the cost drops, the "maybe I'll wait" calculation shifts slightly in favor of "maybe I'll start."
$983.75 total direct costs. No degree required. Three exams. Federal license with unlimited IRS representation rights. The math hasn't looked this good in years.
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Related: EA Exam Cost Breakdown 2026 · How to Schedule Your EA Exam With PSI · Remote EA Testing: What's Available Now · How to Become an Enrolled Agent in 2026