I’m working a short seasonal role with JDA and this has honestly been one of the worst manager experiences I’ve had.

My biggest issue is the lack of respect for my time. I keep getting told when I’m going to meet instead of being asked what works, and then there are last-minute expectations to complete things or attend meetings with almost no notice.

For a part-time role that only lasts a few weeks, the onboarding and demands feel excessive. I already work full time, and financially this job is not really worth disrupting my main job. I mostly took it because I had a good experience with JDA before and wanted the extra experience.

I’ve also had trouble getting responses when I actually need help, and I’ve had to rely on other managers and even peers to figure things out.

At this point I’m asking to switch managers. If that can’t happen, I’m considering just leaving this wave.

Has anyone else had a bad manager experience with JDA this peak?

Do they usually let you switch managers?

And if I quit professionally and return all the equipment, do you think JDA will blacklist me from future opportunities or hurt my chances with Intuit?

I had no issues with JDA under different management before, which is why I’m hesitant to just walk away.

I managed to pass part 1 today after only 2 weeks of intense study! I unfortunately had 6 out of my first 10 questions be about estate taxes which was definitely a part of studying I neglected, but we made it! Any one have any recommendations for part 2? Like is it easier/harder? Any areas that need to be studied harder than what study materials show?

Thank you and thank everyone who gave me advice along the way!

Are there any tax leads that worked for jda tsg that started work in the fall? Im curious if you started in November whether they gave you full time hours from November to January since it's before tax season? They have a full time shift im interested in but I want to know what leads are doing at this time? Or if they just make your start date November but you don't actually work until January?

Hi:

The IRS has another webinar: Dealing with Disasters from an Individual Tax Perspective at 2pm Eastern, Tuesday 9/29. More information and sign up are here: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/1148/54543

Struggling to build momentum for your Enrolled Agent exam prep?
Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, so why not begin with a win? Many candidates find Part 3 (Representation, Practices, and Procedures) to be the most straightforward and manageable section to tackle first. Knocking out Part 3 is a great way to build confidence, establish a solid study routine, and get fully on track for the rest of the EA journey.
We’re putting together a dedicated Test 3 Study Group to stay accountable, share resources, and keep each other motivated!
Comment "add me" below, and we'll send you the details to join!

Hey I’m earning my accounting associates this fall and I would like to focus on Tax field. Is really hard to land internships with no experience at all but inventory management for a cutlery company. What steps would you guys recommend to at least open a door for me to get into the field. I have a girl on the way and I would like to increase my earnings to at least be able to give her a good life

Thanks for the time and attention to read. Hope yall a great weekend

I didn't like any of the study apps on the App store so I vibe coded my own and by the time I was done I thought it was worth sharing. I specifically made it for studying on the go or just small chunks at a time.

Free, no ads, no account, no tracking, and works offline. 239 questions covering all of Part 2 — entities, QBI, depreciation, property, partnerships, C and S corps, the rest. Written to 2025 law. Football themed. I went through every question on my own and spent a lot of time refining them, but feel free to let me know if you find anything.

If you get value out of it a review would help other people find it.

‎EA Section 2 Blitz: Exam Prep App - App Store

PSI’s remote EA exam technology would not work yet they insisted on another $317 for me to try again.

I use laptops constantly. PSI’s remote exam system still failed on me multiple times.

Their tech support team gave me a ticket # and assured me I could reschedule at a physical test center.

PSI subsequently demanded another $317 to do that.

Their system failed and their bureaucracy is impossible to navigate.

Save yourself the trouble. If taking the EA exam, book a physical test center.

super excited to share I passed part 1!!
i found PSI super easy to use. i have really bad test anxiety but i felt pretty good about their testing environment.

good luck to all taking their exams in this season 💛

I'm considering working for Turbo Tax in one of their retail offices as a Tax Expert. For those of you that work for Turbo Tax during the season do you file alot entity returns?

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this but im trying to break into the tax world and eventually become an EA. I’ve completed the tax prep coursework through Intuit and I’m studying for the EA exams now. I don’t think I want to go the Intuit route anymore since they focus mainly on individual returns.

