The IRS Annual Filing Season Program is voluntary. Here is what it gives you, who it is for and what it requires.
The December 31, 2026 cut-off for the IRS Annual Filing Season Program, what you must finish by then, and how to plan the hours.
Who counts as an exempt preparer in the IRS Annual Filing Season Program, and the 15 hours they complete instead of the AFTR course.
Three titles, three very different scopes. Here’s the honest comparison of non-credentialed preparers, Enrolled Agents, and CPAs — what each can legally do, what each costs to become, and how to pick your path.
A plain-English explanation of the IRS Annual Federal Tax Refresher (AFTR) course: who needs it, how long it is, and when to take it.
How CTEC registration and the IRS Annual Filing Season Program fit together for California tax preparers, with the CE hour split for each.
What the IRS AFSP Record of Completion is, what it gives you, and the exact CE hours needed to earn it for the 2027 filing season.
KEY FIGURES — SKIM THIS FIRST Unenrolled preparers have no mandatory federal CE, but the IRS Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP) takes 18 hours (or 15 if exempt). Enrolled Agents need 72 hours every 3 years, at least 16 per …
Paid preparer, volunteer, firm employee, family helper, seasonal data-entry assistant — who actually needs a PTIN? Here is the IRS rule applied to every common scenario, including the ones preparers get wrong.
AFSP hours for West Virginia preparers: 18 non-exempt, 15 exempt, December 31, 2026 deadline, and how West Virginia’s e-file mandate fits alongside the federal program.