AFSP 18-Hour Bundle for Non-exempt Tax Preparers

(1 customer review)

$89.00

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FOR NON-EXEMPT TAX PREPARERS

The IRS Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP) aims to recognize the efforts of non-credentialed return preparers who aspire to a higher level of professionalism. Tax Preparers who complete 18 hours of CE annually, including a six hour AFTR course will receive an Annual Filing Season Program – Record of Completion from the IRS.

Note:If you are an Exempt Tax Preparer, Click here for your 15 Hour AFSP Bundle

The AFTR Course is currently unavailable, as the IRS deadline is 12/31 each year for the coming tax season. Our AFSP Products will be available later this summer – contact us here to get an email update when they become available!

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Product Description

Please note:

  • These courses are not webinars

  • We provide all students with a free Tax Law Update once the IRS issues updates

  • Most CE seminars qualify for EA CE

  • Prior tax preparation experience/knowledge is suggested

  • The Income Tax School will provide support for this product and all other CE through 12/28 each year. We highly recommend completion of this course prior to 12/28 to ensure the following support:

    • Instructor

    • Administrative

    • Technical

Course features:

  • Online, self-study beginner tax course
    • Study anywhere/anytime with an internet connection
  • All reading material is viewable online with optional PDF downloads
  • Academic support from tax school instructors provided by email
  • Automatic grading with instructional feedback
  • Certificate of Completion
    • Emailed upon completion with a final passing grade of 70% or greater
  • Approved by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)

About this course package:

  • 6 hour AFTR course
    • Includes 100 question comprehension test (3-hr timed test)
  • Plus 12 hours of CE
    • Automatically includes the following 6 hours of CE:
      • 3 hours, Affordable Care Act
      • 2 hours, Ethics
      • 1 hour, Understanding Financial Reporting
    • Please choose 2 additional seminars to make up the additional 6 hours of Federal tax law topics from a variety of topics
  • Must be completed with a passing score by 12/31 each year for it to be accepted by the IRS.

Click here for IRS Annual Tax Refresher Course (AFTR) Course Outline

Affordable Care Act Learning Objectives:

  • Identify features of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
  • Identify ACA exemptions allowed
  • Calculate Shared Responsibility
  • Identify employer’s responsibilities in regard to ACA

Ethics Learning Objectives:

  • Be able to describe professional responsibilities in tax return preparation
  • Learn the actions necessary to maintain client confidentiality
  • Understand the requirements to practice before the IRS
  • Publication 470 and Circular 230 are covered
  • Practice scenarios included to provide situations and possible practical resolutions

Understanding Financial Reporting Learning Objectives:

  • Create a balance sheet and reconcile the owner’s equity account
  • Identify the asset, liability, revenue, and expense accounts in the general ledger
  • Recognize the various accounts on a balance sheet
  • Construct financial reports for sole proprietors filing a Schedule C (From 2040)
  • Review the Schedules M-1, M-2, and M-3 for Forms 1065, 1120, and 1120S
  • Calculate common financial ratios used to analyze the financial health of a business

For descriptions on all of our CE courses, click here.

Continuing Education FAQs

What are my Continuing Education (CE) requirements for the IRS?

There are no CE requirements to maintain your Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) with the IRS.

For the IRS’s Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP), you must complete 18 hours of CE by December 31st annually, using an IRS Approved Provider (Don’t worry, The Income Tax School is approved!). These 18 hours must be made up of:

    • 10 hours federal tax law
    • 6 hours Annual Federal Tax Refresher (AFTR) course with a comprehension test
    • 2 hours ethics education


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What are my CE requirements as an IRS Enrolled Agent (EA)?

In order for Enrolled Agents to keep their designation from the IRS, they must obtain at least 72 hours of CE credits every three years (based on their renewal cycle). Of these 72 hours, a minimum of 16 hours must be completed each year, and of these 16 hours per year, a minimum of two hours must be on ethics.

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What are my CE requirements to renew my registration with the California Tax Education Council (CTEC)?