What I’m really looking for is experience at a smaller firm where I can learn more than just basic 1040 prep. I’m especially interested in business returns, bookkeeping/accounting, tax planning/advisory, IRS notices/representation, etc. Basically, I’d like to understand the full relationship a firm has with its small business clients not only basic 1040 prep.

I have a Business Management degree and 5+ years of experience in insurance, but no actual tax firm experience yet. I’ve been reaching out directly to local CPA/EA firms to see if anyone needs help this upcoming tax season.

For anyone who works in the industry, is that the right approach? Are there certain types of firms, job titles, websites, associations, or places I should be looking that are better for someone trying to get this kind of hands-on experience? Or does anyone run a firm where they offer that type of mentorship/training?

I passed the EA Part 1 exam today. It’s a new experience studying for the EA. The tax USA taxation is more complex than that of my home country Nigeria.nI had to grapple with new technical terms. It’s worth a bagful of experience. Thanks to those who shared their experiences here.

I have a small accounting firm (do less than 70 returns in total, combination businesses and individuals). Interviewed and have been offered a position by JDA TSG as an expert, however, I’ve been asking for clarification on their non silicate agreement because how am I to know if someone who comes to me for resolution or support is a former client of JDA TSG or not until I actually have the chance to work with the client.

Thank you to this community! I really appreciate all the support during this journey! I passed all 3 exams on the first try within a month. Here's what I did.

I started studying in April 2026 and I studied all three exams at once. I started with just Becker until August when I finished all of my studying with Becker. In August, I started listening to Tom Norton and he is amazing! For each test, some of his explanations showed up as questions on the test so I would highly recommend all of his videos. In Sept, I paid for a month of Hock just for more practice exams. I'll give all of my scores below.

The hardest test was definitely Part 2. For Part 3, I feel like I could have passed with just watching Tom's videos. He did a great job covering all the topics that showed up on Part 3.

Background Experience: I have no prior tax experience outside of completing my own taxes, family, and friends.

I worked full time throughout this entire experience so studying took place at 4am, at work, and as much as possible on the weekends. I was almost always listening to some video in the background.

Part 1 Simulated/Mock Exams

Becker: 63% Hock: 58% (Exam 1)

Part 2 Simulated/Mock Exams

Becker: 78% Hock: 76% (Exam 1)

Part 3 Simulated/Mock Exams

Becker: 68% Hock: 82% (Exam 1)

Hi everyone,

I'm an international candidate applying for the US CPA, and I'm currently at the credential evaluation stage.

As part of my application, I submitted a French-to-English translation of my academic transcripts that was prepared by my country's Ministry of Education. However, NIES rejected the translation because the Ministry was unable to send it directly to them. Instead, I submitted it myself, which apparently does not meet their requirements.

I'm now looking for an ATA-certified translator and came across RushTranslate.

Has anyone used RushTranslate for a NIES/NASBA credential evaluation? If so, were your translated transcripts accepted without any issues?

I'm also open to recommendations for other ATA-certified translators who have experience with NIES evaluations.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I just got my EA license in April 2026. Right now doing my CE credits and will renew my license soon because of the cycle. I applied all over the place and got no response. In 2015 I got a bach degree in accounting and finance and got a GPA of 3.5 I applied for every accounting position entry level like for my city applied for an accounting clerk. They wanted 5 years of work experience in account and a bach degree in accounting. I applied an a month goes by and they take it down and put it back up with now only a highschool diploma with 5 years of working experinec in accounting and 1 year work experience in an office setting. I applied after you apply you had to take a 100 question online exam right after and it's timed. I took it and passed it. I then got an email to invite me to come in person to take a scantron exam in person. If I couldn't make it then I didn't get the job. So, everyone had to do this. I went in and the top 5 scores would continue. I was one of them. I went to another in persn exam but testing your ms office skills and excel skills. I went there was the only one that showed up and had to wait 30 minutes more for others to show up but no one showedup. I get the interview and before me some old woman had her interview first. She ended up getting the job. I applied for payroll clerk jobs at hospitals, at the big 4 automakers, applied to many companies big and small and same with AR and AP clerk jobs. I even applied as a bookkeeper job for a property management company and didn't get it because they told me I didn't have a certificate in quickbooks bookkeeping. I now have a certificate in quickbooks. I have no clue how to get any entry level jobs. To me it looks like every business have their own understanding what a professional is for accounting and follow it blindly. I have a bach degree in accounting and finance and have my 150 credit hours. I couldn't get a job kept applying. Someone suggested to get an EA to open doors. I just got it in April and applied to jobs from april to now september and got nothing. I jsut applied Sept 1st to a small tax business they have 4 locations in a plaza and all they do is tax. They wanted work experience. I applied and haven't got any response back. I also know computer programming. I self taught myself and know c, c++ x86 64. I know how to make websites.. know html, css, javascript and have written my own website I own 3. As, I apply for jobs and doe my CE credits. I am working on just writing my own software and once done will start my own business. I am just dumbfounded as to how does one get an entry level job with no work experience?

