Inside This Course:
Students who complete this course will be able to walk into any client interview and run the four due diligence requirements from memory: complete Form 8867 correctly, compute and review each covered credit, recognize when a client’s story needs more questions before it needs a signature, and keep the records that survive an IRS examination. They will know the 2026 dollar figures in and out, understand exactly what changed under OBBBA for the CTC and the education credits, and be able to explain a head of household or ODC determination to a client in plain language. The result is fewer penalty exposures, cleaner files, and the professional confidence to say no to a claim that does not hold up.
Curriculum
- 10 Sections
- 55 Lessons
- 26 Weeks
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Introduction3
- Unit 1: The Due Diligence Mandate8
- Unit 2: The Four Due Diligence Requirements8
- 3.1Unit 2: The Four Due Diligence Requirements
- 3.2Unit 2: The Four Due Diligence Requirements
- 3.3Requirement 1: Complete and Submit Form 8867
- 3.4Requirement 2 : Complete The Worksheets and Compute The Credit
- 3.5Requirement 3: The Knowledge Requirement
- 3.6Requirement 4: Keep The Records
- 3.7Multiple Preparers on One Return
- 3.8Unit 2 Review Question1 Question
- Unit 3: Qualifying Child and Dependent Rules13
- 4.1Unit 3: Qualifying Child and Dependent Rules
- 4.2Qualifying Child For The EITC
- 4.3EITC Rules That Run at the Taxpayer Level
- 4.4Qualifying Child for the CTC and ACTC
- 4.5The Credit For Other Dependents
- 4.6Qualifying Relative Tests
- 4.7When The Story Needs More Questions
- 4.8Tiebreaker Rules: One Child, Several Claimants
- 4.9Divorced, Separated, and Living Apart
- 4.10Scenario 3.1: Tommy And The ITIN Question
- 4.11Scenario 3.2: Mitch and His Girlfriend
- 4.12Scenario 3.3: Mariah, A Sister With An ITIN, And A Niece With An SSN
- 4.13Unit 3 Review Question1 Question
- Unit 4: Head of Household Due Diligence8
- Unit 5: Income Verification and Schedule C Due Diligence6
- Unit 6: American Opportunity Tax Credit Due Diligence7
- 7.1Unit 6: American Opportunity Tax Credit Due Diligence
- 7.2The Eligibility Architecture
- 7.3The Tax Year 2026 Identification Rules
- 7.4The Form 1098-T Review Protocol
- 7.5Scenario 6.1: Brian, The Straightforward Claim
- 7.6Scenario 6.2: Donald, The Claim That Needs Building
- 7.7Unit 6 Review Question1 Question
- Unit 7: Firm-Level Liability and Office Compliance4
- Unit 8: Best Practices, Interview Craft, and Resources4
- Can You Defend Your Return? Paid Preparer Due Diligence Mastery Final Exam1
