How to Choose a Crypto Tax Advisor: Credentials and Red Flags

Crypto taxes got harder for ordinary investors this year. Brokers now send some digital asset sales to you and the IRS on the new Form 1099-DA, and the IRS says you still have to report your income, gains and losses even if a form never shows up. If you have years of wallet activity, staking rewards or DeFi trades, you probably need help.

That demand has produced a crowd of people selling crypto tax expertise, and not all of them are what they seem. Some have deep, checkable credentials. Others have a polished online presence built mostly from press releases and podcast interviews. This guide explains how to tell the two apart before you hand someone your financial records.

Know what the credentials actually mean

Anyone with a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) can charge to prepare tax returns. The IRS points out that credentials vary widely, and that only some preparers can represent you if the IRS comes calling. Three credentials carry full representation rights:

Certified public accountant (CPA). Licensed by a state board of accountancy after passing the CPA exam and meeting education and experience requirements. CPAs can prepare returns, plan, and represent you before the IRS.
Enrolled agent (EA). Licensed by the IRS itself after passing a three-part exam or qualifying through past IRS work. The IRS describes enrolled agents as having unlimited practice rights before the agency. An EA is a private practitioner. The credential does not mean the person works, or ever worked, for the IRS.
Tax attorney. Licensed by a state bar. Attorneys can represent you in audits, appeals and Tax Court, and your conversations with them are protected by attorney-client privilege, which matters if there is any risk of a criminal investigation.

All three are bound by the IRS rules of practice in Circular 230, which covers competence, conflicts and honesty with clients.

For simple crypto activity, a CPA or EA who works with digital assets is usually enough. If you have unreported income from past years, a large audit, or anything that could turn criminal, start with a tax attorney.

How to check a credential in five minutes

You don't have to take anyone's word for their license. Each credential has a public lookup:

CPAs: search the person on CPAverify, the national database run by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, or on your state board of accountancy's website. You'll see the license status and the issuing state.
Enrolled agents and other credentialed preparers: use the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications.
Attorneys: search your state bar's attorney directory. Most show admission date, status and any public discipline. California's is at the State Bar of California, and every state has an equivalent.
Employment claims: if someone says they worked for a government agency, public payroll databases and agency records can often confirm it. A real appointment, advisory role or congressional appearance usually shows up on a government website.
Everything else: search the person's name plus "complaint," "lawsuit" and "discipline," and read past the first page of results.

Red flags when hiring a crypto tax advisor

Credentials are the floor. The warning signs below are about how an advisor presents themselves.

Vague claims about government ties

Watch for phrases like "worked with the IRS," "collaborated with the SEC" or "developed with regulators." Every enrolled agent and CPA who represents clients "works with the IRS." That's the job. If a vague phrase like this is carrying the sales pitch, ask exactly what it means: which office, which people, what dates and what documents.

Claims of IRS approval

The IRS does not certify or endorse commercial crypto tax software or advisory firms. "Audit-ready" and "IRS-compliant" are marketing terms. An advisor who implies agency approval is overselling.

Authority built on paid media

Much of what looks like press coverage is paid. Press release wires such as EIN Presswire sell releases starting at $149 and syndicate them onto news-style pages. Placement vendors openly sell "featured articles" on lifestyle and business sites. Podcast guest pages usually repeat whatever bio the guest supplies. None of that is independent verification. If most of what you can find about an advisor traces back to material they supplied or paid for, you are reading their marketing.

People also use that kind of coverage for reputation management. A steady stream of friendly articles and interviews can push critical results off the first page of Google. That doesn't prove anyone is hiding something, but it's a good reason to keep searching.

A résumé that changes with the audience

Compare an advisor's bio across several sources. Research timelines, launch dates and job titles should match. If one profile says "two years" and another says "four," or a state job becomes "federal experience" in a later interview, ask why.

A real-world example

Janna Scott, founder of the crypto tax platform DeFi Tax, shows several of these patterns in her public record. Her company's January 2026 launch release, distributed through EIN Presswire, says the platform was built "in collaboration with the SEC, IRS, and multiple universities" and that the IRS paused crypto audits in March 2023 after reviewing her research. We found no IRS record confirming either claim. Her documented employment, according to Washington State payroll records, is in state tax and finance roles from 2019 to 2021, and she is described as an IRS enrolled agent, a private credential. One newsletter nonetheless headlined its interview with her "Crypto Tax Secrets From an IRS Agent." Much of her coverage consists of the paid wire release, a Benzinga contributed post, features on sites where placements are sold, and podcast guest bios. Art of the Startup reviewed her record in detail. The lesson for consumers is the same with any advisor: check the claims that matter before you rely on them.

