AFSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The following are questions we have received from our students. Don’t see your question asked and answered? Please call or email us–we know the Annual Filing Season Program requirements can be confusing!
About the course materials
Do I need to go somewhere else to get the materials, or do I print them from your site?
- print the materials
- read the materials online or
- save the file to your hard drive.
All courses are 100% open book.
Can I print the exam, complete it on paper, then go online to plug in my answers and submit?
Yes for all courses except the Annual Federal Tax Refresher course, you can print out the exam, mark your answers on the paper copy and then come back to the online course system login and enter your answers. This is the procedure that most students follow.
The Annual Federal Tax Refresher course has to follow certain IRS rules, and those rules are that each time you take the test you get a different set of questions which is randomly generated. So you cannot print out that exam. For this exam only once you start the exam it is timed and you must complete the exam within three hours. You can retake the exam if you don’t pass, but the next exam will have different questions on it.
None of the other exams are timed, and if you fail and retake an exam it will be the same exam you took the first time.
About the FunCPE AFSP courses
Is there a calendar due date for course completion of AFSP courses?
Yes, all courses must by completed by December 31st in order to receive the IRS Record of Completion for the tax season starting the following January.
Our standard time limit is one year from date of purchase, so this is the date that shows up as your course expiration date.
This is the FunCPE expiration date, but the IRS requires you to complete the courses by December 31st, regardless of when the course is purchased.
What does interactive mean?
The term interactive is defined by the IRS, the AICPA and other professional organizations to describe the format of self-study courses.
Definition of an interactive course: Interactive continuing professional education (CPE) courses are self-study courses that include three elements:
1) Course study guide.
2) Review exam with
- feedback to incorrect responses,
- reinforcement feedback to correct responses and
- at least 5 questions per CPE credit hour issued.
3) Final exam with
- a minimum passing grade of at least 70% and
- at least 5 questions per CPE credit hour issued.
What score do I need to pass each course?
You must achieve a 70% correct or better on each course in order to pass. All courses allow unlimited free retakes, except the Annual Federal Tax Refresher (AFTR) course, which is limited to 4 retakes in accordance with IRS rules.
Also in accordance with the IRS requirements, you cannot see which answers you missed, if you fail the exam. Once you pass the exam, you can view what you missed, and what the correct answer is.