How To Become An IRS Special Agent
Be Part of Solving Financial Crimes and Enforce Justice as an IRS Special Agent
Working in the IRS, or internal revenue service, is about conducting audits and ensuring that tax laws are adhered to, but working as an IRS special agent means you can use your accounting background to focus on detecting and solving financial crimes. There is a law enforcement department of the IRS that these IRS criminal investigator special agents work for, and so they must have extensive training in both accounting and in technological developments and forensic analysis in order to be well prepared for the job. With all government positions rising at a rate of about 11% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are new positions available every day in this field unlike certain careers in criminal justice. Investigating both online financial crimes as well as non-technologically related crimes are part of the job, so an IRS special agent has to be ready for anything.
Necessary Training
It is not terribly essential to have a high level degree for this field, or even an accounting degree for that matter, although it is recommended since being an IRS special agent is very similar to being a forensic accountant. A bachelors criminal justice degree is necessary but it can be in any major, as long as a certain number of hours are dedicated to accounting and finance courses. 15 hours of accounting and at least 9 hours in the areas of finance, tax law or economics are essential to be considered for a position. Kaplan University and Strayer University are a couple of online choices where you could fulfil your educational requirements. Further credentials, like becoming a CPA or certified public accountant are also recommended to raise your starting salary level up from a GS-5 range, which is $26,000-$31,000. GS-7 and GS-9 pay levels can also be obtained by preparing with further education or experience. Professional work experience of more than 3 years in an accounting or auditing environment is also recommended and can either increase your earning potential or replace any lacking education requirements. Finally, any additional courses you can take in the areas of investigative techniques, bookkeeping, digitized accounting or data retrieval will work in your favor and offer you more opportunities.
Daily Function
Working in the IRS, which is a treasury division, gives special agents the right to investigate any violations to the Internal Revenue Code, and they are the only team who can do so. They spend their time essentially as forensic accountants, investigating any suspicious financial transactions or behaviors which generally fall into 4 categories: financial crimes from illegal sources, tax crimes, counterterrorism financing and finances accrued from illegal drugs. For this they need to be able to operate online to retrieve digitized data to analyse and of course analyse written financial documents and reports for any discrepancies. An IRS special agent therefore has to be meticulous and thorough so as not to miss anything that could make all the difference.
Criminal Justice Degree |
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