How To Become A Revenue Agent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a revenue agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Thomas King

A revenue agent is an accountant employed to examine and audit tax returns and records. He/She reviews tax returns, conducts audits, identifies taxes owed, and collects overdue tax payments. He/She contacts taxpayers to address problems and to request necessary documents. Also, he/she conducts field audits and investigations of income tax returns to verify information or update tax liabilities. Additionally, he/she reviews financial information and documents each case he/she deals with and notifies taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment.

Revenue agents are employed by federal, regional, and local governments. To become a revenue agent, you need a bachelor's degree in accounting, economics, business administration, or a related field. Previous work experience in accounting, tax analysis, or a related role is desired. You must possess analytical, maths, and communication skills. Revenue Agents are paid about $54,590 a year, approximately $26.25 an hour. This varies from $20,000 to $119,000.

What general advice would you give to a Revenue Agent?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

Be dependable. Reputations form quickly after people join organizations. A newly hired professional who demonstrates the ability to get things done rapidly and accurately will soon become a "go-to" person when new opportunities arise. Such exposure early in a career is invaluable.

ScoreRevenue AgentUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,633

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.6

Growth Rate -7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.20%

Asian 9.19%

Black or African American 11.51%

Hispanic or Latino 14.74%

Unknown 3.21%

White 61.15%

Gender

female 47.17%

male 52.83%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a revenue agent

Explore revenue agent education requirements

Most common revenue agent degrees

Bachelor's

68.8 %

Master's

12.9 %

Associate

10.8 %

Start to develop specific revenue agent skills

Skills	Percentages
Partnerships	15.23%
CPA	11.45%
Financial Transactions	10.52%
Appeals	10.41%
Business Operations	10.06%

Complete relevant revenue agent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New revenue agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a revenue agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real revenue agent resumes.

Research revenue agent duties and responsibilities

Review accounts as a part of due diligence and regular anti-money laundering (AML) monitoring.
Audit individual, partnership, and corporate tax returns via face-to-face audits with the taxpayer, CPA, or attorney.
Approve client advertising proposals to ensure compliance with company policy and FDA regulations.
Assist in ensuring PayPal is in compliance with applicable federal AML laws and regulations.

Prepare your revenue agent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your revenue agent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a revenue agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Revenue Agent Resume templates

Build a professional Revenue Agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Revenue Agent resume.

Apply for revenue agent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a revenue agent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do revenue agents rate their job?

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Revenue Agent reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

It give me unforgettable memories and experience In additional generating life time skills and excellence of the knowledge of is involved