“Thanks to you and your staff, I was able to renew with CTEC without any problems. I just want to continue my education via The [Surgent] Income Tax School. I will refer everyone to your course.”
Steven Logan
BENEFITS
Why continue your education with Surgent?
IRS and CTEC approved
When laws change, so does our content. The Surgent Income Tax School is an approved continuing education provider of the IRS and CTEC.
Flexible formats
Our self-paced, online formats allow you to complete continuing education courses at your own pace.
Top rated
Our high-quality, up-to-date content and instructors consistently receive top scores from tax professionals and industry leaders.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you report my Continuing Education credits to the IRS and/or CTEC?
Yes, The Income Tax School is required to report CE completions for the first 3 quarters of the calendar year once per quarter.
- CE courses completed January 1- March 30- reported March 31
- CE courses completed April 1- June 29- reported June 30
- CE courses completed July 1- September 29- reported September 30
- Beginning October 1st, The Income Tax School reports CE completion every 10 days through the end of the calendar year.
CTEC requires reporting every 10 days throughout the calendar year for both Continuing Education and Qualifying education. For Continuing Education, The Income Tax School reports daily in October, until October 31 at 11:59 PST.
How can I be assured that no one will have access to my course information online?
Each Student is issued a unique username and password that is required to enter the secure area of the website where their student’s data is entered and stored.
How will I be notified if there is a correction for my online course?
Corrections to your student text will be posted in the Updates & Corrections forum in each course, at the beginning of each chapter.
How Do I Qualify for the Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP)?
- You must have an active PTIN.
- You must complete 18 hours* of continuing education (CE) by Dec. 31 annually, using an IRS Approved Provider.
- You must pass a 100-question 3-hour continuous timed exam. This is the AFTR Course. (Exam cannot be paused once started.)
- You must sign the IRS Circular 230 – Consent Form. Learn more
IMPORTANT: The AFTR is a short federal tax refresher course for experienced tax preparers. If you are not an experienced tax preparer, it will not teach you how to prepare income tax returns. If you want to become a tax preparer, consider taking our Comprehensive Tax Course.
Am I exempt From the Annual Federal Tax refresher course?
Tax return preparers who have successfully completed one of the following national or state tests would be exempt from taking the AFTR course with a comprehension test.
- Registered Tax Return Preparers (RTRP)
- Registrants of Oregon, California and Maryland state-based return preparer testing programs
- Accredited Tax Preparers through Accreditation Council for Accountancy/Taxation
- Part 1 of the Special Enrollment Exam during 2-year eligibility window
- Successful VITA program reviewers and instructors
Learn More About Exempt & Non-Exempt Status
