Accredited Tax Advisor

ACAT Step 1

ATA logo

The Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA) is a leading national credential for practitioners who handle sophisticated tax planning issues, including planning for owners of closely held businesses, planning for the highly compensated, choosing qualified retirement plans and performing estate tax planning. Their expertise covers tax returns for individuals, business entities, fiduciaries, trusts and estates, as well as tax planning, tax consulting and ethics.

To become an ATA, you must pass the ATA examination which is offered twice a year at testing centers around the country. Candidates for the ATA must be at least 18 years of age and must have a minimum of three (3) years of professional experience.


 

Experience Requirements

ACAT seeks to ensure that all accredited individuals possess the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to be successful practitioners. For that reason, candidates for accreditation must satisfy a three-year experience requirement before becoming fully credentialed.

ATA candidates must have three years of experience tax preparation, compliance, tax planning and consulting, of which 40% must be in tax planning and consulting. A tax season (January through April) is considered one year.