CPE Catalog
Note
AICPA On-Demand & Self-Study courses take up to 24 hours to process.
Surgent's Understanding Non-Compete Agreements
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Online
2.00 Credits
The enforceability of non-compete agreements in the U.S. is in flux. While the FTC's proposed ban is on hold pending legal proceedings, existing state laws continue to govern the validity of non-compete clauses. Some states, like California, Oklahoma, and North Dakota, prohibit non-compete agreements, while others enforce them under certain conditions. Although state laws vary, non-competes are often used to protect the creation and development of corporate goodwill, customer relationships, and specialized training, among others. Today, employees are more likely to be asked to sign non-compete agreements as a condition of employment. Non-compete agreements are also a common component of a business sale agreement. This program surveys non-compete agreements from all angles, including the current state of play regarding the usefulness and enforceability of agreements going forward. Whether you advise individual clients or work for an employer, this course provides an understanding of common issues that arise in the negotiation and enforcement of non-competes.
Surgent's Unique Tax Attributes of Different Entity Types
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Online
2.00 Credits
When putting together a financial plan, it is important to remember that the tax situation of the business and the individual are often intertwined. Therefore, decisions about entity type are vitally important. Practitioners need to understand not only how different entities are taxed, but also which taxes will have the greatest impact on the individual owner. In this course, we will explore when self-employment taxes apply to business income, as well as some of the lesser-known taxes that apply to flow-through entities. We will even explore when a PTE election could be helpful to a small business owner.
Surgent’s Weekly Expert Hour
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Online
1.00 Credits
As financial and tax professionals well know, information overload is a constant struggle we face because things change quickly, and the sheer number of changes being made on a daily basis is enormous. Of great importance to small and medium tax and advisory firms is differentiating between changes that are relevant to our practice and our clients and changes that are new but totally irrelevant. Distinguishing between the two is difficult and time-consuming. Mike Tucker and a team of experts are pleased to present a weekly series designed to eliminate the clutter and get you what you need to stay up-to-date and perform for your clients. Mike and his co-presenters will dispense news on current events impacting taxes, finance, and industry. The subject matter will differ each week and intermittently include topics such as Social Security and Medicare. The panelists will discuss personal and corporate tax matters as well as other late-breaking news related to practitioners' personal finances and those of their clients. Every financial professional will benefit from this series. This is a cost-effective way for accountants to fulfill their compulsory continuing education because this weekly series will include almost 40 one-hour presentations. Sign up today — your clients and your bottom line will thank you.
Surgent's Data Analytics for Accountants and Financial Managers
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Online
2.00 Credits
Data analytics and mining are the fastest growing disciplines in accounting and general management. Many organizations are either planning programs or have them already underway. Unfortunately, a number of these attempts fail due to poor planning/preparation and a lack of commitment, training, and clear vision of the program's goals. Today there is no shortage of data, but relatively few organizations have established an environment and ongoing process to isolate, capture, analyze, and convert data into actionable information. At times, even organizations that are employing leading-edge analytics are doing it with traditional, limited sets of data. This session explores how an organization can successfully become data driven. The discussion includes numerous examples demonstrating how accounting and financial professionals can build upon their current analytical skills to better perform traditional tasks and assume a role as a business partner with others in their organization. The program is aimed to assist those just beginning the journey, as well as those who want to test their current efforts or are considering the need for a restart. In addition to discussing a number of analytical tools, including available software, lists of reference books and next-level software are provided. This program continues to build upon the Controllership Update Series.
Surgent's Integrated Planning, Forecasting, and Budgeting for Organizational Success
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Online
4.00 Credits
Planning may be one of the most important assignments of the finance professional; however, it is often accomplished in a way that can harm the organization. In many cases, huge sums are spent only to have a planning document developed that does not serve to bring the company together, but rather causes internal division. In some situations the budget can actually harm both productivity and alignment. This course is designed to bring planning, budgeting, and forecasting together into one fully aligned process that is easier, more efficient, and fully engages all parts of the organization. Rather than the plan being owned by the finance department, it is owned and followed by everyone from the CEO to the entry-level employee.
