Product Description
CTP® Certificate Program Includes:
An 18-month program that consists of five income tax courses totaling 157 continuing education (CE) hours. Plus, a 300-hour experience requirement that can be completed over two tax seasons to receive the CTP® designation.
BONUS Material:
- FREE Tax Law Updates as they become available
- FREE AFTR Course available upon completion of Comprehensive Tax Course. Available when IRS releases access – Learn more about AFTR and the voluntary IRS Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP)
- Once you have successfully completed the Chartered Tax Professional Certificate Program, you are eligible to claim a sharable digital badge. Learn more about badges.
*Note: All course content, student resources, and other offers that come with the listed courses are included in the Certificate Program as well. For more details, visit the individual course pages.
Certificate Programs are a series of courses designed to be taken one at a time. In order to earn the CTP® designation, you must pass the courses with at least an 80% average grade on all graded assignments and meet the 300-hour experience requirement. Upon completing these requirements, you will be certified by The Income Tax School and can add the CTP® designation to your professional title.
Depending on when you purchase, you could start your first course and by the time you’re ready to start the next one a new edition could be available. For this reason, we give you access (and ship your books) to each course one at a time, to ensure you get the most up-to-date version available.
Upon purchase, you will receive login credentials and may start the Comprehensive course right away. These courses are not webinars, so you can work at your own pace and access the course content at any time. You have 6 months to complete Comprehensive and an additional 3 months for each subsequent course, though many students finish earlier. A course extension may be purchased from our online store, if needed.
After completing the Comprehensive tax course, you’ll have enough tax knowledge to start earning money as a tax preparer. This will enable you to start logging hours toward your experience requirement.
Already Have Some Tax Knowledge?
If you’ve already taken the Comprehensive Tax Course from us, you can still register for one of our Chartered Tax Certificate Programs and we’ll submit your completed course into the program. Or, if you already have some tax knowledge under your belt from another source, you may test out of the Comprehensive Tax Course only, register for one of the programs and move on to the next course. The cost to test out of the Comprehensive Tax Course is $100. Start by purchasing the test out and our school administrators will advise you how to proceed from there.
Certificate Programs FAQs
What’s the difference between Certificate Programs and course bundles?
Course bundles are sets of two ITS courses that, if bought together, come at a discounted rate. Certificate Programs are similar in that they are multiple courses bought together at a discounted rate, but also earn a credential from ITS. The minimum grade requirement is higher (80% average instead of 70%), and there is an experience requirement proving that you’ve applied your knowledge in the field. Completing a Certificate Program allows you to add the CTC or CTP credential to your professional title as proof that you are certified by Surgent Income Tax School.
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What’s the difference between the CTC and CTP Certificate Programs?
Both the Chartered Tax Consultant (CTC) and Chartered Tax Professional (CTP) begin with our Comprehensive Tax Course, so any beginner has the option to choose the program that works best for them. The difference is how much further education beyond the Comprehensive course you wish to take. The CTC program includes Small Business I and Small Business II, while the CTP program includes all five of our tax learning courses. For more information on the course content and requirements for each program, visit the program pages.
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How long do I have to complete the programs?
You can access and complete all our courses online, 24/7, provided you have internet access. The Certificate Programs are a series of courses designed to be completed one at a time. Course terms are listed below:
Comprehensive – 6 months
Small Business I – 3 months
Small Business II – 3 months____________________________________end of CTC Program – 12 months
Advanced I – 3 months
Advanced II – 3 months___________________________________end of CTP Program – 18 months
To learn more about each course, click the links to the individual course page.
Back To TopDo I take the courses all at once, or one at a time?
One at a time. Depending on when you purchase, you could start your first course and by the time you’re ready to start the next one a new edition could be available. For this reason, we give you access to each course one at a time, to ensure you get the most up-to-date version available. This is also true if you order hard copy books with your course. Books are shipped one at a time so that you get the newest edition possible.
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Do I have to complete the courses in order?
Yes, although we can offer some flexibility. By default, students start with the Comprehensive Course, then move on to Advanced I and II, then Small Business I and II. If you’d like to complete the Small Business courses before the Advanced courses, notify our school administrators and we can make the change for you. We will not allow you to take either of the second level courses before completing the first level courses, however.
