Cryptocurrency & Digital Assets for Tax and Accounting Professionals

Module 1: Foundations — Understanding Digital Assets

2 CPE Hours

This module, developed in partnership with the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), provides a practical foundation for understanding cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem. Participants will learn how blockchain transactions work, explore the different types of digital assets, including Bitcoin, stablecoins, Non-fungible Tokens, and DeFi tokens, and understand the key compliance, reporting, and risk considerations facing today's clients. Designed specifically for tax and accounting professionals, the module translates complex technical concepts into clear, actionable knowledge that supports informed client conversations and stronger advisory services.

Module 2: The Regulatory and Compliance Landscape

1 CPE Hour

This module, developed in partnership with the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), provides tax and accounting professionals with a practical overview of the rapidly evolving regulatory and compliance landscape surrounding digital assets. Participants will explore the roles of key U.S. regulatory agencies, including the IRS, FinCEN, SEC, and CFTC, as well as major global regulatory frameworks such as FATF and the EU's MiCA regulation. The module also examines current reporting obligations, including Form 1099-DA, FBAR, and FATCA considerations, along with the advisor's duty to inquire, document, and assess client risk related to cryptocurrency activity.

Module 3: Cryptocurrency Taxation — Core Principles

3 CPE Hours

This module, developed in partnership with the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), explores the core federal income tax principles applicable to cryptocurrency, NFTs, DeFi transactions, staking rewards, and digital asset losses. Participants will examine how the IRS property classification framework applies to taxable events, basis calculations, capital gains, compensation, mining, and advanced decentralized finance activities. The module also addresses evolving guidance on theft losses, scams, worthless assets, and reporting challenges, providing practitioners with practical strategies for analyzing and documenting complex digital asset transactions.

Module 4: Record keeping, Reporting, and Compliance

1 CPE Hour

This module provides a practical framework for cryptocurrency recordkeeping, tax reporting, and compliance obligations for tax and accounting professionals. Participants will learn how to gather and reconcile digital asset transaction records across exchanges, wallets, and DeFi platforms; understand key filing requirements including Form 8949, Form 1099-DA, FBAR, and FATCA; and recognize common compliance risks associated with cryptocurrency activity. The module also explores the role of crypto tax software, basis tracking challenges, and best practices for managing incomplete records, amended returns, and evolving IRS reporting expectations.

Module 5: Practice Management — Client Acceptance and Advisory Framing

1 CPE Hour

This module focuses on the practice management and client advisory considerations involved in serving taxpayers with digital asset activity. Participants will learn how to evaluate and scope cryptocurrency engagements, identify elevated compliance and recordkeeping risks, use client discovery questionnaires effectively, and communicate complex crypto tax rules in clear, client-friendly language. The module also addresses engagement letter considerations, referral and declination decisions, and practical strategies for handling clients with prior unreported activity, scam losses, or complex DeFi transactions.

Module 6: Advising Clients and Case Studies

1 CPE Hour

This module brings together the technical, compliance, and practice management concepts covered throughout the course and applies them to real-world client advisory situations involving cryptocurrency and digital assets. Participants will explore practical planning topics such as charitable giving, self-directed IRAs, estate planning, theft losses, scam victimization, and recovery income rules, while also examining the ethical and professional responsibilities that arise when advising clients in areas of unsettled tax law. Through detailed case studies and client communication examples, the module emphasizes practical decision-making, documentation, and the application of Circular 230 standards in cryptocurrency engagements.