The Steps to Becoming a CTP®

1. Successfully complete The Income Tax School series of six 30-hour Income Tax Courses (four additional courses beyond the 60-hour Comprehensive Tax Course). An average grade of at least 80% must be attained (our adult students average 90%+).


2. Meet the experience requirement of working at least two tax seasons (a minimum of 500 hours) as a tax preparer while in the program (prior tax preparation experience will count for experienced tax professionals who test out of the Basic and/or Intermediate courses). After completing the first tax course you’ll have enough tax knowledge to start working towards your experience requirement. Plus, you’ll start earning money!
   

Your CTP® Designation Can Be Earned in Months

All courses are offered online via the Internet and can be completed anywhere, anytime-24/7. The affordable tuition includes instructor support plus a hard copy of each tax course student text with all necessary tax forms at no additional cost. Each module consists of ten 3-hour lessons and can be completed in 5-10 weeks (one or two lessons per week). The entire program could be completed in less than eight months, but many students will take 18-24 months, during which time they will also gain experience and earn money as tax professionals.

You will be Awarded a CTP® Certificate

Upon completion, you will be awarded a certificate and the designation of Chartered Tax Professional — CTP®. Acceptable experience completed prior to enrolling in the CTP® program by tax preparers who have tested out of the first two courses will satisfy the experience requirement. By officially enrolling in the CTP® program, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on each additional course after completing your first course! Peoples Income Tax School trading as The Income Tax School is certified to operate as a private career school by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

After completing this comprehensive certificate program, you will be well prepared to handle almost any individual and small business income tax situations you encounter. You will also be ready to take the next step in your career as a tax professional by preparing for and taking the IRS Enrolled Agent (EA) exam. The EA designation is the most significant credential in the income tax preparation industry; even more relevant than the CPA designation.

Take It One Step Further and Become an Enrolled Agent (EA)

If you choose to take the IRS EA exam, you may want to prepare it by taking the ExamMatrix EA Exam Review through Peoples Income Tax School at our special CTP® discount rate. See the latest news from IRS about IRS Enrolled Agents.

Continuing Education Requirement

Beginning with the year after you qualify as a Chartered Tax Professional, you must complete 16 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) each year to maintain your CTP® status. The CPE requirement for a CTP® is exactly the same as the CPE required for an IRS Enrolled Agent (EA). The CPE requirement is described on the IRS website www.irs.gov.

Objectives of the CTP® Program

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Practice as a Qualified Tax Professional


• Prepare Tax Returns for All Individual US Taxpayers


• Prepare Small Businesses Corporate, Partnership & Sole-Proprietor Tax Returns


• Conduct a Professional Tax Preparation Client Interview


• Provide Tax Planning for Individuals and Small Business Owners


• Meet the IRS e-File and Due Diligence Requirements for Tax Practitioners


• Understand the Ethical Responsibilities of Tax Professionals


• Save Money on Your Personal Taxes and Preparation Fees


• Prepare for the IRS Enrolled Agent (EA) Examination

Courses required to earn the Chartered Tax Professional Certificate and CTP® designation: California Students: All courses are CTEC Approved!

• Basic Individual Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• Intermediate Individual Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• Advanced Individual Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• Small Business Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• Advanced Level II Individual Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)

(Available Summer 2008)

• Small Business Level II Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)

(Available Summer 2008)

• CALIFORNIA Comprehensive Income Tax Preparation

(Covers Basic and Intermediate Courses - Required first course for CA preparers)

• CALIFORNIA Advanced Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• CALIFORNIA Advanced Level II Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)

(Available Summer 2008)

• CALIFORNIA Small Business Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)


• CALIFORNIA Small Business Level II Income Tax Preparation (30 hours)

(Available Summer 2008)

Note: The first two courses - Basic and Intermediate - may be taken individually as two 30 hour courses as listed or students may take the Comprehensive course which combines Basic and Intermediate into one 60 hour course. All other courses are taken as listed. California residents should enroll in the California Comprehensive Income Tax Course, which meets the CTEC requirements to become a licensed tax preparer in California. Register for the Comprehensive courses below.

Already Have Some Tax Knowledge?
If you’ve already taken a course or two from us you can still register for the CTP® certificate program and we will submit your completed courses into the program. Or, if you already have some tax knowledge under your belt from another source, you can still register for the CTP® program and you may test out of the Basic and/or Intermediate course(s) only and move on to the Advanced and Small Business courses. The cost to test out of each of the first two courses is $50 per course or, $100 for the Comprehensive course, which includes both the Basic and Intermediate courses. Please call us at 1-800-984-1040 for more information.
Save Money... Take the Comprehensive Tax Course Which Combines the Basic and Intermediate Tax Courses:

• Comprehensive Individual Income Tax Preparation (60 hours)


• CALIFORNIA Comprehensive Individual Income Tax Preparation (60 hours)

Save Even More Money... Register for the Chartered Tax Professional (CTP®) Package and Save More Than 20%!

• Prepay for all six courses


• Prepay for all six CALIFORNIA courses

CTP® Certificate Program Disclaimer Notice
When the CTP® program is purchased as a package, the course books will ship individually and access to each new course will be given upon completion of the last course. This will ensure that you receive the most current material available when you are ready to take each course.
Prerequisites/Audience

A high school diploma or equivalent is a prerequisite; accounting & math skill is not required, just the aptitude to work with numbers and people and to read and interpret the tax laws.

This program is suitable for all adults who seek a fast track to a professional white-collar career. Tax preparation is especially appealing to those who would enjoy helping other people by making the intimidating task of tax preparation a pleasant experience while saving their clients money by minimizing their tax liabilities.

Homemakers with young children find tax preparation a convenient profession as they are able to be off when their children are out of school for the summer, yet maintain their professional skills.

Early retirees find tax preparation a rewarding second career enabling them use their minds while helping people and still have time to travel, play golf and spend time with their grandchildren.

College students find tax preparation an opportunity to gain professional work experience and credentials to strengthen their resumes.

Moonlighting professionals find tax preparation a source of extra income during winter months.

Blue collar workers can enter new white-collar professions through tax preparation.

Many employed and Self-employed individuals such as financial services and real-estate professionals find tax preparation a complementary profession to earn extra money and also generate leads for their other professional activities, while also enabling them to better serve their clients through knowledge of the tax consequences of their clients’ decisions.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

Requires a standard Personal Computer with Internet access, a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, at least 256K RAM and Acrobat Reader (free download).

Each of the six courses is accompanied by a student text (350-500 pages). The entire text is provided online; however, hard copies of student texts are also provided at the start of each course for convenience and future reference. Students are also provided with hard copies of tax forms to complete tax return problems.
Endorsed by the National Alliance of Tax Business Owners

Visit NATBO's Website