In This Issue...

1. From the President
2. April Events
3. Register Now for the 2021 Summer Symposium!
4. IRS e-Services - A Message from the CSTC 2nd Vice President
5. Welcome New CSTC Members
6. Legislative Advocacy
7. News from the IRS
8. Join CSTC!

CSTC Member Benefits

CSTC members have access to benefits such as free payroll processing services for your tax practice, and the opportunity to earn new revenue through their flexible partnership options.

CSTC is pleased to include the VeriFyle ProTM premium secure online document and message sharing service at no cost to CSTC members!

Wolters Kluwer: Discounts on Tax, Accounting & Audit Resources, Software, Information & Services. 

 CSTC members receive the TaxBook WebLibrary at a special price

Other Member Benefits Include:

$ Savings on all Society Educational Events

$ Savings on Contact, Correspondence & Self Study Education

$ Savings with member specialty CSTC Connects (previouslyYellow Pages) list

$ Savings with E & O Insurance, plus specialty coverage relevant to your profession

$ Online CSTC Find-a-Tax Consultant search to help promote your business!

$ CSTC Member Listserv

Office Depot has partnered with us to provide exclusive savings in-store and online, plus fantastic additional benefits. This program is all about providing preferred pricing to our clubs, and the savings extend to almost every item.

Savings include 20% to 55% off item office supply core list, 20% to 55% off retail on cleaning  & break room items, 10% off branded; 20% off private brand  ink & toner core list, Average 10% off  retail on 200 technology core items, Free next-day shipping on orders of $50 or more, and SIGNIFICANT savings on copy & print. Become a CSTC member to sign up for our Office Depot Small Business Savings Program, administered by Excelerate America.

We are a professional full-service tax advisory firm in San Diego. Our goal is to provide a level of service for our clients that will exceed expectations in every possible way. We strive to offer a diverse level of services to meet the needs of the diverse community we have been working in for more than 30 years.

TaxMama's® EA Exam Course prepares tax professionals to do so much more than just pass the IRS' Special Enrollment Examination. This is an in-depth course that teaches tax law from the ground up. It explains how tax returns work, with examples of basic 1040s, Schedule Cs, 1065s, 1120s, and 1120Ss; you learn tax law, tax research, client representation for audits, appeals and collections. 

If you are interested in buying or selling a practice, contact us today! ATB is operated by Enrolled Agents ensuring a complete understanding of our profession. Please give us a call at (855) 428-2225 or visit us online at www.ATBCAL.com for more information and to view our current listings.
CA DRE 02002824

CSTC Mission Statement

CSTC advances professionalism within the tax industry by:

• Providing quality education

• Creating networking opportunities

• Advocating professional standards

From the President
Spring is here - but it's still cold 

While talking with mother-in-law Joanne recently, I commented how wintry the weather was even though the calendar said it was Spring. She said, "Spring is here, but the weather is having a hard time letting go of Winter. That seems to be the way it always is". Her reflection caused me to think that people can be like that too. Most people are resistant to change. Change can be unsettling and uncertain, and resistance to change might keep things the way they are. However, change is inevitable and can make things fresh and exciting.

 John F. Kennedy once taught an important principle: “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain the miss the future.” Inviting change, handling change, and perhaps most importantly leading change are essential capabilities of influential leaders. I'd like to focus on a few principles of what business strategists and behavioral economists have called, “Change Management.” See more at www.strategy-business.com

When change occurs, people react. Some react by embracing, others by waiting for others to move first, and others reject change altogether. We have witnessed big changes all around us, especially in 2020 with the Pandemic. During the past year, most people who were resistant to change had a hard time making the big adjustments we were required to make. We made changes in our business practices, in our homes, in our schools, and in our government. Change has happened everywhere.

Normally where there is a desire to make big changes, there is time to make a structured release or a new plan, but not during the pandemic. Changes had to be made fast and furiously to survive. I am grateful that CSTC made big decisions quickly and decisively and got our online education up and running very quickly. Our education will continue to be online with a return, in part, to in-person education on an event-by-event basis.

People will not likely change unless they know why they should. To be able to embrace change, it is important to answer three fundamental questions: What is being changed? How are these changes going to affect me and my organization? And, why is this change necessary? Always remember, “The ‘what’ informs and the ‘why’ transforms” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf). Regarding CSTC, these fundamental questions were answered in early 2020 and the 'why' became clear very quickly.

