Practice management

A group of New Jersey CPAs are making themselves available to answer tax questions from the public during tax season.

The IRS said today that processing of tax returns claiming education credits will begin by the middle of February.

A trio of tax preparers who successfully sued the Internal Revenue Service to halt its mandatory testing and continuing education requirements is contesting the IRS’s request for a federal judge to suspend his ruling against the agency while it mounts an appeal.

Keeping your clients happy is one key aspect of positive marketing. Although it’s often overlooked, keeping your employees happy is another.

Getting tax prep clients to use your tax practice’s portals can be a serious challenge, but communicating the familiar benefits of portals is an excellent first step, according to accounting and tax technology expert Roman Kepczyk.

Evidence suggests that some medical device manufacturers are shifting the burden of the medical device excise tax directly to American hospitals and other health care providers, an industry association charges.

The Internal Revenue Service re-launched its annual outreach campaign Friday, in conjunction with community organizations, to promote awareness of the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., have introduced legislation that would expand an existing tax credit for hiring veterans to encourage further hiring while making it easier for business claim.

Financial close software maker Blackline Systems has formed a strategic alliance with professional services firm The Goetzman Group to bring software and financial and accounting services to large organizations – particularly in the Southern California region.

How many times has your CPA firm implemented a process or technology change only to find out later that just a fraction of the firm is following the new process or leveraging all the features of the technology solution? If you answered something along the lines of “all the time,” don’t worry. You are not alone.

Tax preparers charge an average of $246 to prepare an itemized Form 1040 with a Schedule A and a state tax return, according to a survey by the National Society of Accountants.

Rebranding, CPA Education Day, Awards and more…

The Republican chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Dave Camp, R-Mich., released a draft document Thursday proposing a series of tax reforms for various types of financial derivatives and other financial products, building on work done by his committee over the past two years.

President Obama nominated former prosecutor Mary Jo White as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Internal Revenue Service is offering guidance on mortgage principal reductions in the federal government’s program for mortgage modifications for borrowers who have fallen behind on their payments.

The Internal Revenue Service said it will appeal a court’s ruling that it lacks the power to license tax preparers, a decision that might affect as many as 700,000 people who work on clients’ returns.

Four states have signed up for a new system aimed at combating the growing problem of identity theft-related tax fraud.

Mergers and acquisitions are expected to increase in 2013, according to a new survey, with 76 percent of the more than 300 M&A professionals in the U.S. who were polled anticipating that their company will make at least one acquisition in 2013.

The majority of small businesses want a long-term solution to the debt ceiling so the U.S. can pay its bills and the issue does not repeatedly come up for votes in Congress, according to a new survey.

The Internal Revenue Service is asking for input on the acceptable standards it should put in place for electronic signatures.