Practice Management & Professional Standards

Topics

August 1, 2016

The Client Tax Letter Project: Client Communication for Tax Professionals

Tax classes should teach students not only to navigate the Code but also to communicate their findings effectively through internal memos and client communications.

August 1, 2016

Form 2848: Ethical Issues for Tax Practitioners

This column discusses some of the rules regarding preparation of Form 2848 and addresses professional ethics issues that arise in dealing with the form.

August 1, 2016

CPAs Contend With Tax ID Theft

Tax-related identity theft fraud remains a widespread problem that is often difficult for victims and their tax preparers to correct.

August 1, 2016

Proposal Would Give Public More Information About Tax Expenditures

FASAB proposed a standard with the intention of providing the public more information about the U.S. government’s tax expenditures.

July 1, 2016

Why the AICPA SSTSs and IRS Circular 230 Should Be Added to CPAs’ Lists of Favorite Resources

These documents are as useful as a master tax guide or tax handbook and may ultimately save a CPA from time-consuming and costly
litigation or disciplinary proceedings.

June 1, 2016

Starting a Tax Practice: Are You Ready to Hang a Shingle?

This column provides two experienced CPAs’ overview of some key factors to consider before venturing out to start your own practice.

May 26, 2016

Catching Up After the 2016 Filing Season

Because tax changes don’t take a vacation during filing season, this article helps practitioners keep up to date by summarizing tax developments for that period.

May 1, 2016

Tax Ethical and Penalty Issues in the UTP Context: A Review After Five Years of Experience

This column reviews the advent of Schedule UTP, considers the applicable ethical rules, and offers some best practice tips for practitioners.

April 14, 2016

Transparency for Individual Taxes

This article reviews how “taxpayer receipts” can help practitioners provide additional tax information to clients.

April 1, 2016

Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative

Many practitioners find that the IRS does not process their Form 2848 filings and returns them because the form was prepared or filed incorrectly.

March 17, 2016

Work-Product Doctrine Protects Accountant’s Tax Advice

the Second Circuit held that the taxpayer did not waive the attorney-client privilege by sharing documents with a consortium of banks with which the taxpayer had a common legal interest.

March 1, 2016

Tax Season Business Development

Tax season presents an opportunity to interact with current and prospective clients at a time when interest in the firm and its services is at its peak.

February 1, 2016

Tax Return Processes: The Intersection of Due Diligence and Quality Control

This column explores the interrelationship of ethical and practical considerations that start before client data come into the office and continue after the return is filed.

December 17, 2015

Preparing for the 2016 Filing Season

This year-end article offers a list of tasks to consider to get ready for the upcoming filing season.

December 1, 2015

Training Seasonal Staff

The key to developing a working training program for seasonal staff is to start early.

November 1, 2015

An Overview of Tax Practice Issues That Arise Under Statement on Standards in Personal Financial Planning Services

This column discusses some of the issues that might arise for tax practitioners in light of Statement on Standards in Personal Financial Planning Services.

October 1, 2015

Identity Theft: Staying One Step Ahead of the “Bad” Guys

A number of steps can be taken to minimize the opportunities for identity thieves to be successful.

September 1, 2015

Attracting and Motivating Seasonal Staff

To successfully attract and maintain seasonal staff, a practice needs a different approach than the one it takes with traditional full-time employees.

August 1, 2015

2015 Tax Software Survey

See how CPA tax practitioners rated the strengths and weakness of major tax preparation software products they used in 2015.

August 1, 2015

2015 Tax Software Survey: Individual Product Survey Responses

Online-only: Contact information, basic packages and their features are shown below for selected products receiving more than 1% of total responses in the survey.