CPE & Event Calendar

This course highlights when to use Form 433-A or 433-B, along with documents needed to effectively submit an Offer in Compromise (OIC) or Installments Agreement. Settling tax debts is an important part of the IRS collection process, this course helps guide taxpayer representatives through the process so they may efficiently complete these necessary forms. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

How well do you accept criticism? How might it enrich your business - and you - if you did a better job of it? This distinctive webinar will show you why it is in your best interest to accept criticism with gratitude. It's even better to welcome criticism. It's also a good idea to learn how to give criticism the right way. A related topic is the art of giving and receiving apologies, and we'll do a deep dive into this area as well. You'll leave with clear guidelines for how to criticize others, accept criticism from them, give meaningful apologies, and accept apologies with grace and ethical intelligence. The result will be a stronger CPA practice and a better you. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of Written Information Security Plans (WISP), focusing on their purpose, requirements, and implementation. Starting with the 2024 PTIN renewal season, all PTIN holders must certify they have a WISP and have trained employees, staff, and contractors as necessary. Participants will explore the history and legal foundation of WISP under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and how compliance is enforced through Circular 230, AICPA Statements of Standards, and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations. Attendees will gain practical guidance on writing an effective WISP and ensuring compliance with due diligence standards for data security.

As discussed in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, 86% of all frauds are misappropriation of assets.  Why is the misappropriation of assets so large?  Because there as so many of them it creates many, many opportunities.  And the asset which is stolen the most?  CASH!  Because it’s easy to conceal and you don’t have to convert it.  During this presentation, the many, many different ways to misappropriate (steal) assets and which assets (besides cash) are most subject to misappropriation are discussed as well as how to recognize such and more importantly, how easy it is to prevent it!

Form 1065 is the tax return filed by partnerships, which is one of the most common forms of business organizations in the United States. This course provides an in-depth understanding of the preparation and filing of Form 1065. The course will cover the basics of partnership taxation, including how partnerships are taxed, the different types of partnerships, and the tax obligations of partners. It will also discuss the importance of keeping accurate financial records, the role of the partnership agreement in tax reporting, and the filing deadlines for Form 1065. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the various sections of Form 1065, including the Schedule K-1, which reports each partner's share of the partnership's income, deductions, and credits. The course will also cover how to report partnership income, expenses, and deductions, as well as the tax implications of buying and selling partnership interests. In addition, the course will provide an overview of common errors and omissions made when preparing Form 1065, and how to avoid them. It will also cover recent changes in tax laws that affect partnership taxation. Overall, this course is designed for tax professionals, accountants, business owners, and individuals who need to understand the intricacies of partnership taxation and the preparation and filing of Form 1065. Upon completion of the course, participants will have a solid understanding of partnership taxation and will be able to prepare and file Form 1065 with confidence.   **Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS-approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com.

Conflict is as natural as breathing air. For many, the thought of dealing with conflict is difficult and horrifying, and yet unresolved conflict can damage relationships, cause pain and suffering as well as hinder workplace productivity. When addressed, however, conflict has the power to be transformative in strengthening workplace relationships, shared understanding, and increased productivity. This workshop will provide an intimate understanding of how to deal with conflict in collaborative and constructive ways. Using ethical values and principles, we will explore how to move conflict from an obstacle to an opportunity. This workshop is geared toward individuals who are wanting to improve their conflict management skills and create more harmonious and positive working environments. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Tax credit and incentive programs offer significant but rarely utilized savings. This presentation will introduce the most important federal and California tax credits and incentives available to business taxpayers. Attendees will hear an overview of these benefits and learn how to identify these opportunities for their clients.

Between 2010 and 2020 a parade of Court Cases, IRS Factsheets, Job Aids and Internal Memos, plus Heightened IRS scrutiny and Preparer Penalties has brought the issue of 'Reasonable Compensation for S Corp's out of the shadows and placed it forefront as a priority issue for CPA's, EA's, Tax and Financial advisors to cover with their clients. We will explore key court cases, IRS guidelines, preparer penalties and some of the obscure tools the IRS has put in place. We debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This comprehensive course delves into the intricate world of executive compensation, focusing on the taxation and reporting procedures for various types of compensation arrangements. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the key differences between incentive stock options (ISOs) and nonqualified stock options (NQSOs), as well as the tax treatment and reporting requirements for restricted stock awards, stock appreciation rights (SARs), phantom stock plans, and employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs). The course will also cover the accurate analysis of tax forms and schedules used for reporting executive compensation, common tax reporting errors to avoid, and strategies for handling extensions, estimated taxes, and increased IRS scrutiny.

