UPDATE: DECEMBER 2005

From the interest I have received at my seminars and in response to my blogs, I have come to believe that one of the most important issues facing CPAs as we approach this year end accounting and tax season has been the rapidly changing rules related to out-of-state licensing. It is not unusual for even the smallest CPA firm to prepare tax returns for clients from five, ten or even more different states. As they prepare year end accounting and tax work this year they may be in for a BIG SURPRISE.

States, one after another, have been modifying their laws to require out-of-state CPAs to file notification of their intent to "practice accounting " in their state or even to require them to be licensed in their states. Your state may require a practice permit for out-of-state CPAs who practice accounting for a client even if they never set foot in the state.

BUT SO DO MANY OF THE STATES SURROUNDING YOUR STATE AND SOME REQUIRE SUCH NOTICE/LICENSING EVEN FOR FILING TAX RETURNS.

I believe that these changes flew under the radar because most CPAs and many state societies were only thinking about the impact the law would have on their instate CPAs - not that other states would also be putting in restrictions of their own.

The biggest problem has been that there has been no one place for CPAs to go to find out what the rules are.

I have released several blogs on this topic to help warn CPAs of what has been going on, but there was still no single place for CPAs to go to help them meet this very important challenge.

In the next few days I will publish a chart showing out-of-state licensing information for all 50 states and provide a link to the portion of their websites directly related to the topic.

I hope this will be helpful for CPAs across the country and I look forward to seeing you at my seminars: www.artberkowitz.com/calendar