IRS-Sponsored Practitioner Education Phone Forums (1 hour CPE)

The IRS Stakeholder Liaison group (formerly Taxpayer Education and Communication - TEC) regularly schedules Phone Forums for which qualifying participants receive CPE credit. What is nice about a Phone Forum is that it is FREE, and you don't even have to leave your office! Topics are timely, and you can easily include others in your office by using your conference phone.

For information on all upcoming Phone Forums, CLICK HERE to go to the Practitioner Local Liaison Meetings and Seminars page on the IRS Web site. Select your state from the list, and follow the instructions for the Phone Forum of your choice. You may want to bookmark this page for easy access to information about up-coming events!

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IRS Webinar

IRS Small Business/Self Employed, Communications, Liaison and Disclosure, Stakeholder Liaison Field Operations invite Enrolled Agents, CPAs and tax professionals to attend these FREE Webinars:

July 21: Office of Professional Responsibility & Circular 230: Overview, Procedures and Priorities
2:00 p.m. (ET); 1:00 p.m. (CT); 12:00 p.m. (MT); 11:00 p.m. (PT)

Learn about:

• Current and future jurisdiction
• Complaint process
• Alternative disciplinary notices
• Possible sanctions
• OPR areas of focus
  

To Register & Attend

Visit the Internal Revenue Service Webinar Registration Web site to register and attend the session. For further information or questions, please contact the Registration Point of Contact: Internal Revenue Service; nationalphoneforum@irs.gov.

Continuing Education Credit

Enrolled agents receive one CPE credit for participating for a minimum of 50 minutes from the start of the webinar. Other tax professionals may receive credit if the webinar meets your organizations or states CPE requirements. Register for the webinar using your e-mail address, and use the same e-mail address to log in to attend. This will confirm your attendance and generate your Certificate of Completion*.

* Only participants in the live events will receive certificates. If you do not need a certificate to obtain CPE credit, you may choose to view the archived version of the webinar after the event..

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NATC EA Classes (up to 46 hours CPE)

submitted by Jayne Williams, NATC

The implementation of national registration is on the horizon and with it the promise of additional testing to assure the IRS that all those they register are competent to do tax returns.

For several years the OATC board members, the NATC board members and the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners have been making the argument that the IRS should grandfather the Oregon licensees given the length of time we have been demonstrating the very skills they are testing - both in two sets of tests and in performance.  We haven't had any luck.

The only group that the Director Of Practice has exempted categorically from testing is those tested by the IRS in the EA program. CPAs and Attorneys are exempt in the initial testing program, but they are being examined for their competence during that three year period and if they don't measure up, they, too, will be tested.

Many of the members of NATC have the equivalent experience of an Enrolled Agent. Not all have taken the time to take the tests. There are programs in various communities - classes, webinars, self-study that might be worth pursuing now so that you can claim your expertise and raise your level of participation above the norm. Not all of you are in commuting distance of Eugene, Oregon, our national headquarters. Those of you who are are welcome to enroll in the NATC preparation class.

Classes will be from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Monday and Wednesday from July 12 to September 29. We will not meet on Labor Day. We will use the Thomas Tax study materials. The cost will be $250 for the instruction and $175 (a discount) for the Thomas Tax materials. That's a total of $425 for 46 hours of education. Hours earned can be split by months.

These classes are not allowed for EA credit, but are allowed for Oregon credits. We are limiting the class size for effective discussion and pacing. There are five open spots left. If you are willing and able to commute and interested in taking one of those five slots in the program, please call Pat at 800-745-6282 or if you live in the Eugene/Springfield area 541-653-9230, to reserve a place in the class. No prerequisites – however, first call, first reserved.

Please pay with cash or check – no credit cards for this class. Payment is due on the first day of class when the first set of materials will be distributed.

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