# Choose and work with an ITIN acceptance agent

A practical method to choose between a certifying acceptance agent and an acceptance agent, check an agent on the IRS list, prepare for the interview and ask the right questions before you pay.

- Level: Practitioner
- Length: 60 minutes
- Exam questions: 10, pass mark 80%, up to 3 attempts
- Certificate: valid for 12 months

## What you will learn

- Read the IRS acceptance agent list and tell a certifying acceptance agent from an acceptance agent.
- Explain which documents a certifying acceptance agent can authenticate and which must go to the IRS.
- Prepare documents and an interview that meet the IRS rules.
- Ask an agent about fees, services and follow-up before you pay.

## Lessons

1. [Read the IRS acceptance agent list](https://itinagents.fyi/academy/choose-an-itin-acceptance-agent/read-the-irs-agent-list.md) (12 minutes)
2. [Certifying acceptance agent or acceptance agent](https://itinagents.fyi/academy/choose-an-itin-acceptance-agent/caa-or-aa.md) (14 minutes)
3. [The interview and your documents](https://itinagents.fyi/academy/choose-an-itin-acceptance-agent/the-interview-and-your-documents.md) (16 minutes)
4. [Questions to ask before you book](https://itinagents.fyi/academy/choose-an-itin-acceptance-agent/questions-to-ask-before-you-book.md) (14 minutes)

## Questions

### Does the IRS set the price an agent charges?

The IRS does not give a price. It lists agent services as fee-based and says fees may vary. Ask each agent for its fee and what the fee covers.

### Can I do the whole process by video?

No. The IRS lets agents use video conferencing for the interview only. A certifying acceptance agent must still have your original documents, or copies certified by the issuing agency, in hand.

### Does the certificate make me an acceptance agent?

No. It is a certificate of completion from this site. The IRS approves acceptance agents through its own application process and mandatory training.

Also on the [web page](https://itinagents.fyi/academy/choose-an-itin-acceptance-agent).