Best tax and finance certifications
The best tax and finance certifications in 2026
Tax and finance certifications split into three career paths. Securities licensing through FINRA opens brokerage and investment roles, the IRS Enrolled Agent credential lets you represent taxpayers before the IRS, and the IIA Certified Internal Auditor is the recognised standard for internal audit.
Two of those paths are multi-part exams that must all be passed, so the list below keeps each ladder together and runs from the most accessible entry point to the most specialised. Each entry links to a full practice question set.
- 1
Best first finance certification
The Securities Industry Essentials exam is the entry point to a securities career, and the only one here you can sit without a sponsoring firm. It covers capital markets, products and risks, trading, and the regulatory framework.
Practise SIE questions - 2
Best for brokerage and investment roles
The General Securities Representative qualification, taken alongside the SIE to sell a broad range of securities products. It needs a sponsoring firm and is the longest exam on this list.
Practise Series-7 questions - 3
Best starting point for a tax career
Part 1 of the IRS Special Enrollment Examination covers individual taxation. Most candidates start here, and passing all three parts earns the Enrolled Agent credential.
Practise SEE-1 questions - 4
Best for business and entity taxation
Part 2 covers business taxation across entity types, and is widely treated as the hardest of the three SEE parts because of its breadth.
Practise SEE-2 questions - 5
Best for IRS representation and practice
Part 3 covers representation, practice, and procedure - the rules governing how an Enrolled Agent acts before the IRS. The shortest syllabus of the three parts.
Practise SEE-3 questions - 6
Best starting point for internal audit
Part 1 of the IIA Certified Internal Auditor exam covers the foundations of internal auditing, ethics, governance, risk, control, and fraud risk. The entry point to the only globally recognised internal audit designation.
Practise CIA-1 questions - 7
Best for audit engagement practice
Part 2 moves from principles to practice: planning an engagement, gathering and analysing information, supervision, and communicating results.
Practise CIA-2 questions - 8
Best for leading an internal audit function
Part 3 covers running the internal audit function itself - the audit plan, quality, and monitoring engagement results. The most senior focus on this list.
Practise CIA-3 questions
Frequently asked questions
- Which tax or finance certification should I start with?
- It depends on the path. For securities work, start with the FINRA SIE, which you can sit without a sponsoring firm. For a tax career, start with SEE Part 1. For internal audit, start with CIA Part 1.
- Do I have to pass all three Enrolled Agent exam parts?
- Yes. The Enrolled Agent credential requires passing all three parts of the Special Enrollment Examination. You can take them in any order and sit them separately.
- Do I need a sponsoring firm to take the Series 7?
- Yes. The Series 7 requires association with and sponsorship by a FINRA member firm. The SIE has no such requirement, which is why it is the usual first step.
- SIE or Series 7 first?
- The SIE first. It is the shorter, broader foundation exam, and the Series 7 is a co-requisite taken alongside it rather than a replacement for it.
Browse the full certification catalogue for every exam we cover.