CPE Catalog & Events

Risk Wrangling: Surviving the Modern Business Rodeo

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Risk is the common thread in an evolving landscapeRisk assessmentResponding to assessed risksAuditing standardsOther insights from AICPA guidanceFraud considerationsThe role of analyticsFinancial reporting considerationsRisk mitigation

Accounting & Attestation for ESG

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Current ESG-related initiatives and projects underway at the Financial Accounting Standards Board, Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and the AICPA. Types of services CPAs may provide in connection with ESG reporting, including advisory and attestation engagements.

Erase the Mark: Best Practices in Penalty Abatement

The major topics covered in this course include:The authority of the IRS in assessing tax penalties.The types of penalties that can be removed.The process the IRS uses to evaluate penalty abatements.How to request penalty abatements.Best practices in asking for penalty abatement, including using appeals.

Mastering Partnership Basis: Inside and Outside Basis

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Explain the use of both "inside" and "outside” basis determination.How to calculate tax basis capital accounts, including when the entity is formed, including the impact of contributed property.Clarify the importance of partnership capital accounts and partnerships debt on partner's tax basis.Explanation of how basis is impacted distributions and by sale and/or liquidation of the partnership interest.Comprehensive example to illustrate the mechanics of the basis determination process.

NOCLAR: Ethics, Audit & Yellow Book Considerations

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Participants will review the scope of the interpretationsThe responsibilities of members in public practice and members in businessConsiderations involving confidentiality, communication, documentation, withdrawal, and further action in the public interest. Related requirements under SAS No. 147 and the 2024 Yellow Book, including how auditors must handle communications related to NOCLAR.

Analyzing Financial Statements

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Balance sheet analysisIncome statement analysisCash flow statement analysisClues in the notes and MD&AIndustry nuances

No Tax on Overtime: Payroll Compliance

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisionsDefinition of a “workweek” and the 40-hour thresholdTime-and-a-half requirement and exclusions from overtime payExempt vs. nonexempt employee classifications (executive, administrative, professional, and industry-specific exemptions)Excluded payments (discretionary bonuses, reimbursements, retirement contributions)Step-by-step calculation examples for different compensation structuresBest practices for documentation and payroll systemsCase studies illustrating misclassification and miscalculation issues

Don Farmer's 2026 Corporate/Business Income Tax Workshop

* Legislative and Regulatory Developments * Corporate Taxation (C Corporations) * S Corporations * Partnerships and LLCs Taxed as Partnerships * Accounting Methods and Timing Issues * Business Credits and Incentives * Depreciation and Capital Recovery * IRS Enforcement and Compliance Trends * Tax Planning Strategies

Corporate Finance Technology Selection: Practical Frameworks

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The changing finance technology landscape: continuous processing, modular ecosystems, automated controls, and real-time visibility (and the risks these shifts introduce)Technology trends and “AI” definitions: automation vs. machine learning vs. generative AI vs. agentic AI—what each means for governance and auditabilityFive common challenges in finance tech projects and how to address them:Cutting through vendor claims and AI hypeIntegration complexity and hidden costsChange management and proving ROIData quality readiness for AI and automationRisk, security, and governanceVendor Evaluation Scorecard: 20 criteria across five categories, including control “deal-breakers” (audit trails, segregation of duties, logging, SOC reporting, error handling)Five-Year Total Cost Framework: software, implementation, data migration/cleanup, integration build & maintenance, internal costs, training, and ongoing operations (plus common underestimates)Industry-specific considerations (manufacturing, distribution/wholesale, SaaS/tech, professional services)Four-phase implementation roadmap with checkpoints and red flags: Assessment & Planning; Selection & Negotiation; Implementation & Testing; Optimization & Ongoing GovernanceWorking with external advisers (CPA/auditor involvement, implementation partner expectations, and common deficiencies to avoid)

2026 Virginia-Approved Ethics for Accountants

Surgent's Representing a Client in an IRS Audit

Impact of the Trump Administration on IRS funding Reduction in IRS staffing Potential reduction in IRS’s ability to process and audit tax returns Status of IRS Direct File program Auditing large corporations and partnerships Audits of high income and high net worth individuals Information document requests What happens when a client agrees or disagrees with the IRS’s audit findings The Dirty Dozen for 2025: roadmap to IRS audit issues

Ethics: Critical Thinking, Case Studies and Fraud

AICPA Code of Professional Conduct CPA responsibilities and AU-C 315 The new AICPA Ethics Codification Disciplinary cases and actions CPA Vision Seminal events The impact of ethical and unethical conduct on our profession

Surgent's Preparing and Writing Findings in Yellow Book and Single Audits

The types of audit findings reported in Yellow Book and single audit engagements The finding elements required by the GAO and OMB standards Where audit findings get communicated in the reporting process

