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Self-Study Course on Annual Cleanup and Preparing Accounting Records for Tax Filing.
This Self-Study course is designed for Tax Professionals, including tax return preparers who need Continuing Education hours to participate in the Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP), as well as EAs, CPAs, accountants, and other professionals working with business financial and tax reporting.
This course does not include video lessons. Training is completed through independent study of the course materials followed by a final exam.After reviewing the course materials and successfully passing the final exam, the participant will receive IRS CE/CTEC credit in their account.
The course focuses on the professional preparation of accounting records for year-end closing. You will learn the step-by-step Annual Cleanup process, how to determine the scope of work and define areas of responsibility, analyze the Profit and Loss Statement (P&L) and Balance Sheet, and identify errors in Bank Accounts, Credit Cards, Loans, Fixed Assets, Payroll Liabilities, Sales Tax Payable, Owner Transactions, and Retained Earnings. Special attention is given to preparing accounting records for tax return preparation, Annual Cleanup considerations for different business tax classifications, identifying critical Red Flags that require discussion with the client, as well as the final Closing the Books process and working with adjusting Journal Entries in QuickBooks.
1 CE hour Deadline to complete the course and exam: December 31, 2026, by midnight local time of the student Passing score: 70% Number of exam attempts allowed: Unlimited Exam time limit: None The exam is open-book (course materials may be used)Upon completing this course, you will be able to professionally perform an Annual Cleanup, prepare books for year-end closing, and confidently prepare financial records for business tax filing.
Designed for Tax Professionals: AFSP tax preparers, EAs, CPAs, and other tax practitioners seeking to earn Continuing Education (CE) hours.
Tax preparers participating in the AFSP program.
Enrolled Agents (EA) fulfilling their annual Continuing Education requirements.
Certified Public Accountants (CPA) serving entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Other tax and accounting professionals who need CE credits.
Upon completing the course materials and successfully passing the final exam, participants will receive IRS CE / CTEC credits.
To meet the requirements of the Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP), you must complete the specified number of Continuing Education (CE) hours based on your preparer status. Review the detailed AFSP program requirements in the reference table.
Mandatory course with test.
Available only from June 1 through December 31.Professional ethics.
Excess Ethics hours cannot substitute for other subject categories.Federal tax law topics.
Updates to federal tax legislation.
Excess hours can count toward Federal Tax Topics.Professional ethics.
Federal tax law topics.
The Exempt category includes tax return preparers who hold recognized professional credentials or have passed a state or national qualifying examination.
Federally licensed IRS Enrolled Agents.
Licensed Certified Public Accountants.
Licensed attorneys in good standing.
Individuals who passed the IRS RTRP test.
Preparers who passed state-regulated testing programs (e.g., CTEC).
Clear, concise answers to everything you need to know before starting your coursework and advancing your professional career. We’ve compiled answers to the most common questions to help you make the right choice.
All required CE hours must be completed by December 31 of each calendar year.
No. The same course cannot be credited more than once within the same reporting period.
No. Unused CE/CTEC hours cannot be rolled over to the next compliance cycle.
After confirmation: Your AFSP Record of Completion will be generated in your online PTIN account. If you do not have an online PTIN account, the IRS will send a letter by mail.
We submit course completion records directly to the IRS and your PTIN account weekly on business days.
You can check your current credit status by logging into your online PTIN account.
Yes. Upon successfully passing the final exam, an official PDF Certificate of Completion is immediately available for download in your student portal.
The IRS recommends retaining all CE certificates for at least 4 years for audit and verification purposes.
