Professional Development and Event Catalog

This course provides a comprehensive review of §1202 qualified small business stock (QSBS) rules, from initial qualification through exit planning. Participants will examine entity eligibility, active business requirements, holding period issues, redemptions, and multi-year sales strategies. Case studies highlight common QSBS failures and planning techniques to preserve the exclusion.

Explore the intricacies of federal income taxation as it intertwines with rental real estate activities. This course delves into the calculation of rental income, understanding the nuances of deductions, and unraveling the complexities of passive activity loss rules. Whether it's mastering Schedule E or understanding Congress' intent behind tax laws, professionals will leave with an enriched understanding.

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Globalization continues to make it easier for taxpayers to live abroad, do business in other countries, or invest in foreign enterprises. This creates significant complications and tax planning opportunities when it comes to filing U.S. tax returns. This course provides an overview of the unique tax challenges and solutions presented to U.S. expats or investors living or investing abroad. It examines how foreign-source income is taxed in the U.S. and how the tax consequences could be mitigated by applying the tax treaties, claiming credit for foreign taxes paid, or excluding foreign-earned income. Additionally, the course discusses the numerous foreign informational form reporting requirements and the significant penalties that could be imposed by the IRS. Examples from real-life client scenarios are included.

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The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 called for delivering nearly $80 billion to the IRS over 10 years to allow the IRS to purchase new technology and hire employees. This funding would have provided the IRS with new equipment and new employees, possibly to handle more audits, many of them involving very complex tax issues. The Trump Administration has reversed this with prospects for a reduction in IRS employees and less money to fund the purchase and development of new software. This program discusses the current state of IRS audits. Trump administration changes will of course have enormous impacts on these audits going forward.

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This comprehensive fall tax update is designed to prepare the practitioner for the upcoming filing season by providing an in-depth analysis and update of the business tax provisions enacted under OBBBA. Participants will examine statutory changes affecting corporate, pass-through, and individual business taxation, including modifications to depreciation, credits, deductions, compliance requirements, and planning strategies.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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As Americans live longer and increasingly move away from traditional pensions, Social Security has become the main source of retirement income for many clients. Meanwhile, concerns about solvency and a lack of understanding of key rules have led to confusion and sometimes misguided decisions. This program offers tax practitioners the knowledge they need to help clients make informed choices about Social Security and retirement income.

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This course explores federal tax credits available to both individual taxpayers and business entities. Participants will review how tax credits function within the federal tax system and examine eligibility requirements, documentation standards, and compliance considerations when claiming credits. The program discusses common credits available to individuals and businesses and reviews how recent legislation and IRS guidance have affected credit opportunities. Through practical discussion and examples, the course addresses strategies for identifying and evaluating credits that may apply to various taxpayer situations. Participants will also review substantiation requirements, audit considerations, and common pitfalls that arise when claiming credits. 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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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This course is designed as a comprehensive guide to the core concepts of trust and estate income tax preparation. The course explains the common terminology and complicated income tax rules of estates and trusts, fiduciary accounting, and an introduction to or refresher on preparing Form 1041. This practical, over 300-page manual is an excellent reference source for your practice, which begins with quite simple cases. Building upon that base throughout the manual, the course ends with two complicated preparation cases, one trust and one estate, each with filled-in forms.

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Each year brings its own set of tax planning challenges, and this year is no exception. This course aims to arm tax planners with planning strategies and ideas that all clients, but in particular, wealthy clients, middle-income clients, and closely held business owners need to consider right now to take advantage of present opportunities and plan for future tax advantages. Learn strategies that can really have an impact on client lives, while also bringing value to you and your firm. Please Note: 2026 returns are not covered in this course. They will be covered after their issuance, as part of our spring 2027 course release.

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This program addresses the most recent developments impacting partnerships operating as LLCs, with a focus on legislative, administrative, and tax form changes. Emphasis will be placed on partners "tax basis" capital accounts, now required for tax form reporting. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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This course examines the critical issues and special opportunities facing partnerships and their partners, with a focus on reporting tax basis capital accounts.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com    

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This course delivers a comprehensive, practitioner-focused analysis of 401(k) plans, emphasizing rules, planning opportunities, and common execution risks faced by employees, executives, and business owners. Participants will develop a detailed understanding of plan mechanics, contribution limits, testing requirements, and timing rules, with particular attention to avoiding overfunding, coordinating multiple plans, and maximizing employer benefits. The course examines employee and employer contribution structures, including elective deferrals, catch-up contributions, after-tax contributions, matching and profit-sharing formulas, and special coordination issues for executives, multiple employers, and solo 401(k) plans. Participants learn how to identify and implement advanced strategies such as Roth vs. traditional optimization, mega Roth planning, in-plan conversions, and effective use of employer stock through net unrealized appreciation (NUA). Distribution planning is a core focus, including tax treatment, early distribution penalties, rollover mechanics, and basis tracking across pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax sources. The course emphasizes practical decision-making when evaluating lump sum vs. annuity options, executing rollovers correctly, managing withholding and tax payments, and applying penalty exceptions. Special scenarios, including inherited 401(k) accounts, trust beneficiaries, and Roth-specific timing rules, are also addressed.

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Part of the technical competence of most experienced accounting and finance professionals is the ability to advise owners of S corporations and partnerships or multiple-member LLCs treated as partnerships regarding the tax rules that apply when these entities liquidate. Entity liquidations do not occur every day; but they do occur, and often at very critical times in the business life of the entity and its owners. All accounting and finance professionals should be able to advise their clients about the tax issues associated with client businesses that go out of existence and liquidate. This program explains the tax consequences associated with liquidating S corporations, partnerships, and multiple-member limited liability companies treated as partnerships.