Surgent's Required Minimum Distributions: Compliance and Planning

Minimum distribution requirement changes by the SECURE Act 2.0 Latest IRS guidance, including final regulations The calculation of required minimum distributions using the Uniform Life Table Required minimum distributions from multiple accounts New §401(k) rules of SECURE Act 2.0 Inherited employer retirement accounts and IRAs: Changes to spousal and non-spousal beneficiary distribution options and stretch IRAs under the SECURE Act Required minimum distributions in the year of death Roth conversions for estate planning and avoiding required minimum distributions Timing of distributions for maximum tax-free compounding Section 529 rollovers to Roth accounts under SECURE Act 2.0 Qualified charitable distributions from IRAs and the relationship between deductible IRAs and QCDs under the new anti-abuse rules. Includes SECURE Act 2.0 rollovers to CRUTs and CRATs Taxation of distributions Penalties for missed required minimum distributions and reasonable cause for abatement of penalties. Includes SECURE Act 2.0 changes

ACPEN: S Corporation Essentials: Review & Update

Recent tax legislation, rules, and developments impacting S-corporations S corporation shareholder basis in stock and debt S corporation open account debt Limitation of deduction of losses AAA and distributions

Advanced Tax Planning S Corporations - Tax Staff Essentials

Basis in S corporation stock Distributions Compensation planning Qualified subchapter S subsidiaries Liquidations, reorganizations, and redemptions Estate planning and the use of trusts Section 199A

Surgent's Preparing Individual Tax Returns for New Staff and Paraprofessionals

Updates related to HR 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, incorporated throughout the course Preparation of various Form 1040 individual tax returns and schedules; provided answers include “filled-in” forms  Coverage of Form 7203  Coverage of §199A qualified business income, its calculation, limitations, and examples  Dividends and interest – Ordinary, return of capital, and capital gain distribution dividends; tax-exempt interest, original issue discount, etc.  Security transactions – From Form 1099-B to Form 8949 to Schedule D, plus mutual fund sales and related basis issues  Self-employed person issues  Schedule C deductions including depreciation  Sale and exchange of property – Understanding Form 4797 and depreciation recapture; capital gains  A working understanding of passive losses – How to handle rental property and how the passive loss rules flow to the tax forms  Itemized deductions – A thorough understanding of what’s deductible and what’s not  Interest deductions – Limitations and timing problems  Charitable contributions substituting for taxes, IRS says – No!  Retirement contributions and education credits and deductions  Tax computations – The Kiddie Tax, AMT, regular tax, tax credits  Individual problems illustrated by form preparation for various items, with numerous “practice tips”  Impact of recent legislation and forms changes on the 1040 

Surgent's The Complete Guide to Payroll Taxes and 1099 Issues

Payroll tax requirements for wages, including wages subject to the .9 percent tax, employee benefits and reimbursements, nonqualified deferred compensation, stock options, and tips Fringe benefits issues, such as health insurance, life insurance, cafeteria plan benefits, accountable and non-accountable plans, standard mileage rates, and per diem rates Special issues -- Using a common paymaster, how to file W-2s after a takeover, merger, or acquisition, and state and local tax withholding Statutory employees, independent contractors, and possible changes to §530 relief Penalties -- Who is a responsible person? Expenses and gross-up calculations Pension issues and payroll taxes including SIMPLE plans, and §401(k) and pension distributions The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) Forms I-9, W-9, W-2, 1099, 1099-NEC, SS-8, and 940 Understanding payroll tax responsibilities in the gig economy

Untying the Knot: Taxes & Divorce

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Filing Status: Determining the correct filing status during and after divorce.Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs): Tax implications of dividing retirement accounts.Back Taxes: Strategies for addressing unpaid tax liabilities during and after divorce.Offers-in-Compromise & Installment Agreements: Resolving tax debts with the IRS.Currently-Not-Collectible Status: Understanding when and how to use this option.Innocent Spouse & Injured Spouse Relief: Protecting clients from unfair tax liabilities.Lien Discharges & Subordinations: Managing IRS liens on property during divorce.Reasonable Compensation: Evaluating fair compensation in divorce-related business valuations.Case Studies: Explore unusual and complex tax issues in divorce through real-world examples.

Self-Rental Real Estate: Passive Activity & Section 199A

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Definition of self-rental property - both for Sections 199A and 469Self-rental income from directly owned properties and reporting on Form 1040, Schedule E, page 1Self-rental income from indirectly owned (partnerships, S corporations) and reporting on Form 1040, Schedule E, page 2Form 8582 (passive activity)The flow-through entity grouping electionIllustrative examples and consequences of failing to comply with the reporting standardsSelf-rental property and "former passive activities" rules