Ethics for Accountants 1335: Class Materials

File Ethics Paper File AICPA Ethics Decision Tree One hallmark of the CPA profession is our commitment to a Code of Conduct. This Code details our responsibilities, and our CPA certificate demands compliance with it. Ethical conduct is never out of vogue in the CPA profession, and this professional code is what sets us apart from our noncertified colleagues. There is no compromise. The Code of Conduct applies to all AICPA members whether employed in business and industry, public practice, government or academia. When faced with a work-related ethical issue, we have been taught to challenge the situation and if it is not resolved to our satisfaction (in the context of GAAP) we should resign.<p> Ethical conduct is never out of vogue in the CPA profession, and this professional code is what sets us apart from our noncertified colleagues. <p> https://www.aicpa.org/interestareas/businessindustryandgovernment/resources/professionaldevelopment/ethicsdecisiontree.html <p> The newer decision tree: https://www.aicpa.org/content/dam/aicpa/interestareas/professionalethics/resources/ethicsenforcement/downloadabledocuments/ethics-decision-tree-business.pdf Link On Your Way to be a Texas CPA This short video provides an overview of the qualifications to become a CPA and the requirements to obtain and maintain a Texas CPA license. http://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/exam-qualification/examination-video.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ybUZR9H7c&feature=share&list=PL3F96E0CE7585883D&index=2 File Accounting Research & Business Communication Requirements The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy requires applicants for the CPA exam to complete at least two semester credit hours in accounting or business communications and two semester hours in accounting or tax research and analysis. Attached is the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy’s February 24, 2011 letter discussing this requirement. Link Application of Intent The Application of Intent may be submitted at any time and there is no deadline. The Application of Intent is used to evaluate an applicant's education to determine if it complies with the Public Accountancy Act and the Board's Rules. It is also used to determine good moral character and allows the Board an opportunity to complete a background investigation of the applicant. The Application of Intent expires two years after submission to the Board, unless the applicant takes the CPA Exam within the two years. If an applicant does not take the CPA Exam within the two-year period, a new Application of Intent is required. Start with filing the Application of Intent: http://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/exam-qualification/applications-application-of-intent.html INFO: http://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/exam-qualification/examination-requirements.html http://www.tsbpa.state.tx.us/examindex.html Start with the filing and see if you need any other college credits, and then go from there to see what is next on this amazing journey. Link Qualifying Work Experience for CPA licensure The Board has a statutory obligation to ensure that every person who is eligible to receive a CPA certificate has qualifying work experience. The current requirement is one year of full-time non-routine accounting work experience under the direct supervision of a licensed CPA.One year of experience is required and shall consist of full or part-time employment that extends over a period of not less than one year and not more than three years and includes not fewer than 2000 hours of performance of services described in Board Rule 511.122. Work experience must be reported in years and months. File Chapter 2 PowerPoint File Chapter 3 PowerPoint File Lecture notes for PCAOB - AICPA - TSBPA Ethics File AICPA: How the CPA Exam is Scored Anyone who has taken the Uniform CPA Examination, prepared for the Exam, or been involved in the CPA licensure process knows that the passing score is 75. But very few understand what that 75 means. File Chapter 4 PowerPoint File Chapter 5 PowerPoint File Chapter 6 PowerPoint Link AICPA Standards and Ethics Rules All AICPA members are subject to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, including all general and technical standards. Compliance with the Code of Professional Conduct, as with all standards in an open society, depends primarily on members' understanding and voluntary actions, secondarily on reinforcement by peers and public opinion, and ultimately on disciplinary proceedings, when necessary, against members who fail to comply with the Rules. File Chapter 7 PowerPoint File Chapter 8 Powerpoint File Chapter 9 PowerPoint Link Client Record Requests CPA firms either maintain or have access to numerous types of client records and related working papers. Requests for access to copies of such records can arise from multiple sources, including current and former clients, lawyers, civil and criminal investigators, lenders, and others. All requests should be made in writing. The obligation of a CPA firm to respond to these requests is governed by professional standards, state board of accountancy regulations, state and federal law, and regulatory bodies. Before responding, a CPA firm should consider all applicable standards, statutes, and regulations. Often, the requesting party seeks an immediate response while actions affecting the CPA firm’s client, such as extending a loan, securing a construction bond, or responding to a regulatory inquiry, are pending—thus creating impediments to a prompt reply. Additional issues to consider include the standing of the parties requesting the records, the types of records requested, the time frames sought to produce the records, the format of the records being requested, and the resources necessary to identify, retrieve, reproduce, and submit copies of records. Link Consents to Use or Disclose Tax Information—New Changes to Section 7216 Rules The IRS has modified its guidance regarding under what circumstances a tax return preparer must get a signed written consent to disclose or use a client’s tax information and the requirements of such a consent. Link Expunction & Nondisclosure This is a general discussion of expunction of arrest records and the nondisclosure of crimes for which a successful deferred adjudication has been completed. Under Texas Government Code Section 411.081 the court may prohibit criminal justice agencies from disclosing to the public information related to a criminal offense after a successfully completed deferred adjudication. This law does not prevent the Texas state licensing agencies such as the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy from accessing criminal records sealed under a non-disclosure order. The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy does not have the right to access arrest records that have been expunged from your criminal record. File Fraud Investigation PP Fraud Investigation PP File Accounting Fraud Lecture Notes File Chapter 1 PowerPoint File Best Practices for Tax Preparers File Writing Tips File Exam 1 Possible Questions File Exam 2 Possible Questions File Exam 3 Possible Questions File Exam 4 Possible Questions Link 5 Paragraph Essay Think of the introduction and conclusion as“bookends” that serve to hold the essay tightly together. The introduction will “push” into or initiate the examination of your topic and the angle you decide to focus on, while the conclusion will “pull” tight all the ideas that you have gathered together for a unified essay. Remember, the five-paragraph model can be expanded to include more body paragraphs that probe more deeply into your subject. Link Stakeholder Management What is a stakeholder? It is a person, group or organization that has an interest or concern in an organization. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives and policies. Some examples of key stakeholders are creditors, debtors, directors, employees, government (and its agencies), owners (shareholders) and its suppliers, unions and the community from which the organization draws its resources. The stakeholder's interest need to be analyzed and all the stakeholders in a decision need to be ranked, because not all stakeholders are equal. File Five Paragragh Essay How many paragraphs in a five-paragraph essay? 5 (five) Link How the CPA Exam is graded. But how the exam is scored may be a bit more of a mystery to CPAs and candidates. To promote greater understanding of how the exam is graded, the AICPA Examinations team recently published a white paper on the topic. Link Fifth Year TSBPA Scholarship Link CPAs satisfied as average salary tops six figures Accounting remains a lucrative profession for those who are qualified, as the average salary of a CPA based in the United States is $119,000 per year, excluding bonuses. Newly qualified CPAs with less than one year of experience earn an average salary of $66,000 per year, and CPAs with more than 20 years of experience average $152,000 per year in salary. File Managing for Organizational Integrity "Ethics has everything to do with management. Rarely do the character flaws of a lone actor fully explain corporate misconduct. More typically, unethical business practice involves the tacit, if not explicit, cooperation of others and reflects the values, attitudes, beliefs, language, and behavioral patterns that define an organization’s operating culture. Ethics, then, is as much an organizational as a personal issue. Managers who fail to provide proper leadership and to institute systems that facilitate ethical conduct share responsibility with those who conceive, execute, and knowingly benefit from corporate misdeeds." Managing for Organizational Integrity, https://hbr.org/1994/03/managing-for-organizational-integrity