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When clients ask questions about the impact of new tax legislation embodied in OBBBA, it is important that accounting and finance practitioners can reply with accurate and relevant planning strategies. This program prepares accounting and finance practitioners with the knowledge and insights to help their clients apply the new law to their advantage. This program is an introduction and review of some of these critical changes and their impact on individual and business taxpayers. By taking this program, accounting and finance practitioners will have a broader, deeper understanding of many of the OBBBA changes that impact their clients. This course is a two-hour review and analysis of what we consider some of the most important changes from the OBBBA impacting clients and perhaps their businesses.

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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. Given the rising popularity of S corporations, understanding how shareholder basis and the equity section of the balance sheet work together for tax purposes is imperative for nearly any tax practitioner. In this course, we will discuss this relationship. Using examples and illustrations, we will show how contributions, operating transactions, and distributions affect shareholder basis as well as equity.

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Tax planning is more than an estimated tax calculation, it's a process.  Where are we now and what can we change?  This timely program will highlight significant 2022-23 tax developments and discuss key tax planning ideas for your clients as you prepare for the upcoming tax season. Don’t wait until late December to start planning for your clients! **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.

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Since 1919, the Internal Revenue Service had a civil and criminal function in the United States tax system. Little do people know, the IRS has an elite criminal function that started with five United States Postal Inspectors. From its early days in taking down Al Capone to now solving cybercrimes, the IRS special agents are tasked with investigating tax fraud, money laundering, and other white collar crimes. This presentation will show you the importance of this law enforcement function, the training, techniques, expertise, and actions that cause them to be known as the "world's finest financial investigators." This presentation has been prepared by a 20 year veteran with the IRS-Criminal Investigation. The presenter investigated crimes, and trained and mentored other special agents. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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With the increasing complexity and ever-changing nature of tax laws and issues, today’s accountant needs a one-day update course focusing on individual income tax issues with an emphasis of newly enacted income tax legislation. This comprehensive class will not only review the current Federal individual income tax laws but will also update tax return preparers of new tax forms, changes to existing tax forms, as well as tax planning opportunities and pitfalls. This is a “must-attend” course for all tax practitioners who want to be up to speed quickly and have a successful Federal individual income tax filing season.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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This comprehensive training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly with S corporation formation and preparation issues as well as a complete understanding of calculating a shareholder’s stock and debt basis. The cornerstone of this course is the in-depth line-by-line analysis of the Form 1120S Schedule K and K-1 and how these items affect the shareholder’s Federal individual income tax return.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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Stay current on the most important accounting, auditing, tax, and ethics developments impacting not-for-profit organizations in 2026. This comprehensive ACPEN Signature program delivers a practical, executive-level update designed for CPAs, auditors, CFOs, controllers, and advisors serving the nonprofit sector.  On the tax front, the program covers the sweeping charitable giving changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), effective beginning in 2026. Topics include the new deduction floor for itemizers, revised corporate giving thresholds, the non-itemizer charitable deduction, the permanent 60% cash contribution limit, and the new scholarship tax credit. Our panel will also explore the expansion of the 21% excise tax on compensation exceeding $1 million to any employee and the doubling of the endowment tax rate depending on the student-adjusted endowment size. We will also discuss how donor-advised funds (DAFs) and IRA gifts fit well within this revised charitable giving landscape. Of course, we will also address the latest tax developments affecting charities and donations.  The course will include a tax update and review of any new key issues in completing IRS Form 990, and related Schedules. It is more important than ever for non-profits to understand and complete this annual tax form to ensure that the organization and its donors are also protected so they can accomplish their corporate intentions and goals. On the accounting standards front, although there are no major new updates to GAAP affecting NFPs since last year’s FASB Update, the FASB has issued a number of Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) that improve various areas of GAAP affecting some or many NFPs. Among the updates we’ll discuss are: ASU 2025-05, which provides simplifications in applying the recent credit losses standard (Codification Topic 326) to various accounts receivable, such as from students, patients, and other customers; ASU 2025-06, which modernizes the guidance on capitalization of development costs for internal-use software; and a pending ASU, expected to be issued in Spring 2026, on the accounting for environmental credit programs. As the FASB has been wrapping up its current generation of projects, it undertook a new public agenda consultation in 2025 to help determine its next generation of projects.  Informed by the feedback received, the FASB has already added several new projects, some of which are relevant to some or many NFPs.  These include projects on whether certain Crypto Assets such as stablecoins should be classified as cash equivalents and on making targeted improvements to the Equity Method of Accounting.  We’ll discuss these and any other NFP-relevant projects the FASB adds prior to the FASB Update. The FASB Update will also include helpful implementation reminders on standards issued in recent years that are now effective, such as those on fungible Crypto Assets such as Bitcoin (ASU 2023-08) and on improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09). The auditing update will include a review of Statements on Auditing Standards 146 (Quality Management), 147 (Inquiries of the Predecessor), 148 (Amendments to AU-C 935); 149 (Audits of Group Financial Statements),as well as exposure drafts on confirmation and fraud, that will impact audits conducted in 2026 and beyond, with emphasis on practical application to NFP organizations. The program also will provide a review of recently enacted Ethics Interpretations, including Public Interest Entities, Section 529 Plans, Executive or Employee Recruiting, Simultaneous Employment or Association, and Tax Services as well as consideration of exposure drafts currently outstanding. Qualifies as one hour of ethics CPE. *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 terri.storer@acpen.com    

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