Form 2587 – Application for the Special Enrollment Examination

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I learned this the hard way years ago when a teammate rushed to register for the Enrolled Agent exam, missed the PTIN step, and had to start the Form 2587 process over. In the moment it cost us a week and a test date. You should not have to repeat that. In the next few minutes, you will complete Form 2587, submit it the right way, and avoid the most common traps that slow people down.

We wrote this guide for busy practitioners, candidates, and operations folks who need a clean, current answer without fluff. If you run an accounting firm, I will also show you a simple way to keep 2587-related tasks standardized so your team stops losing time to rework.

Key Takeaways

• Form 2587 is the IRS Application for the Special Enrollment Examination, which registers you to take the Enrolled Agent exam. The 2025 fee is $259.00 per exam part, paid when you schedule with Prometric, and the fee is non-refundable even if you cancel, no-show, or fail. Online scheduling is fastest.
• If you must use the paper application, Prometric still accepts fax and mail. Fax to 1‑800‑347‑9242 then wait about one calendar day to schedule, or mail and allow 6–10 days.
• You need a PTIN before you can register for any SEE part. Get it online at www.irs.gov/ptin in about 15 minutes, since paper Form W-12 takes 4 to 6 weeks.
• The SEE window runs May 1 through February 28, with testing paused in March and April. You can take each part up to four times in a window without resubmitting Form 2587.

What Form 2587 Is and Who Files It

Think of IRS Form 2587 as your door into the Enrolled Agent exam. Today, most candidates register and pay online through Prometric. If you prefer paper, the IRS still recognizes Form 2587 for fax or mail workflows that Prometric processes. The current fee is $259.00 per part and you can take each part up to four times in a test window, which runs May 1 through the end of February. Testing pauses in March and April.

Key points you should lock in now:

• Submit and pay when you schedule. Online is immediate, fax is usually next day, mail takes 6 to 10 days.
• Fax number, 1‑800‑347‑9242. Prometric scheduling phone, 800‑306‑3926, or 443‑751‑4193 outside the U.S.
• Keep your confirmation number, you need it to reschedule or print your score report.

If you are choosing between “fastest” and “safest,” choose both. Complete the form online at Prometric, pay, and save the confirmation in two places the same day.

Form 2587 At A Glance

Item	Detail
Official name	Form 2587, Application for Special Enrollment Examination
Primary use	Register for each SEE part of the Enrolled Agent exam
How you submit	Best, online via Prometric. Fax or mail are still accepted.
Typical timing	Online, immediate. Fax, about 1 day. Mail, about 6–10 days.
Fees	$259.00 per part

Sources for fees, timing, and submission channels, the IRS and Prometric public pages.

IRS Form 2587, The Practical How‑To

You can finish this in one sitting if you set yourself up well. Here is a clean flow that works for most candidates.

Step‑By‑Step, From Zero To Scheduled

• Gather identifiers, legal name, mailing address, two phone numbers, date of birth, and your PTIN (a PTIN is required before you can register for any SEE part, not after passing – if you do not have one, get it online at www.irs.gov/ptin in about 15 minutes, since paper Form W-12 takes 4 to 6 weeks). The IRS uses this to link you to exam authorization.
• Decide how you will submit, online is fastest, fax if you must, mail only if required.
• If online, create or sign in to your Prometric SEE profile, select the exam part, pay the $259.00 fee, and book your date. Save your confirmation.
• If faxing the paper Form 2587, send it to 1‑800‑347‑9242. Wait one full calendar day, then schedule by phone or online.
• If mailing, send to Prometric, Attn, IRS Special Enrollment Examination, 7941 Corporate Drive, Nottingham, MD 21236, then allow 6–10 days before scheduling. Use trackable delivery.

Pro tips that save headaches:

• The SEE window runs May 1 through February 28. Be early in the window for your best choice of dates.
• You can take each part up to four times in the same window, and you do not need to resubmit Form 2587 for a retake – Form 2587 is a one-time registration, so retakes only require paying the per-part fee and rescheduling with Prometric. Space your attempts with a study plan rather than winging it.
• Print or save your score report using your 16‑digit confirmation number, and store it with your PTIN records.

