Last Updated On -08 Sep 2026

The Enrolled Agent Exam, officially known as the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE), is an important step for anyone planning a career in US taxation. For candidates in India, understanding how the exam is conducted, where it can be taken, and what the registration process involves is essential before beginning preparation.
The testing process changed in 2026 when the IRS appointed PSI as its new testing partner. As a result, information about the older Prometric exam centres may no longer apply. This guide explains the current status of Enrolled Agent Exam Centers in India, the remote testing process, registration steps, fees, and the career value of the EA credential.
An Enrolled Agent is the highest credential the IRS grants to a tax practitioner. Along with CPAs and attorneys, an EA gets unlimited rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS during audits, appeals, collections, and other tax matters.
There’s no degree requirement to become an Enrolled Agent. You need a PTIN, and you need to clear all three parts of the Enrolled Agent Exam. After that, you must apply for enrollment and pass the IRS suitability check.
Each part covers different ground: Individuals, Businesses, and Representation, Practices and Procedures. Every part runs for 3.5 hours and contains 100 questions, and you can attempt the parts in any order you like. The passing mark is a scaled score of 500 on a scale ranging from 200 to 800.
It sounds intimidating on paper, but most candidates we’ve guided find it easier to treat the SEE as three separate, manageable exams rather than one giant one.
Effective March 1, 2026, Prometric stopped developing and administering the SEE. PSI Services took over as the exam’s new vendor. Domestic testing under PSI began on July 1, 2026, while international testing the window that matters for candidates in India is scheduled to open on September 1, 2026.
If you heard about the Prometric Enrolled Agent process from a senior or mentor, that entire workflow is gone now. The old Prometric–IRS partnership ran the SEE for years without much disruption, so the change caught a fair few candidates off guard midway through their preparation.
Candidates who had passing scores banked under the old Prometric system don’t lose that credit. The IRS extended the three-year carryover window for scores that were set to expire during the transition months.
Everyone still needs to create a fresh profile on the PSI platform, though. Old Prometric logins simply won’t carry over.
Here’s the part most students actually want answered. For the 2026 international testing window, the Enrolled Agent Exam in India is moving to a fully remote process. That catches many candidates off guard when they sit down to register expecting a city list like before.
Historically, yes Prometric ran an Enrolled Agent Exam Center in Bangalore, along with centres in Hyderabad and New Delhi. These were the locations most Indian candidates travelled to for the test.
Under PSI, that isn’t how it works anymore. For the 2026 international testing cycle, the IRS states that international candidates can test only through remote online proctoring. There is no in-person international testing centre available in India or elsewhere outside the US under the current arrangement.
Honestly, we think this is a net positive, even though it removes something familiar. A candidate from a smaller town near Coimbatore or Nagpur no longer has to book a flight and hotel just to sit a 3.5-hour exam.
The catch is that PSI’s international policy has already shifted once this year. It’s worth checking the official IRS Enrolled Agent page close to your test date rather than trusting any blog, including this one, as the final word.
Remote proctoring through PSI means testing from a private room with a laptop or desktop, a working webcam, and a stable internet connection. A proctor checks your ID, reviews your room through the webcam, and monitors the entire session. No notes, no phone, no second monitor, and no one else is allowed in the room with you.
This sounds simple until you actually try to arrange it. One candidate we recently mentored wasn’t worried about US tax law at all; her real concern was finding four uninterrupted hours in a house with construction noise next door and patchy broadband.
That’s a genuine, practical hurdle for many Indian test-takers. It’s worth planning around it weeks before your exam date, not the night before.
Getting into the exam follows a fixed sequence:
You repeat this process for each part separately. You don’t need to clear the parts in a particular order or take them on consecutive dates.
Here’s a realistic breakdown of what the EA journey costs in 2026:
|
Expense |
Cost (USD) |
Approx. Cost (INR) |
|
PTIN Application |
$18.75 |
~₹1,650 |
|
SEE Fee (per part) |
$317 |
~₹27,000 |
|
SEE Fee (all 3 parts) |
$951 |
~₹81,000 |
|
IRS Enrollment (Form 23) |
$140 |
~₹12,000 |
These are the IRS’s current figures, so they may change if the fee structure is revised again. The INR amounts are rounded and will also vary with exchange rates.
On top of this, you may want to budget for a structured prep course. Pricing varies quite a bit between institutes, so it’s worth comparing what’s actually included test banks, mentor support, mock exams, and doubt-clearing sessions rather than looking only at the sticker price.
The career scope for an Enrolled Agent in India is growing. US accounting firms and Global Capability Centres operating from Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune need professionals who understand US tax law. For candidates with the right practical exposure, the EA credential can provide a direct route into this area of work.
Pay varies a fair bit depending on the firm, location, role, and how much direct US client exposure you get. Fresh EAs typically start somewhere between ₹5 lakh and ₹8 lakh a year in India. With three to five years of solid US tax experience, especially at a Big 4 firm or specialised US tax practice, that can climb into the ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh range for many professionals. Those handling client work directly may earn more.
That said, we’d be doing you a disservice if we made this sound automatic. The certificate alone doesn’t guarantee any of these numbers. It’s the credential paired with real tax-season experience that actually moves the needle.
At IIC Lakshya, our mentors keep seeing the same pattern: students who combine their EA preparation with an internship or live filing-season experience tend to outperform those who stop at the exam.
The old idea of Enrolled Agent Exam Centers in India as a physical, city-wise list doesn’t really apply anymore. What matters now is a working laptop, a quiet room, a valid PTIN, and a study plan that fits around your work or college schedule.
If you’re weighing whether the EA Exam fits your background, or you simply want help mapping out a realistic preparation timeline around the new PSI system, our counsellors at IIC Lakshya are happy to walk you through it with no pressure, just a proper plan before you spend on registration.