Do you plan on preparing federal tax returns this season?
You should know that in order to do so you need a PTIN.
And in order to renew your PTIN you must have completed a number of CE (Continuing Education) courses. The courses and number of hours that you will need to take depends on any designations you may have and also on your state. Your continuing education must also come from an IRS Approved Provider (which we are). According to irs.gov, providers must be one of the following:
- An accredited educational institution,
- Recognized for continuing education purposes by the licensing body of any state or U.S. territory,
- Approved by an IRS Accrediting Organization [at this time, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) is the only IRS Accrediting Organization] as a provider of CE to registered tax return preparers, enrolled agents and enrolled retirement plan agents, or
- Any other professional organization, society or business recognized by the IRS as a provider of CE to registered tax return preparers, enrolled agents and enrolled retirement plan agents
If you have not yet started taking the CE courses that you may need or unsure of which ones you need to take, here is a chart that explains the requirements:
CE Requirements with AFTR status(Click to download)
Not only do you need continuing education to prepare taxes, you should be building on your expertise so that you can prepare more complicated taxes. Learning to prepare more complicated taxes will earn you more money and improve client retention.
Why Learning to Prepare More Complicated Tax Returns is Good for Retention
Ready to get those CE Courses out of the way? Here is a list of CE Courses we offer.
More Great Reads:
Get Ready for Tax Season with these Checklists
How to Choose the Right Tax Education Provider
A Sneak Peak at What’s Covered in the IRS Annual Tax Refresher Course