Surgent's Tax Planning for Rental Real Estate
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Online
4.00 Credits
The taxation of real estate is tricky. Taxpayers can own real estate in a number of different ways, including direct and indirect investments. There are numerous exceptions to being classified as a rental activity. How do you know if someone is a real estate professional? In this course, we will explore all these issues and many more. Through real-world examples and discussion, this course will delve into exceptions to rental status, qualifications for material participation, and requirements for active status. Additionally, we will cover the QBI and Section 1237 safe harbors and touch on some planning ideas related to depreciation recapture.
Surgent's Schedule 1-A: Implementing Important OBBBA Deductions for 2025
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Online
2.00 Credits
Schedule 1-A is a new tax form designed to consolidate four key OBBBA deductions that can be taken for the first time in 2025. Ultimately these four deductions: the tip deduction, the overtime deduction, the deduction for interest paid on a new car loan, and the senior deduction, appear as a single entry on line 13b of Form 1040. These deductions are phased out at higher income levels, the calculation of which takes place on Schedule 1-A. Accounting and finance professionals who wish to understand the mechanics of the four deductions and how they are expressed on Schedule 1-A and consolidated on Form 1040 would benefit from taking this program.
Surgent's Social Security: Dispelling Common Myths with Essential Truths
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Online
2.00 Credits
For roughly 90% of American retirees, Social Security income will be the foundation of their retirement income. Yet, many are ill-prepared and lack understanding of the critical aspects of making an informed claiming decision. Further challenged to separate fact from fiction, consumers crave accurate information from knowledgeable professionals to make the most out of these coveted monthly benefits. This course dispels common myths about Social Security that lead to confusion and replaces them with the truth to an empowered retirement. Help your clients navigate their claiming age decisions with greater confidence, equipped with the essential truths they should consider before pushing the Social Security "on" button.
Surgent's Bankruptcy Basics: Understanding the Reorganization and Liquidation Process in These Uncertain Economic Times
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Online
2.00 Credits
Consumers and businesses file for bankruptcy to seek protection from creditors and to reorganize or liquidate debts. Bankruptcy filings rise and fall with the economy. Surveys show that loss of income is the leading cause of consumer bankruptcies, followed by medical expenses and foreclosure. Corporate bankruptcies, on the other hand, are often the result of several factors, including excessive debt, decreased demand, increased costs, lawsuits or poor accounting practices. It is no secret bankruptcy filings will see a tremendous uptick in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As an accountant, CFP, attorney or other professional, you need to be able to discuss the process and different available courses of action with your clients. Both landlords and tenants will be influenced tremendously. Individuals will look to your advice for a discharge and new start. Businesses will do the same and will also need to advise loyal employees. Creditors will receive proofs of claim and look to you for your expertise. Take this course and make sure you can speak fluently to both creditors and debtors. As trusted advisors, then, professionals should have a basic understanding of the bankruptcy process. This course provides a thorough review of the consumer and corporate bankruptcy practice. Participants in this course will gain an understanding of how consumer and corporate bankruptcy proceedings begin and end, as well as learn about key issues that affect debtor and creditor rights during bankruptcy. This course provides information from the perspective of both debtor and creditor. Although bankruptcy concerns the debts of the debtor, the Bankruptcy Code provides substantial protections to creditors. Creditor rights, however, vary widely depending on the status afforded the creditor under the Bankruptcy Code. Do yourself, your clients and your profit margin a favor and sign up for this invaluable program.
Surgent's Excel: Mastering PivotTables
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Online
2.00 Credits
PivotTable is a fancy term for an Excel report that summarizes data. If you have not yet had the good fortune of exploring PivotTables, it is about time. In this session, we'll dig into PivotTables, understand the report layout options, and examine PivotTable formulas.
Surgent's Lessons Learned from Successful Companies
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Online
2.00 Credits
Why do some companies fail while others grow and succeed for generations? Common perceptions often attribute organizational success to great leadership, timing, or unique ideas. Although these traits certainly play a role in helping companies grow, research shows that corporate success often hinges on whether a company is value driven. Such companies have core ideologies that drive almost every major decision. In this course, we look at empirical data on why some companies succeed while others fail. By looking at companies that were created prior to 1950 (e.g., Disney, Marriott, or 3M), we can understand why certain organizations have been able to grow and achieve exceptional success through many different eras in the American economy. The lessons learned from these visionary companies can be broadly applied to organizations of all sizes, including accounting and financial service firms.
