H&R Block franchisee Ron Pinckney had announced 15 of their offices’ tax professionals have earned Enrolled Agent designation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Jim Callahan, Pete Schlicher, Rachel Brandt, Carl Hockemeyer, Guy Frindell, Annette Pattee, Tina Shelton, Jennifer Passantino, Paul Flannery, Mike Auguston, Kangli Futch, Kathryn Byer, Alice Hawthorne, George Schuetz, and Tim Winsor join the offices’ three CPAs and 70 other certified tax professionals in Kitsap and Mason counties and the greater University Place area.

An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a federally-authorized tax practitioner who has technical expertise in the field of taxation.

The EA designation is awarded to those tax professionals who have completed a three part comprehensive examination. Enrolled Agents are required to complete 72 hours of continuing professional education every three years, to maintain their certification. According to the National Association of Enrolled Agents there are currently about 46,000 practicing EAs in the United States.

For more information about H&R Block, visit www.hrblock.com, or to schedule an appointment with a local office please call 360-692-0560 (Silverdale), 360-405-1040 (East Bremerton), or 360-377-6447(West Bremerton).