Even though they have been around for several years, the tax laws pertaining to S corporations remain some of the more difficult areas of the Internal Revenue Code. In this course, we will examine how S corporations break away from the normal tax rules for flow-through entities. We will explore which employee benefits are disallowed for S corporation shareholders, as well as which taxes are assessed at the entity level. Finally, we will discuss how state level taxation may have changed permanently with the addition of PTE elections.

The new Standards emphasize that quality performance requires conformance to the Standards. Each standard within Domain III specifically identifies the responsibilities of the CAE and the board, as well as joint responsibilities. The new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

With the AICPA's heightened focus on enhancing audit quality, increased oversight of the peer review process and the auditor's overall responsibility to provide high quality services, the focus on compliance with professional standards has never been greater. Add to that the requirement to implement the revised risk assessment standards (SAS 145) and it's easy to see why it's more important than ever to ensure that auditors have a good understanding of the requirements and comply with documentation standards. Recent peer reviews have indicated that auditors are often failing to perform and/or document certain critical components of an audit such as the auditor's assessment of risk and linking the results of the assessment to substantive procedures performed. In addition, auditors are not adequately documenting their consideration of fraud, expectations in analytical procedures and the appropriate level of work needed to understand an entity's internal control. The AICPA issued its Quality Management Standards in 2022. Firms are required to implement the standards by December 15, 2025. And the firm's evaluation of the System of Quality Management is required within one year after that. This is not just a matter of tweaking the firm's existing QM document, the standard requires a risk assessment process to identify risk. The objective of the course is to provide the insights necessary to help auditors and accountants improve not just the quality of their work but also the perception of the accounting profession as a whole. We will focus on the most significant items resulting in deficiencies identified in the peer review process. We will also discuss the applicable audit standards, documentation requirements, and best practices. We will address the new QM standards.

One of the major transactions CPA clients are faced with is the purchase or disposition of a business. To help tax professionals advise those clients, this course offers a comprehensive analysis of the business and tax aspects of buying and selling a business. It is a practical guide to help practitioners and industry CPAs understand structuring techniques. All CPAs, including controllers and executives in industry, should understand how difficult the process of buying and selling a business has become.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease remeasurement events as well as address the other major provisions of ASC 842, such as disclosures and transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

Have you ever met an accountant who exhibits solid technical prowess but possesses lackluster communication skills? It is not unusual to meet a savvy accountant who is a technical expert but could enhance the delivery of written and spoken words. This course is designed to help CPAs improve their written and verbal communication skills. Participants will learn how to tailor communication to their audience, with particular emphasis on techniques for crafting a message that effectively conveys technical information in an engaging manner. The course's author will share personal success tips gleaned from more than two decades of experience communicating myriad topics to a variety of audiences. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Tax practitioners advising their business clients must be fully informed regarding the multiple loss limitation provisions that apply to individuals conducting businesses and pass-through entities. This program covers the loss limitation rules that tax practitioners must know in order to advise their individual and pass-through entity clients fully and adequately as to when and if a loss limitation applies. The loss limitations discussed in this program start with an introductory discussion of hobby loss rules and graduate to a more substantive discussion of the remaining loss limitations: basis limits, at-risk rules, passive loss limits, excess business loss limits, net operating losses, and the Section 163(j) interest limitation. Knowing when loss limits apply is essential for any tax practitioner. This program will put you in a position to advise clients fully and intelligently regarding each of the loss limits.

Ethics involve relationship to self, others, and the world in which we live. In the busyness of our world we often act out of habit without realizing that what we do truly matters. We matter! This session explores ethical values and principles as they apply to creating an Ethic of Care in the workplace with specific emphasis on compassion, accountability and respect. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course provides a concise overview of how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thinks. The session reviews how the agency uses behavioral insights -- the study of how people reflect and behave -- to drive compliance, positively impact taxpayer engagement, and reduce taxpayer burden. While the IRS is governed by federal tax law, it's also shaped by social norms. As part of their mission to collect taxes and administer the Internal Revenue Code, the agency utilizes human psychology to achieve their goals. These activities include public identity (using the IRS logo, seal, and symbol), voluntary compliance (using public shaming and the "Wesley Snipes" effect), trust building (using a Taxpayer Bill of Rights), and error reductions (using alerts and reminders to nudge behaviors). The session reveals how to "get into the head" of the agency and better understand the key psychological factors (individual, environmental, social) that drive leading IRS operations and decisions. The course also spotlights the leading issues and pain-points that are currently "top of mind" for the agency and how practitioners can be more mindful in their interactions with the IRS to improve outcomes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course will review the Accounting Standard Updates issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We will also look at the work of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and the projects they are advising the FASB on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This discussion outlines situations where ‘legal’ and ‘ethical’ are not necessarily in alignment.  How should you handle these issues?  We will detail a better thought process to help you avoid ‘crossing the line.’  Each topic and each day stand on its own. If you are not sure about making a multi-day commitment, sign up for just a single day. We think you will come back for more!