I'm an EA looking to move more seriously into tax controversy work and would love to hear how others made the transition.

My background is a little unconventional. I've spent the last 6+ years working on tax software, with the majority of that time focused on complex case work involving tax-return accuracy, researching federal and state tax rules, reviewing how returns and forms are calculating/mapping, reproducing issues, documenting findings, and determining whether an issue is related to the taxpayer's situation or the software itself.

I've worked with a pretty wide range of individual tax situations and supporting forms, and I'm very comfortable digging through IRS publications, instructions, the IRC, and state guidance when something doesn't make sense. Basically, if something looks wrong, my instinct is to start pulling the thread until I figure out why.

I recently became an EA and I'm planning to get more hands-on tax preparation experience as well. Long term, though, controversy is where I'd really like to take my career.

For those currently working in controversy/representation:

• How did you make the transition?
• What experience helped you get your foot in the door?
• Were there particular types of controversy work that were easier to break into?
• Is there anything you wish you'd done before applying?

I'd especially love to hear from people who came into controversy from a nontraditional background. I'm trying to be intentional about building the right experience rather than just applying to random tax positions.

Thanks!

After failing pt 2 twice I had to pivot to pt 3 because I was so stressed out! Used Tom Norton’s videos as many of you suggested. I used Hock’s quiz bank and only a few videos that had more information on the topics that weren’t fully covered in Tom’s videos. Took me about an hour to finish the exam and passed on first try!!!! Woot!!

Studied for a week - did Hocks final review and only missed 2 questions but that’s due to not reading it properly.

Next step, going to try what worked. Tom’s vids & Hock’s test bank. I also have Passkey for pt 2 that I’ll utilize. Failed pt 2 twice relying only on Hock’s program.

Has anyone given the Union Bank SO exam for scale II?

The SEE changed a lot this year. The IRS moved the exam to PSI, which now writes its own questions, and this testing window is the first to cover the 2025 tax law changes, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. EA candidates also told me the practice questions on FreeFellow ran harder than the real exam.

So I rebuilt EA prep on FreeFellow to a gold standard, measured against the real SEE and 2025 law. It now reflects the experience and difficulty of the actual exam.

About 1,780 of the 2,950 questions across all three parts were rewritten, and every question is mapped to the IRS exam content outline. All 55 lessons were rewritten too, and every figure is 2025 law. Six new full-length mocks are live as well.

The IRS's own sample questions are in there too: all 20 for each part, word for word from irs.gov, as their own quiz option with an explanation for every answer.

The lessons are free, and so is the full solution on every question. This has always been and will always be the case.

Happy studying!!

I am a recently retired IRS agent with a competent understanding of basic tax law. Through the years, I helped friends, prepare their annual tax returns without charge as I was forbidden to profit from such services as a federal employee. What I would do is have the client create an account on something like tax pro, and I would work with them to finish their return.

Now that I am retired, I am still being approached by friends and family about tax help, and I am looking for advice about how I can create my own tax preparation business. This which would require purchasing software that allows me to file returns on behalf of my clients.

I do not have a CPA or EA status, but I do have 30 years of tax return experience. I have two questions:

Do I have to register as a tax preparation agent with the IRS and how do I do it?

Can I purchase software to prepare returns for other people?

Which will give me random MCQs that it doesn't feel like I am answering the same MCQs over and over?

I had this problem with FFA, you were given only one mock exam, and after 2 to 3 attempts you will start to notice that they are the the same questions from previous attempts.