If you already have some tax knowledge and experience, you can try to test out of the Comprehensive Course and move straight to the advanced courses.
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Am I required to buy hard copy books?
Hard copy books are completely optional. Some students prefer to work through reading materials offline and simply use the online platform to complete assignments, quizzes, and tests. The hard copy books are also a useful tool for tax preparers to use as a reference after they’ve completed the course and are filing tax returns in the field. You do not have to wait for your hard copy book to be shipped to you before beginning your course, but you can if you wish.
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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:
- Select your course(s)
- Proceed to checkout
- Fill the billing address and payment fields with the information of the person paying for the course.
- 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), Print/Hard Copy Books for Individual Course Purchase, the Guide to Start and Grow Your Successful Tax Business, and the two Business Start-up Guides are non-refundable.
Online for Individual Students
Payment Plan Terms & Conditions for Courses Purchased Before 3/11/21
Chartered Tax Certificate Programs for Online Individual Students
Virginia Student Enrollment Agreement for Courses Purchased Before 3/1/2021
Surgent EA Review Refund Policy and Pass Guarantee
Academic Honesty Policy
Licensee Guarantee and License Agreement
Reseller License Agreement
Connielyn Alexander –
I have had great experiences with the Income Tax School. The customer service staff is always helpful, courteous and professional. They are always willing to go the extra mile to help. The instructors are quick to respond to questions and always give detailed explanations and are always encouraging.
Seth Mac –
I am a past student from the income tax school. I completed the chartered tax professional course. They also helped in learning the new changes in tax law regarding the TCJA! This course is a wonderful course of study leading into the EA test and prep. I use the knowledge i learned there everyday. I have also taken the AFSP certification test and my required continuing education there every year since. The teachers there are very knowledgeable and friendly(My teacher was Barry Brindle, fast response time and patient). If you ever thought about doing taxes then this school is where you start! The pricing is affordable and is a good investment into a life long a fulfilling career. The lessons are easy to understand. The program is set up to do on or offline(except testing) however it suits your daily needs and goals. Learn at an easy, yet steady pace! Thank you so much Income Tax School!
Janna Davidenko –
Keep calm and tax on! Great school, great support, it took me 2 1/2 years, but I did it! Highly recommend.
Maria Rosenfeld –
I have found The Income Tax School the most helpful institution for receiving training in taxation. The materials are very didactical with theory, study questions, learning activities, and a final test at the end of each module. I recognize that this course is not easy to manage due to the complexity of the tax laws. I started the course in March of 2018, and Mr. Brindle was assigned by the institution as my instructor. Mr. Brindle has all the knowledge and techniques in helping me when I get into trouble and/or I have some questions that were not quite clear for me. I am a foreign student and I am very pleased with The Income Tax School as my training provider. Now after several months of training, I started volunteering as a tax preparer. However, due to the high demands of this endeavor, I had to quit. I decided to look for a paying job during this tax season and I got it. Thanks to the Income Tax Institution training, I applied all of my knowledge from the school for my job with some changes like the latest tax laws for this year. I love the job which provided me with very good compensation!
Overall, I really recommend to anybody who wants to learn about taxes to get training from The Income Tax School. It is worth spending some extra money for the tax courses. The tax school provides great support for anybody wanting to become an enrolled agent.
Stuart Perkins –
When I was about 12 years old, in the sixth grade, I had made up my mind I was either going to be an engineer or a CPA. I did go to engineering school and later earned an MBA. At one point in my career, I was assigned to the Canadian operation of my company. I complained to the Big Eight accounting firm that was doing my taxes, complements of my company, that the taxes were unreasonably high. What did I care; I wasn’t paying the taxes or the fee they said. After arguing with my own accountants for a number of years, I had to do something. I signed up with The Income Tax School a year ago. Recently, I’ve been amending old tax returns, repairing many old mistakes and filing amendments for foreign tax credits for the last ten years’ returns with very large refunds received for each tax return I’ve amended! P.S. I just recently had a birthday, my 86th!
Victor Ricslit –
I am enrolled for the Chartered Tax Professional program and would like to commend you for the very detailed and comprehensive course materials. I was able to hit the ground running with individual tax returns in my practice. I have completed well over 200 since I arrived in the US.
