Wisconsin Annual Income Tax Course

THIS COURSE GIVES YOU:

  • Lectures on up-to-date tax laws and special topics
  • Practical information for your tax practice
  • A teaching manual that also serves as an excellent reference during your tax season

NEW  - Locations and Dates for 2012
  
      Eau Claire  - 
     
Wednesday October 31 - Thursday November 1
      The Plaza Hotel and Suites, 1202 W. Clairemont Ave.
      Eau Claire, WI  54701
      Phone: 715-834-3181

      Oconomowoc -
      Wednesday November 7 - Thursday November 8

     Olympia Resort and Conference Center, 1350 Royale Mile Road
     Oconomowoc, WI  53066
     Phone:  262-369-4999
  
     Stevens Point - (New Location) 
     Monday November 12 - Tuesday November 13

     Holiday Inn & Convention Center
     1001 Amber Avenue
     Stevens Point, WI  54482
     Phone:   715-344-0200

     Green Bay -
     Wednesday November 14 – Thursday November 15

     Radisson Inn, 2040 Airport Drive
     Green Bay, WI  54313
     Phone:  920-494-7300
 
     Milwaukee - 
     Monday November 26 – Tuesday November 27

     Crowne Plaza Hotel, 6401 South 13th Street
     Milwaukee, WI 53221
     Phone: 877-270-1393

     Oshkosh - 
     Wednesday November 28 – Thursday November 29
     Oshkosh Convention Center
     2 North Main Street
     Oshkosh, WI  54903
     Phone: 920-424-1330

     Madison  
     Tuesday December 11 – Wednesday December 12

     Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall
     1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
     Madison, WI  53713
     Phone: 608-267-3976

Time Schedule
     Day One
     Registration: 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
     Morning Session: 8:30 a.m. - 12 noon
     Lunch: 12 noon – 1:00 p.m.
     Afternoon Session: 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
 
     Day Two
     Morning Session: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
     Lunch: 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
     Afternoon Session: 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Fee
The fee for the 15-hour, 2-day course has not been set for 2012.  As usual it will include materials. A continental breakfast, lunch, and breaks are also provided each day.

Material
Participants will receive the 2012 Income Tax Workbook authored by Professor Philip E. Harris (University of Wisconsin-Madison) with contributions from tax experts from around the country.

Instructors
Philip E. Harris, JD; Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at UW-Madison; Director, Tax Insight; Author Income Tax Workbook; Author Agricultural Tax Issues; Speaker for 33 years at tax courses in Wisconsin and other states; Consultant for businesses and tax practitioners.

Ken Wundrow, EA; Twelfth year speaking for Tax insight; taught for H&R block for 8 years; solo practice for 3 years before joining Mennenga Tax and Financial; presenter for several annual seminars; completes 500 returns annually; math teacher for 25 years.

The Internal Revenue Service speakers will be announced.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue speakers will be announced.

Credit
15 hours of credit are available for attending this course which includes 2 hours of ethics. The course qualifies for continuing education credits for IRS Enrolled Agents, Certified Financial Planners, Wisconsin Continuing Legal Education, and the Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation.
Registration
To register on-line, select the course location from the Registration menu on the left.
To register via mail, go to the Registration Information page for further instructions.
To register by phone or receive a copy of the brochure, contact Tax Insight directly at: (phone) 608-831-1040, (fax) 608-831-1065.
We cannot guarantee on-site registration.

Sample Topics from 2011 (2012 Topics have not been set yet)
New Legislation
      This chapter covers tax legislation that was enacted late in 2010 and in 2011. It is organized by subject matter to help participants quickly find topics of interest and includes a brief summary of each provision
Rulings and Cases
      This chapter summarizes selected rulings and cases that were issued from September 2010 through August 2011 to gives participants an update on issues that are being addressed by the IRS and the courts. The rulings and cases are organized under topic headings that match the titles of other chapters. The introduction explains the hierarchy of authority among legislation, cases, and IRS documents.
Individual Taxpayer Issues
      This chapter covers several issues tax practitioners encounter when preparing individual income tax returns, including:

  • Filing status: requirements for each of the five filing statuses and how to choose the best status when a taxpayer qualifies for more than one filing status
  • Kiddie tax
  • Tuition refunds
  • Self-employed health deduction for members of the clergy
  • Schedule H (Form 1040), Household Employment Taxes
  • Interest deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040), Itemized Deductions
  • Government grants for individuals

Casualty Gains and Losses
      The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and severe weather in many parts of the United States raise income tax issues for victims of these disasters. This chapter explains the rules for reporting income tax gains and losses from these events for both individuals and businesses and illustrates the rules with examples.
 Business Issues
      This chapter discusses some of the issues tax practitioners encounter when they prepare returns for clients who operate a business. Topics include:

  • Taxation of grants to businesses
  • Selected like-kind exchange issues
  • Related-party issues
  • Distinguishing commuting expenses from business travel and transportation expenses
  • Recordkeeping requirements for listed property
  • Standard mileage rate
  • Transportation fringe benefits
  • Self-employment income

Retirement
      This chapter reviews the retirement plan options for business entities and compares the requirements for each of the plans, the contribution limits, and some of the administrative rules.
Business Entities

  • Bargain sale of an interest in an entity with debt
  • S corporation shareholder basis
  • Owner’s compensation
  • Schedules M-1, M-2, and M-3
  • Bad-debt deductions for shareholder loans that are not repaid when a corporation goes bankrupt
  • Purchase of a term interest in real estate by a corporation

IRS Issues
      This chapter covers issues that will receive particular scrutiny from the IRS, including: return preparer registration; testing, and fingerprinting; handling a client’s refusal to file electronically; auditing with electronic accounting software; and Form 1099K (credit card receipts).
Real Estate Issues
      This chapter covers selected issues that arise for clients who own real estate, including: financial distress; installment sales; vacation rentals; like-kind exchanges; and information reporting.
Trusts and Estates
      This chapter presents and illustrates the income tax rules for trusts and estates through a case study of an estate with an operating business that is transferred to a trust after the estate is closed.
Ethics
      This session applies ethical philosophy to practical situations that tax practitioners encounter in preparing tax returns. Cross references to Circular 230 give practitioners guidance on resolving ethical issues in the context of the IRS rules that govern tax return preparation.  
      Specific topics include:

  • Communication guidelines
  • Reporting unethical behavior of clients and other practitioners
  • Firing an unethical client
  • Due diligence requirements
  • Conflicts of representation
  • Electronic records

      The session includes ethical problems for discussion to illustrate the application of the ethical principles.