Registered Tax Return Preparer Test

[ILLMAS]

I just received an email from Fast Forward Academy regarding the release of the specifications for the competency test, I think it's more of a spam email to buy their product, anyway here is what I found from the IRS website related to "RTRP" (please add as a tag):

Test Specification

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-utl/rtrptestspecificationsaugust2011.pdf

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=243833,00.html

And here is something that surprised me, it seems CPA, EA and attorney will not be required continuing education, see below:

http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=243833,00.html

MAS

[Pacun]

There is a wave of testing and continue education coming. EAs are not required to do that but they need to comply with maintaining their status. One of the requirements to maintain EA status is to have continuing education credits.

[Gail in Virginia]

And actually EA's are required to have more continuing education under that status than the RTRP's will be required to have under their status. We are required to have 72 hours every 3 years, with a minimum of 16 hours per year, two hours of which every year must be ethics. RTRP's will be eventually required to have 15 hours per year, two hours of which must be ethics, three hours of which must be tax updates, and the other 10 hours can be any thing related to other federal tax law. CPA's have their own requirements for continuing education.