Ken Kimura –
I would like to thank your team for the overall support with my Chartered Tax Professional program study. I have just completed all courses for the Chartered Tax Professional program, and it’s been a great pleasure being able to study with The Income Tax School.
George Guiver –
I was looking for a retirement job when an associate mentioned tax preparation. I researched this field and landed upon The Income Tax School. It has quite an internet presence and was loaded with good information. I decided to take the plunge and take the comprehensive course. I found I had some aptitude for this and went on to take additional courses. Yes, it became a bit of an addiction. The tests became puzzles I enjoyed solving. I took some advice and took to the trenches working with Liberty Tax for two years. This office has very experienced people with Lois having over 35 years of experience. She is like a living tax guru. I have learned quite a bit with this practical experience.The Income Tax School gave me the foundation to prepare individual, partnership (rentals) and business filings. The owners were impressed that I had so much knowledge without really working in the field. But, there is always something knew to learn (ex: What the heck is a 1099-Q?). I truly enjoy helping people out with their taxes and finding ways to save on their tax liability.Thanks to The Income Tax School for helping me build this great foundation on which I will continue to build.I plan on opening my own tax business next tax season.
Madeleine W. R. –
Your courses are in depth, sometimes hard and nearly always challenging and exactly what is needed to understand the wonderful world of taxes. I am an Enrolled Agent who is taking them to refresh the basics and revisit the advanced and business courses. Well worth the money paid and I am getting more out of their Chartered Tax Professional (CTP) courses than other live continuing education seminars and workbooks.
George Guiver –
I agree with the others. The courses are well laid out, challenging and yes, at times even fun. Other times, they can be very challenging but with the help of the instructors like Karen and Barry, they will help you achieve that Ah-Ha!” moment. I’ve taken the Comprehensive, Advanced I and II, Small Business I and now taking Small Business II. If you want to learn the crazy maze of Tax Laws, this is the place!”
George –
I have obtained a job with a tax service and will begin the experience part of my new career this tax season. Thank you to The Income Tax School and especially Barry and Karen for all their help and guidance this last year.
Pat Malcolm –
Thank you! I have successfully completed all modules for the Chartered Tax Professional course and have since submitted the affidavit of experience. It has been a very intense and wonderful program and I feel more confident relating to clients with the additional knowledge I have gained. The time spent on this course will be rewarding.
Pat Malcolm –
Thank you! I have successfully completed all modules for the Chartered Tax Professional course and have since submitted the affidavit of experience. It has been a very intense and wonderful program and I feel more confident relating to clients with the additional knowledge I have gained. The time spent on this course will be rewarding.
Mary Ann Bone –
I recommend anyone interested in seeing the material join their Chartered Tax Professional-CTP program and test out as I did. It was a long difficult test but it showed me what was to be expected. I actually tested out of their basic and intermediate which combined I think they consider the comprehensive. It was hours of work but fun. Both tests were $50 each. I have a great respect for their program. I have just graduated with my BA in ACC and wanted to see if it was challenging and it is. I plan to sit the EA exam in September for Part I and hopefully will completely finish II & III prior to tax season. Anyway, The Income Tax School”s program is great, I recommend it to anyone, and it covers individual, business, and ethics. I have researched many programs and found The Income Tax School to be one of the most effective and very affordable. I also noticed it offers a payment plan for the Comprehensive Course for those who need that option in this tough economy.
Melissa Hewitt –
The courses that I took have allowed me to expand on my basic understanding of tax preparation and have given me a good grounding for other areas, example corporations. We only prepare individual returns at the office I work for, so I now feel more competent in those preparations. I am also quite happy with the fact that I have obtained my CTP which has prepared me for my ultimate goal of obtaining my EA. The courses also helped me strengthen my research skills and have given me avenues in which to explore issues further. It has been overall a rewarding experience that has given me the tools to expect more from myself.
Madeleine Daley –
I work for a law firm that also prepares tax returns. We have become really busy over the last 2 years and my boss decided to stop preparing tax returns and give our 100 tax return clients to a CPA. I suggested learning how to prepare returns and take over the clients. My boss, in theory agreed to this, if I took the CTP program. I have helped to prepare many of the client”s returns over the last two tax seasons. This program directly has helped us to retain thousands of dollars. We believe this program has been so helpful, that our newest assistant is going to start the program this summer allowing us to increase of capacity to acquire new tax clients.