Fees, Refunds, Rescheduling

• Exam fee, $259.00 per part, paid at the time of scheduling. The IRS and Prometric do not list a refund for a completed appointment, so plan your date carefully.
• For rescheduling or cancellations, use your confirmation number and call Prometric if you cannot make the change online. Policies and any change fees live with Prometric’s current exam notices.

Compliance Markers You Should Verify

• Look for OMB control number 1545‑0949 on the Form 2587 instructions or page footer, and note the Paperwork Reduction Act language. The current instruction text lists an average completion time of about 6 minutes.
• Keep three artifacts, the completed form or online receipt, the payment confirmation, and the appointment confirmation number. If you faxed, also keep the time‑stamped fax confirmation.

If a number looks off, check the IRS Enrolled Agent FAQ first. The IRS updates that page during each testing window, including fees, windows, and contact numbers.

Fill, Sign, And Share, Without Creating New Problems

You can fill IRS Form 2587 online inside Prometric, which avoids the whole print‑sign‑scan treadmill. If your workflow requires a PDF, use a compliant PDF editor and complete fields exactly as they appear on your ID.

Simple PDF Hygiene That Saves You Later

• Match ID details exactly, name order, abbreviations, and date formats. Minor mismatches cause holds.
• Use a signature method your recipient accepts. Prometric’s online process includes the required attestation inside the portal.
• Save a flattened PDF copy and a separate folder with confirmation emails, fax confirmations, and delivery tracking.

Security And Privacy Basics

• Do not email Social Security numbers without encryption.
• Prefer portals, Prometric for SEE scheduling, over unsecured email or fax when you have a choice.

A clean paper trail is not overkill, it is how you reschedule fast or prove you met a deadline.

Processing Times, Fees, And Practical Compliance Notes

• IRS SEE fee for 2025, $259.00 per exam part, paid at scheduling. The test window runs May 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026, with no testing in March or April.
• If you submit IRS Form 2587 by fax, expect about one day before you can schedule. If you mail, allow 6 to 10 days. Online is immediate.
• The Form 2587 instructions carry the OMB control number 1545‑0949 and note an estimated average completion time of about 6 minutes.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Paying the old SEE fee. The IRS updates fees, and for the current window the fee is $259.00, not older amounts you might see in PDFs floating around the web. Always check the IRS Enrolled Agent FAQ.
• Skipping the PTIN. You must have a PTIN before you register for any SEE part. If you do not have one, get it online at www.irs.gov/ptin before you start Form 2587.
• Emailing forms with full identifiers through unsecured channels. Use the Prometric portal or a secure, encrypted method.

Simple SOPs So Your Team Stops Losing Time

If you run a firm, standardize this task so anyone can execute it correctly.

One‑Page SOP, IRS SEE Registration

• Confirm the target, the IRS Form 2587 process for SEE.
• Choose submission path, online first, fax second, mail only if required.
• Collect, name, DOB, address, two phones, PTIN.
• Book and pay, $259.00 per part. Save confirmation and calendar alerts.
• File artifacts, receipt, confirmation, score report.

Real‑World Examples To Make This Concrete

• EA candidate timeline, You submit online Monday at 9 a.m., pay $259.00, pick a seat for June 12, and receive a confirmation email immediately. You print the score report after the exam using your 16‑digit confirmation number.
• Paper fallback, You fax Form 2587 to 1‑800‑347‑9242 on a Tuesday, wait one full calendar day, then call Prometric on Thursday to schedule and pay for Part 1.
• Retake, You did not pass Part 2, so you wait 24 hours, log back in to Prometric, pay the $259.00 fee again, and book a new date without resubmitting Form 2587.

Small But Important Details That People Miss

• Names and dates must match IDs, especially for Prometric check‑in. Typos create reschedule hassles.
• Store every confirmation, keep a “SEE” subfolder or a secure vault entry for 2587 receipts, confirmations, and score reports.
• Confirm your testing window. The SEE pauses in March and April, so a date that looks open in late February may sit just outside the window.

