Advertisement

How to reduce fraud risk at not-for-profits

Relying on fundraising, gift giving, and donations makes not-for-profits (NFPs) vulnerable to fraud in ways that other organizations are not. Click here to download our free report, which has practical tips to manage this risk. Sponsored by Abila.              

GASB pension reporting: How to obtain and audit key numbers

State and local government employers who participate in multiple-employer defined benefit pension plans—and the governments’ auditors—may have difficulty obtaining data required by GASB’s new pension standards to prepare employer financial statements and auditing such information. GASB Statement No. 67, Financial Reporting for Pension Plans, provides revised guidance for the financial

FASB, IASB release historic revenue recognition standard

FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) released a standard on the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers that is designed to create greater comparability for financial statement users across industries and jurisdictions.

New revenue guidance: Six things to consider

The release Wednesday of a long-awaited new revenue recognition standard had financial statement preparers settling in to read hundreds of pages of text, as standard setters celebrated the achievement of producing that text.

GASB proposals would address post-employment health care liabilities

New accounting rules proposals approved Wednesday by GASB would require more transparency in financial reporting about state and local government obligations for post-employment benefits (OPEB). GASB approved two exposure drafts related to OPEB and an additional exposure draft that would establish requirements for state and local government pensions and pension

Mandatory audit firm rotation rules published in EU

A mandatory audit firm rotation requirement and other audit market reforms have formally became part of European Union law. Rules published Tuesday in the Official Journal of the European Union—the authoritative source of EU law—include: A requirement that public interest entities—which include listed companies, banks, and insurance companies—change auditors after

Proposed peer review change would remove inconsistencies for engagement reviews

Changes to peer review standards proposed last week by the AICPA Peer Review Board (PRB) are designed to remove inconsistencies and improve the transparency of reports for engagement reviews. The proposal, outlined in an exposure draft, would change the impact to an engagement review report when all of the following

Sec. 501(c)(4) regulations will be reproposed following outpouring of public comments

The IRS received an overwhelming flood of comments in response to proposed regulations it issued last November on the rules governing the political activities of Sec. 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations. As a result, the IRS announced that it will repropose the regulations, after taking the comments into account, and will

AICPA has “deep concerns” about IRS voluntary certification of return preparers

Following the defeat in federal court of the IRS’s tax return preparer regulation program, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has commented that the IRS should consider a voluntary certification program for tax return preparers. On Wednesday, the AICPA sent the commissioner a letter, expressing its “deep concerns” about such a program.

Firm mobility and updated definition of attest included in updated UAA

Changes in the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) announced Tuesday will update the definition of attest and allow for CPA firm mobility across state borders. The boards of the AICPA and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) have approved the changes to the UAA. While the UAA is

Biennial report details fraud’s impact worldwide

Fraud continues to take huge bites from organizational coffers, but the implementation of antifraud controls can significantly reduce the damage done, a new report shows. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) on Tuesday released its biennial Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse. The more than 1,400

Tax lawyer: Code reform stymied by dysfunctional Congress

Passage of major tax reform legislation appears unlikely soon, partly because of partisan gridlock in Congress as bad as any in the past century and a half, a noted tax lawyer told the AICPA spring Council on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Now, the members aren’t even acting in their own

Proposed IAASB standard seeks to clarify expectations for auditing disclosures

Changes to international auditing standards proposed last week by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) are designed to clarify expectations of auditors when auditing financial statement disclosures. One of the key areas addressed in the proposals is attention earlier in the audit process to disclosures, including those where

AICPA task force advocates for new strategies in professional development

A task force convened to spark innovation in professional development for CPAs unveiled recommendations Monday in four areas. The AICPA Task Force on the Future of Learning, a broad group of public accounting firm leaders, industry CPAs, leaders from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, regulators, association leaders, and educators, spent

Five key trends worth watching

Demand for the services of CPAs is likely to intensify in the coming years. But in attempting to meet that demand, CPAs and the businesses they serve appear destined to face challenges in recruiting and retaining talent. These were some of the developments in a forecast for the accounting profession

AICPA subsidiary CPA2Biz changes name to CPA.com

CPA2Biz, the commercial subsidiary of the AICPA, is changing its corporate name to CPA.com. Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com, announced the change at the AICPA Council meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. The CPA.com brand is not new to CPA2Biz. The company has used the brand in marketing its digital

New two-phased approach designed to reinforce audit quality

In a time of technological innovation, business complexity, and regulatory scrutiny, auditors face a multitude of challenges. Auditors are expanding services at the same time that regulators are considering ways to make the information in the auditor’s report even more relevant for investors. To serve the public in this time

Notice clarifies midyear amendment of certain retirement plans post-Windsor

The IRS clarified that a qualified retirement plan will continue to be a qualified 401(k) or 401(m) safe-harbor plan if it adopts a midyear amendment to its plan to comply with the rules in Notice 2014-19 requiring qualified plans to conform to the Windsor decision (Notice 2014-37). A safe-harbor 401(k)

FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

AI risks CPAs should know

Are you ready for the AI revolution in accounting? This JofA Technology Q&A article explores the top risks CPAs face—from hallucinations to deepfakes—and ways to mitigate them.