Renewal registration for CTEC Registered Tax Preparers (CRTPs) starts August 1, 2014.

All registrations must be renewed online by midnight on October 31, 2014.

To renew, CRTPs will need:

• 20 hours of completed continuing education (10 hours of federal tax law, 3 hours of federal tax law updates, 2 hours of ethics and 5 hours of state). The hours must be uploaded into the CTEC database by the education provider.
• A valid PTIN from the IRS.
• Current $5,000 surety bond.
• Visa or MasterCard to pay the $33 registration fee. Click here for more information regarding the fee increase.

To find an approved education provider, visit www.ctec.org. For PTIN renewals, visit www.irs.gov.

Education providers have ten days from the date the course was completed to report the hours to CTEC. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete the continuing education requirement. It is strongly recommended CRTPs complete their 20 hours of continuing education no later than October 15th to avoid the risk of paying the $55 late fee.

CRTPs who do not renew by the October 31st deadline have until January 15, 2015 to renew late. CRTPs who do not renew by January 15th, will be required to start over, re-take the 60 hours of qualifying education, pass a final exam from an approved education provider and re-register as a new CRTP.

According to California law, CRTPs cannot prepare any tax returns for a fee until their registration is current with CTEC. In some cases, certain employees who assist CRTPs with tax returns must also register with CTEC.

For more information regarding who is required to register, visit www.ftb.ca.gov and search the keyword “CTEC.”

Source: California Tax Education Council at http://www.ctec.org/Payer/Blog/