Surgent's Excel Budgeting Ideas
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Online
2.00 Credits
Budget methods are the key to allowing department managers to efficiently prepare their budget in Excel. For example, a budget method may be to spread prior year actuals or match prior year actuals, or match prior year actuals less 10%. In this webinar, we will explore how to allow users to pick a budget method from a drop-down list for each account and then have Excel perform different calculations depending on the budget method selected. We use several features and functions at the same time to pull this off. Even if you are not involved in the budgeting process, the underlying features and functions discussed have a wide range of uses.
Surgent's Tax and Advisory with Agentic AI
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Online
2.00 Credits
This course examines how agentic AI is revolutionizing tax compliance, planning, and advisory services. Participants will explore real-world deployments by leading firms such as EY, which has developed agents that handle millions of global tax transactions. The course also delves into cross-border compliance issues, transfer pricing automation, and emerging advisory models powered by agent-led simulations. Risks related to bias, unauthorized practice, and data privacy will be addressed, with guidance on aligning autonomous operations with professional and regulatory standards. CPAs must understand these advancements to ensure tax compliance, manage client expectations, and mitigate professional liability risks when providing agent-assisted advisory services.
Surgent's Accountability and Action
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Online
4.00 Credits
Good managers know how to delegate, but it can be a challenge to manage employees who are more interested in passing the buck than being responsible. Lack of ownership and responsibility can bog down processes and shut down projects. This workshop will help you create a game plan for building a culture of accountability with your team.
Surgent's Ethical Considerations for the CPA
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Online
4.00 Credits
CPAs today face greater challenges than ever to maintain the high ethical standards of their profession. It is vitally important that all CPAs understand their professional responsibilities related to all aspects of their job. This course, which focuses on key components of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, reviews a history of the CPA profession and focuses on ethical requirements that CPAs must adhere to in their everyday practice, including practical examples of potential ethical dilemmas that practitioners may encounter, particularly those related to objectivity and independence. PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE COVERS GENERAL ETHICS AND IS APPLICABLE IN STATES IN WHICH STATE-SPECIFIC ETHICS IS NOT REQUIRED. This course does not qualify for IRS credit.
Surgent's Annual Tax-Planning Guide for S Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs
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Online
8.00 Credits
As long as LLCs, partnerships, and S corporations form the backbone of many CPAs' practices, in-depth knowledge of all tax aspects of these entities will be essential. The purpose of this practical course is to focus on planning issues in creating, operating, and liquidating S corporations, partnerships, and LLCs. This course is essential for CPAs in public accounting and industry who advise these entities or their investors.
Surgent's Taxation of Tips and Overtime Under OBBBA
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Online
2.00 Credits
Arguably the most discussed topics to come out of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are the taxation of tips and overtime. Practitioners need to understand these provisions now, as they are effective for 2025 tax returns. This program provides practitioners with the background currently available to advise clients regarding these two important tax developments. Both employers and employees need to understand these timely changes to taxation.
Surgent's Avoiding the Top 10 Mistakes That Can Wipe Out Retirement Savings
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Online
2.00 Credits
Years of growth in a retirement account can be wiped out by one mistake. As such, retirement account owners and their advisors should take care to ensure that IRAs are operated in compliance with the governing regulations. This includes ensuring that distributions are handled properly, and that movement of retirement assets, including between IRAs and employer plans, does not violate the limitations that apply.
Surgent's Real Estate for Accounting and Finance Professionals
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Online
2.00 Credits
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.
Surgent's Top Ten Questions from Partnership Clients Regarding the Section 754 Election
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Online
4.00 Credits
This program is an in-depth analysis of the Section 754 election and the two adjustments associated with the election under Section 743(b) and Section 734(b). The 754 election is a highly technical provision that provides great tax benefits to the owners of the partnership, and particularly in the case of Section 743(b), a new partner. This course covers the most common questions encountered by practitioners in their daily practices. The program includes a number of examples that provide insights into the mechanics of the two adjustments that follow upon a Section 754 election.