Blog

Looking for a reporting and disclosure checklist? How about an audit program? We know you are wooed by the companies who publish these materials. But how can you tell what is right for your firm from all the marketing messages you receive?

Open to find out when we will be closed for the holiday season and to watch a short video thanking you for your membership and support in 2017.

Introducing a new WSCPA CPE materials policy: goodbye, printed manuals! Hello, extra bookshelf space! Beginning on January 1, 2018, the WSCPA will no longer be providing printed materials for classes, seminars, or conferences. Read more about this policy change.

Curious about where the "Mobile Workforce State Income Simplification Act of 2017" is in the legislative process? AICPA Senior Manager, Lindsay Patterson, has the latest news.

With an Operating Budget in place, WSCPA lobbyist Lisa Thatcher provides insight on what additional challenges the Legislature may face during the sixty day session.

Do you provide paid sick leave to your employees? All employers in Washington will be required to very soon. The new paid sick leave law starts Jan. 1, 2018. It's one of the changes resulting from Initiative 1433, which was approved by voters last fall.

Tax reform is developing, and the pace is breakneck. On November 2, the House Ways & Means Committee released HR1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" and on Thursday, November 9, the Senate Finance Committee released a conceptual description of its version. Find out how they are different.

In early February 2018, the King County Assessor’s office will mail bills for property taxes due in 2018. And, in a single lump sum, homeowners and business property owners in the county will suddenly understand the impact of the Washington State Legislature’s new property tax levy for basic education. Find out why it may be known in the future as the Valentine’s Day Massacre 2018.

FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-14 Not-for-Profit Entities, the first major change to financial reporting for not-for-profits since 1993. Time for old and young dogs to learn a few new tricks. Are you ready?

Will robots ever completely replace the services of the CPA, attorney, or financial advisor? Won't there always be a need for advice, interpretation, and human interaction?

Membership organizations all over the nation are facing challenges, everything from attracting and retaining members to providing valuable member benefits to diverse groups of members. Just like any other business, the WSCPA needs to listen to members and adapt to address your changing needs and the marketplace.

During the past couple of years the trustees of the Washington CPA Foundation have been dreaming of the future, exploring the role of the Foundation. Obviously much has changed since the Foundation was formed in 1974 to provide scholarships to deserving accounting students in Washington State, but scholarships have remained the Foundation’s focus. Should the Foundation continue to raise funds to meet the demand of scholarships, or should the Foundation focus on other challenges?

There is no doubt that technology is changing the business world as we know it including the accounting profession. Cloud-based software and technologies have transformed accounting programs and practices. In a continuously changing profession, your participation continues to be the most valuable aspect of the WSCPA’s advocacy strategy.

Social media. Big data. Automation. Artificial intelligence. Machine learning. Just when you thought technology’s impact on the accounting profession couldn’t get any more disruptive, here comes blockchain. As a CPA, should you worry about blockchain? Let us examine.

There's a lot of buzz about how Blockchain technology will affect the accounting profession. But, what is a block? How can the technology be secure? How does blockchain technology validate transactions? Read on for details.

The official process to potentially make the biggest changes to the tax code since 1986 has begun. And as the nation’s premier tax practitioners, the accounting profession will be very engaged as the proposed legislation winds its way through Congress. Learn more about these important changes that could affect you and your clients.

Accounting for trusts is often more complex than you may think, even if you are just doing the tax return. Find out which state laws you need to be familiar with to distinguish principal versus income.

Want to know more about the 2017 legislative session and special elections? WSCPA lobbyist Lisa Thatcher discusses the challenges that the Legislature faced this year as well as the special elections taking place on November 7th.

The CPAPAC is one of the most powerful tools of WSCPA advocacy. CPAPAC Chairman Bill Simer explains how much of a difference your contribution makes.

Is a mentor really all that valuable, anyway? In a word, yes. Read on for more explanation on why you should find one as well as tips for how to both forge a mentor-mentee relationship as well as get the most out of one.