2026-08-27
Yesterday the IRS released its list of active enrolled agents as of August 2026. This post looks at the numbers two ways: by country, and per million people by state.
There were 75,579 enrolled agents in August 2026, up from 71,991 in November 2025. That is a 5.0% increase in about nine months.
Almost none of that growth was in the United States. Enrolled agents inside the United States grew from 65,979 to 67,731, an increase of 1,752 (2.7%). Enrolled agents outside the United States grew from 6,012 to 7,848, an increase of 1,836 (31%). About 10% of all enrolled agents are now located outside the United States.
India again accounts for most of that. The number of enrolled agents in India rose from 3,680 to 5,255, an increase of 1,575 (43%). India now has more than two-thirds of all enrolled agents located outside the United States, and about 7% of all enrolled agents worldwide.
The pace in India continues to accelerate:
| Period | Enrolled agents in India | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | 2,261 | — |
| September 2024 | 2,683 | +422 (19%) |
| November 2025 | 3,680 | +997 (37%) |
| August 2026 | 5,255 | +1,575 (43%) |
India added more enrolled agents in these nine months than it added in the prior fourteen. This is consistent with more U.S. tax return preparation firms outsourcing return preparation to India.
Elsewhere, the United Kingdom grew about 10% (to 655) and Canada about 17% (to 633).
The chart below shows the number of enrolled agents as of August 2026 and November 2025 for the top 15 countries. China and Hong Kong are combined into one category because reporting between the two is inconsistent.
California has the most enrolled agents in absolute terms (13,043) and the most per capita (331 per million people). Across all 50 states the average is about 198 per million.
After California, the states with the most enrolled agents per million people are Oregon (278), New Hampshire (269), Massachusetts (268), New Jersey (264), Hawaii (260), and Colorado (254). At the other end are Mississippi (76), West Virginia (80), Kentucky (82), and Alabama (84).
California's rate has risen since our last state map. It was 307 per million people in the 2024 data and is now 331.
The state-by-state interactive heat map is here. All of our heat maps are here.