Est. 2026
Professional Tax
Certifications for
Serious Practitioners
The Federal Tax Institute of America equips tax professionals with the advanced credentials, technical depth, and ethical grounding that today's clients demand.
View Programs Our Mission
Every credential issued through FTIA is earned through demonstrated competency, not simply purchased.
Curriculum built by a former federal financial crimes investigator and IRS-credentialed Enrolled Agent.
Ethical practice and professional standards are embedded throughout every course and certification.
About the Institute
Where IRS Expertise Meets Professional Development
The Federal Tax Institute of America was founded on a straightforward premise: the tax profession deserves certification programs built by practitioners who have actually worked inside the federal system, not just studied it from the outside.
Our founder brings a rare combination of credentials to the Institute — a former federal financial crimes investigator, former state insurance auditor, and IRS-credentialed Enrolled Agent with over a decade of active practice. That investigator's perspective shapes everything we teach.
FTIA certifications are designed to be immediately applicable, ethically grounded, and recognized as a genuine mark of distinction within the profession.
Founder's Credentials
Fellow National Tax Practice Institute Fellow — advanced IRS practice and procedure training
Certification Programs
Three Pathways. One Standard of Excellence.
Certified Lifestyle Tax Planner
CLTP Designation
A 13-module advanced certification teaching tax professionals how to deliver proactive, strategy-driven tax planning as an ongoing client service — not just a once-a-year filing event.
View ProgramCertified Professional Tax Specialist
CPTS Designation
A 19-module foundational certification for self-employed tax preparers — new and experienced — covering the complete 1040 preparation process, ethics, and building a professional practice. One year of access included.
View ProgramCertified Tax Resolution Case Manager
CTRCM Designation
A 10-module applied certification for tax professionals who support the investigation phase of federal tax resolution matters. Core program plus Practice Builder add-on included. Designed for partnership with licensed practitioners.
View ProgramCertification Program
Certified Lifestyle Tax Planner (CLTP)
For tax professionals ready to move beyond compliance into proactive planning
The CLTP designation is built for tax preparers, EAs, and CPAs who want to offer year-round, strategy-driven tax planning services. This is not a compliance course — it is a business transformation program that teaches you how to deliver Tax Planning as a Service.
Developed by an Enrolled Agent and former federal investigator with over a decade of active IRS representation practice, every module reflects what actually happens in a real tax planning engagement, not just what the textbook describes.
Program Curriculum — 13 Modules
Certification Program
Certified Professional Tax Specialist (CPTS)
For new and experienced self-employed tax preparers building a professional foundation
The CPTS program delivers a thorough, practitioner-focused foundation in federal income tax preparation. Whether you are entering the field or strengthening your existing practice, this certification covers the complete 1040 process — from client intake through filing — with a strong emphasis on ethics and professional conduct.
Curriculum is developed by a former federal financial crimes investigator and Enrolled Agent, ensuring that every lesson reflects real-world practice standards, not just academic theory.
Program Curriculum — 19 Modules
Certification Program
Certified Tax Resolution Case Manager (CTRCM)
For tax professionals who support the investigation phase of federal tax resolution matters
The CTRCM program trains unenrolled tax professionals, return preparers, and support staff to gather reliable facts, analyze IRS account records, identify urgent issues, and prepare a practitioner-ready case file. This is the investigation work that happens before a licensed practitioner selects, advocates for, or negotiates a resolution.
Developed by a former federal financial crimes investigator and Enrolled Agent, the program is built entirely on IRS.gov, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, and official government sources. Every lesson reflects what the federal system actually requires.
Program Curriculum — 10 Modules
About the Founder
Rachel Gibbs, EA
Founder & Course Creator · Federal Tax Institute of America
Rachel Gibbs is an Enrolled Agent, NTPI Fellow, and the founder of both Gibbs Financial Firm and Trifecta Tax Relief — two practices based in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, with over a decade of combined operation.
Before entering private practice, Rachel served as a federal financial crimes investigator and a state insurance auditor. That background shapes her entire approach to tax education: FTIA curriculum is built to train practitioners to read a tax situation the way an investigator reads a file — systematically, skeptically, and with an eye for what the numbers are actually saying.
In addition to her IRS representation and tax controversy work, Rachel holds credentials in financial counseling, financial therapy, and student loan advocacy — a combination that positions her at the intersection of the tax code and the full financial lives of her clients.
She holds an MBA from Texas A&M and has built the FTIA curriculum to reflect the standards she has held herself throughout her career: depth over shortcuts, ethics over expediency, and client outcomes over checkbox compliance.