What verifiable crypto tax expertise looks like

Real expertise leaves a record the expert didn't write. Here are examples of digital asset tax professionals whose backgrounds you can check through independent sources. They are listed to show what a verifiable record looks like. TCL is not recommending or endorsing any of them, and you should vet anyone you hire yourself.

Annette Nellen, CPA, CGMA, Esq.

Nellen is a tax professor at San José State University and chair of the AICPA Digital Assets Tax Task Force. Her university biography also lists her appointment to the IRS Advisory Council, which she chaired in 2024. She testified at the Senate Finance Committee's October 2025 hearing on taxing digital assets. Each of those facts can be checked on a university, government or AICPA website.

Andrea S. Kramer, tax attorney

Kramer is a founding member of ASKramer Law in Chicago and testified at the same Senate hearing. Her written testimony describes 30 years as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, about two decades teaching in Northwestern's LL.M. tax program, and work as an instructor in an IRS training program since 1986. That's the difference between "trained IRS agents" as a documented fact and "worked with the IRS" as a slogan.

Andrew Gordon, JD, CPA

Gordon runs Gordon Law Group in Chicago and is both a licensed Illinois attorney and a CPA, admitted to the U.S. Tax Court. His firm biography says he began focusing on crypto taxation in 2014, teaches emerging technologies as an adjunct at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and has testified before the IRS and Treasury on broker reporting rules. His bar and CPA licenses can be confirmed through the Illinois lookups.

Patrick Camuso, CPA

Camuso founded Camuso CPA in 2016, a firm that works only with digital asset clients, with registered firms in North Carolina and Tennessee. His firm page lists prior experience at Deloitte, a seat on an AICPA digital asset task force, and articles in Tax Notes. Forbes lists him among its Best-In-State Top CPAs.

Shehan Chandrasekera, CPA

Chandrasekera is head of tax strategy at CoinTracker and a partner at JAGArgueta CPAs. The Virginia Society of CPAs notes he was among the first CPAs to publish on crypto taxation in The Tax Adviser, the AICPA's journal, and he teaches continuing education courses on the subject for state CPA societies.

Notice the pattern. Each of these people has a license you can look up, an employer or firm you can call, and at least one appearance in a place they don't control: a Senate witness list, a professional society, a university or a peer-reviewed publication.

Questions to ask before you hire anyone

What license do you hold, in which state, and can I see your license number?
How many crypto clients do you have, and how long have you handled digital asset returns?
How do you treat staking rewards, bridged or wrapped tokens, and liquidity pool transactions? Where do you disagree with other preparers?
What software do you use, and do you review its output yourself or file what it produces?
If I get audited, will you represent me, and what does that cost?
If you say you worked with a government agency, what exactly was your role, and can you show me something that documents it?

A good advisor will answer these without hedging. If you get vague answers, or a link to another podcast, keep looking.

If something goes wrong

If a preparer files a false return, takes your refund or misrepresents their credentials, you can report them to the IRS using Form 14157, Return Preparer Complaint. The IRS generally can't act on complaints more than three years old, so don't wait. Complaints about a CPA's license go to the state board of accountancy, and complaints about an attorney go to the state bar. You remain responsible for what's on your return no matter who prepared it, so if you've already filed with bad advice, talk to a different tax professional about amending.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a CPA, an enrolled agent or a tax attorney for crypto taxes?

For routine buying, selling and staking, an experienced CPA or enrolled agent is usually enough. Hire a tax attorney if you have unreported crypto income from prior years, an audit that is escalating, or any risk of criminal exposure, since attorney-client privilege can protect your conversations.

Does an enrolled agent work for the IRS?

No. An enrolled agent is licensed by the IRS to represent taxpayers, but is a private practitioner. Some enrolled agents qualified through past IRS employment, and they can document it. The credential alone does not mean the person worked for the agency.

Does the IRS approve crypto tax software?

No. The IRS does not certify or endorse commercial crypto tax software. Terms like "audit-ready" or "IRS-compliant" are marketing language, not agency approval.

How can I tell if an advisor's media coverage is paid?

Look for press release wire branding, "contributed" or "partner" labels, and disclaimers saying the site isn't responsible for accuracy. Search the outlet's name with "guest post" or "featured article" to see whether placements are sold. Treat podcast guest bios as self-descriptions.

How do I verify a CPA license?

Search the person on CPAverify, run by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, or on the website of the state board of accountancy where they say they are licensed. Both show whether the license is active.

Where do I report a bad tax preparer?

File IRS Form 14157, Return Preparer Complaint. For licensing problems, also contact the state board of accountancy for a CPA or the state bar for an attorney.

Sources

This guide is general consumer information based on public records and published sources, and it is not legal, tax or investment advice. Professionals named here are examples of publicly verifiable credentials, not recommendations. Always confirm a professional's license and fit for your situation before hiring them.

Featured image: photo by Art Rachen on Unsplash.