When individuals at every level begin to embrace change, it’s vital that there is more than mere agreement with the new direction—there must be ownership. We have seen nearly all our 15 chapters embrace our new online education platform with tremendous results. We know that as the Pandemic settles down and as our lives get settled into our new 'normal', we will be able to hold in-person events again. Will they be 'like old times'? That is yet to be seen.

Someone once said, “Organizations don’t change, people do.” This is the critical element of change management. No matter how “perfect” a strategy may be or how much capital has been invested, an organization will not change unless the people do. People cannot be changed, they can only be invited or inspired to do so. The past two and a half years, and especially the past 12 months, have proven to me that our people, our CSTC family, has the vision and commitment to make whatever changes are necessary to help our wonderful organization flourish. For that, I am grateful. I am proud of CSTC and all our members who make CSTC a great place to belong.

Thank you for all you do to make CSTC great and to help improve the tax industry, one professional at a time.

Welcome to Spring!

Your friend, Gary Quackenbush, CSTC President

Calendar of Events
April 2021

April 2, 2021

Topic: Federal Tax Update
Temecula Valley Chapter In-Person Meeting
1 Federal Update hour (Topics covering new tax laws)
Click here to learn more and register

April 6, 2021

Topic: Breakfast Meeting
North County San Diego Chapter In-Person Meeting
1 Federal Law hours (Topics covering existing tax law
Click here to learn more and register

April 13, 2021

Topic: Breakfast Meeting
North County San Diego Chapter In-Person Meeting
1 Federal Law hours (Topics covering existing tax law
Click here to learn more and register

April 28, 2021

Topic: IRA Fundamentals & The SECURE Act
CSTC Virtual Seminar
2 Federal Update Hours (Topics covering new tax laws)
Click here to learn more and register

Click here to view the CSTC calendar.

Schedule-at-a-Glance

Registration Information and Fees

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER!  

IRS e-Services

A Message from the 2nd Vice President

2020 tax season is full-steam ahead, and then…

I eFiled my first tax return and found my EFIN was inactive. Yikes! What happened?! I nearly had a heart-a-stroke!!

Long story short, it required a phone call to fix. Turns out my address was never updated on the EFIN records when I moved all those years ago and they received a letter back “not at this address.”

I asked the agent and she told me the two most common reasons for an EFIN being inactivated were – 1) returned mail, and 2) EFIN not used in transmission for 2 consecutive years.

Generally, I’ve no reason to use e-Services; but I learned something else this morning… I am now able to see how many tax returns eFiled each year in each module (1040, 1120, 1065) Not new you say? It’s new for me. I have just under 50 returns and when this service began they did not include providers with under 50 returns. I wrote to the IRS every year and told them that was an unfair policy – that my clients deserved the same protection as larger providers – and I guess someone finally agreed.

I recommend all tax pros log into their e-Services account between October 15th and December 31st each year to check the information available. Tax season is no time to becoming across eFile problems, and it a fabulous pro-active way to help thwart identity theft and theft of your EFIN.

Best wishes for all as we head down the home stretch of the filing season. Thanks for being a valued CSTC member!

Respectfully submitted,

Jen Horton, 2nd VP Membership, Society Board of Directors

Welcome New CSTC Members!

Please help us in joining our newest CSTC Members!

Philip Correia
Wine Country Chapter

Laura Freytag
North County San Diego Chapter

Amparo Gonzalez
North County San Diego Chapter

Georgia Malsich
Greater Long Beach Chapter

David Wendt
San Jose Chapter

Legislative Advocacy

CSTC has been the leading Association in supporting legislation to provide protection for our profession, to support our profession, and to enhance our profession. CSTC continuously leads our industry through legislative advocacy, educational opportunities, and professional inclusion.

CSTC works closely with a Legislative Consultant to keep an eye on important bills that would affect taxpayers and small business owners.

Please click here to view the bills that CSTC is currently monitoring.

Join the California Society of Tax Consultants!

Click here to fill out an online application.

CSTC advances professionalism within the tax industry by:

• Providing quality education
• Creating networking opportunities
• Advocating professional standards

California Society of Tax Consultants | 320 Pine Ave, Suite #1050, Long Beach, CA 90802
Phone (949) 715-4192 | [email protected]