The IRS is not planning to extend the December 31, 2013, deadline for unenrolled preparers to take and successfully pass the registered tax return preparer (RTRP) examination, a spokesperson for the Service told CCH on October 23.
Under its return preparer initiative, the IRS has imposed new competency testing and continuing education requirements on unenrolled preparers (IR-2012-32 ; TAXDAY, 2012/03/12, I.1 ). All individuals who prepare Form 1040 series returns must successfully complete the RTRP examination except certified public accountants, enrolled agents, attorneys and certain supervised preparers. The IRS has exempted Forms 1040-PR and 1040-SS for purposes of the RTRP requirement.
The IRS has issued provisional preparer tax identification numbers (PTINs) to unenrolled preparers who must take the RTRP exam. The Service imposed a deadline of December 31, 2013, for provisional PTIN holders to pass the RTRP examination.
In recent weeks, there has been some discussion at accounting and tax conferences about a possible extension of the December 31, 2013, deadline. “There are no plans to extend the deadline for competency testing,” the IRS spokesperson told CCH.
If a provisional PTIN holder does not pass the RTRP examination before January 1, 2014, the IRS intends to deactivate his or her PTIN, the Service cautioned on its website. The IRS recently reminded preparers that they must renew their PTINs for 2013 before the end of the year (IR-2012-79 ; TAXDAY, 2012/10/23, I.1 ).
By George L. Yaksick, Jr., CCH News Staff