Where Accountably Fits, Lightly And Only Where It Helps

If you lead a CPA or EA firm, you already know that small process misses multiply in peak season. We help firms standardize production work, including checklists for regulatory forms and exam‑related onboarding for new hires, so deliverables ship on time without review firefighting. Our offshore delivery teams work inside your systems, with SOP‑driven workflows, quality layers, and live tracking, which keeps small admin steps like 2587 confirmations from turning into week‑long delays. We build capacity without chaos, not resumes without accountability.

If you are exploring that kind of structure for busy season and beyond, we can share examples of the exact SOPs and dashboards firms use to keep compliance tasks tight and scalable.

Conclusion

IRS Form 2587 gets you into the SEE and is fastest online through Prometric with a $259.00 per‑part fee in the current window. If you must use paper, fax adds about a day and mail adds 6 to 10 days before you can schedule. Get your PTIN first, keep your confirmation number, and store every receipt.

One last check before you submit, right edition, right channel, PTIN in hand. That single pause is the simplest way to keep your timeline intact.

Notes, This page references the IRS Enrolled Agent FAQ and Prometric’s SEE pages, reviewed for the May 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026 SEE window. If you see a conflict, use those same sources to confirm the live policy or fee and capture a screen for your records.

Common Mistakes We See Every Season

I see the same handful of trip-ups every SEE registration cycle, and most of them come down to how you route Form 2587 and whether the PTIN is in place first. Each one below ships with a fix you can drop straight into a firm SOP.

Reusable Checklists

Paste these into your firm's SEE coordination SOP or share them with a candidate before they start. Every item maps to a step in the Form 2587 March 2024 instructions or the Prometric SEE process.

Keep 2587 Season From Stalling

The SEE registration flow is short on paper, but in practice the rate-limiting step is rarely the form itself. It is the PTIN lead time, the route choice, and the candidate's understanding of who actually administers the exam. Per the Form 2587 March 2024 instructions, a paper Form W-12 PTIN can take 4 to 6 weeks to process while the online PTIN runs about 15 minutes – which alone is the difference between a clean testing window and a missed one.

The fix is not more effort. It is a small SOP that locks the right sequence and the right channel before the candidate ever touches Form 2587.

• Verify the PTIN exists before opening Form 2587 – pull the PTIN renewal confirmation or push the candidate to www.irs.gov/ptin if it is missing.
• Default to the online express route at www.prometric.com/see for any candidate inside two weeks of a target sitting; reserve fax (1-800-347-9242) and mail (Prometric, Nottingham, MD 21236) for cases where online is genuinely blocked.
• For each registered candidate, log the Prometric confirmation number and the $259.00 per-part charges against a running SEE budget of $777.00 for all three parts.
• Flag non-SSN applicants early so the Form W-12 special documentation is in motion before the SEE window opens.
• Keep a one-line note on every file confirming Form 2587 is a one-time registration, so retakes route straight to Prometric instead of looping back through a fresh application.

When more than a few EA candidates move through a single window, a structured handoff is the difference between a clean credentialing pipeline and a quarter of missed sittings. Accountably's tax delivery teams work this way every season, with documented SOPs, defined routes, and confirmation logs that survive a team change.

FAQs

What is Form 2587?

Form 2587 is the IRS Application for the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE). You file it to register for the Enrolled Agent exam, and it links your information so Prometric can schedule you.

How much does the Enrolled Agent exam cost in the 2025 window?

The fee is $259.00 per exam part. You pay at scheduling, which you can do online with Prometric. Save your confirmation number.

Can I still fax IRS Form 2587?

Yes. Fax to 1‑800‑347‑9242, wait one calendar day, then schedule by phone or online. If you mail instead, allow 6 to 10 days. Online is still the fastest path.

How hard is the EA exam, and how long should I study?

The exam is three parts, 3.5 hours each. Most candidates plan 25 to 60 hours per part, sometimes more for Part 2. Create a weekly plan, use outlines and practice exams, and protect your calendar during the 30 days before your test date. For dates and logistics, always confirm on the IRS Enrolled Agent FAQ and Prometric SEE pages.