Ethics Checklist for Tax Practitioners (Currently Unavailable)

Author: Annette Nellen

CPE Credit:  2 hours for CPAs
2 hours Ethics for EAs and OTRPs
2 hours Ethics for CTEC

Circular 230, professional rules of conduct, Internal Revenue Code compliance rules, and taxpayer and preparer penalties all combine into a lot of information for practitioners to be familiar with.

This presentation explains key rules of conduct relevant to tax practitioners, as well as the most commonly encountered federal tax penalty provisions, in the form of a checklist to help ensure ethical compliance in all aspects of one's tax practice.

The checklist approach will help you see which rules are relevant in the various day-to-day activities in which practitioners engage and how to be compliant. In addition, selected current developments from the courts, Congress, and IRS including the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) will be presented.

Publication Date: March 2015

Designed For
Enrolled Agents and other practitioners looking to either meet their professional ethics continuing education requirements or for an opportunity to review rules of conduct relevant to tax practice.

Topics Covered

  • General business ethics
  • Circular 230
  • Selected rules of the AICPA and NAEA professional conduct codes.
  • Commonly encountered compliance and penalty provisions of the Internal Revenue Code
  • How to identify possible ethical issues.
  • How to avoid disciplinary actions and client penalties.
  • Current developments in ethical practices for tax practitioners.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify key rules of conduct relevant to tax practice and how to be compliant
  • Describe examples of commonly encountered ethical dilemmas and how to address them
  • Identify and deal with client expectations, and tips for avoiding problems will be covered in the explanation of the ethics checklist
  • Recognize compliance with rules of conduct
  • Identify the access to all applicable rules of conduct and penalties as part of a checklist
  • Differentiate who must follow circular 230
  • Identify the requirements of tax preparation ethics including exercising due dilligence
  • Recognize the highest level followed by the standards of assurance
  • Evaluate the penalty when omitting the preparer's PTIN from a client's return
  • Identify the level of expected behavior from a tax practitioner following the rules of conduct
  • Describe what "objectivity" means
  • Identify the involvement of the toolbox area of the 7-part tax ethics checklist
  • Describe the definition of circular 230
  • Recognize the enforceable standards of the AICPA Statements on Standards for Tax Services (SSTS)
  • Identify the requirements the IRS system for regulating and registering paid tax return preparers must follow
  • Evaluate the results of improper disclosure or use of client tax information
  • Describe due diligence in preparing a tax return
  • Recognize the level of substantial authority
  • Identify true statements about the work product doctrine

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Self-Study

NASBA Field of Study
Regulatory Ethics (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation
None

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