California residents must provide an active PTIN, maintain a $5,000 tax preparer insurance bond, and complete 20 hours of CE by October 31st each year to renew their registration with the California Tax Education Council (CTEC). They must also complete. These 20 hours must be made up of:

    • 10 hours federal tax law
    • 5 hours California state law
    • 3 hours federal tax updates
    • 2 hours ethics education


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Am I exempt from the Annual Federal Tax Refresher (AFTR) course?

Tax preparers who have successfully completed one of the following national or state tests would be exempt from taking the AFTR course with a comprehension test.

  • Registered Tax Return Preparers (RTRP)
  • California and other state based return preparer testing programs
  • Accredited tax preparers through Accreditation Council for Accountancy/Taxation
  • Part 1 of the Special Enrollment Exam during 2 year eligibility window
  • Successful VITA program reviewers and instructors


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What if I’m a credentialed tax professional or in the exempt group above and want to qualify for the AFSP?

Credentialed tax professionals (CPAs, attorneys, Enrolled Agents, Enrolled Retirement Plan Agents, and Enrolled Actuaries) or the exempt group listed in the section above must have 15 hours of CE from an IRS Approved Provider to qualify for the AFSP annually. No CE credit will be given to Enrolled Agents for completing an AFTR course. The 15 hours of CE must include the following:

  • 10 hours federal tax law topics
  • 3 hours federal tax updates
  • 2 hours ethics education


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Do you report my CE credits to the IRS and/or CTEC?

Yes. The Income Tax School reports CE credits to the IRS once per quarter for the first 3 quarters of the calendar year.

  • CE credits earned from January 1st – March 31st: reported to IRS April 1st.
  • CE credits earned from April 1st – June 30th: reported to IRS July 1st.
  • CE credits earned from July 1st – September 30th: reported to IRS October 1st.

Beginning October 1st, The Income Tax School reports CE credits to the IRS every 10 days through the end of the calendar year.

For California residents seeking Qualifying Education (QE) and CE credits for CTEC, The Income Tax School reports to CTEC every 10 days throughout the calendar year. Beginning October 1st, The Income Tax School reports CE credits to CTEC daily.

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I’m buying a course on behalf of someone else, what should I do?

For business owners operating their own tax school who wish to license our courses for their students: email customercare@theincometaxschool.com or call 1-800-984-1040.

Many customers come to us and are buying a course or seminar for someone else. They could be buying the course for their spouse, or a business owner purchasing for an employee(s), or an employee signing up for a course that their employer is paying for. In those cases, use the following steps:

  1. Select your course(s)
  2. Proceed to checkout
  3. Fill the billing address and payment fields with the information of the person paying for the course.
  4. In the Additional Comments section: enter the names and emails of the person(s) taking the course(s)

Example: Jane is a business owner who wants to purchase the Comprehensive Tax Course for Megan and the CTP Program for Jeff. Jane puts both the Comprehensive course and the CTP Program in her cart and proceeds to checkout. Jane enters her information for the Name, Email, Billing Address, and credit card info, then specifies “Megan Smith – Comprehensive course. Email: megan@example.com, Jeff Jones – CTP Program. Email: jeff@example.com” in the Additional Comments section.

Jane will receive a receipt of purchase by email and will be given login credentials of her own by default. Our school administrators will then manually create student accounts for Megan and Jeff and add their respective courses to their accounts. Please allow up to 2 business days for this to take place.

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Refund Policy

The Refund Policy below is applicable only for courses students purchase directly from The Income Tax School or Peoples Income Tax School. Students who purchase any courses through third party schools or other organizations must address all refund issues with the entity through which they made that purchase. Please note: Operator©s Starter Kit, License Renewal, Tax Practice Management Manuals (Marketing, Policies and Procedures, Personnel, and Expansion), the Guide to Start and Grow Your Successful Tax Business, and the two Business Start-up Guides are non-refundable.

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1 review for AFSP 18-Hour Bundle for Non-exempt Tax Preparers

  1. Judy –

    The study of this course was extremely helpful to me as a Tax Preparer.

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