Ethics for Tax Professionals & Enrolled Agents: Overview of Circular 230 (2 hrs)

Tax and accounting professionals are expected to adhere to a high ethical standard when representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. Practitioners are governed by and required to know about applicable rules of practice when preparing tax returns. Among them are:

• Circular 230 – Applies to all CPAs and tax professionals in federal tax practice.
• State Licensing Board Rules of Conduct
• Professional organizations such as the AICPA
  • Code of Professional Conduct
  • Statements on Standards for Tax Services

Practitioners should familiarize themselves with all of these regulations in order to protect themselves and practice with greater confidence. Among other things, ethics knowledge has relevance in the following areas:

• Avoiding penalties for you and your clients
• Avoiding censure and potential loss of livelihood
• Avoiding malpractice and other legal trouble
• Recognizing potential tax fraud
• Limiting disreputable conduct

This course presents an overview of Treasury Department Circular No. 230, Regulations Governing Practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Due to the time restrictions of a 2-hour course, this presentation will concentrate on Subpart B: Duties and Restrictions Relating to Practice before the Internal Revenue Service. Selected portions of Subpart A: Rules Governing Authority to Practice, C: Rules Applicable to Disciplinary Proceedings will also be presented.