CPD Course Outlines
Auditing and Accounting Update 2012
The course will focus on recent developments and assess their impact. It will cover recent developments in standards and proposals for the future, topical problem areas and feedback from the professional accountancy bodies.
AUDITING: Problem areas in compliance with the clarified auditing standards; Specifically, management override of internal controls; Changes to audit reports; Common practical problems.
ACCOUNTING: The future of UK GAAP; Overview of the new draft accounting standards – FRS 100, 101 and 102; Update on Micro companies; Changes to FRS 8 related parties; Reporting issues identified by ICAEW; Frequently asked questions – depreciation, revenue recognition etc.
Capital Gains Tax
This update session will cover the important basic principles of CGT, together with the main topical planning issues and developments which have arisen in the last twelve months or so. The course will look at: Allowable expenditure; Entrepreneurs' relief; Shares and securities; Chattels; Private residences; Other capital gains tax reliefs; Use of losses.
Charities Update
This course presents a salient overview of the legislative, accounting and audit requirements that impact on charities including: Legislative requirements - The Charities Act 2006; Accounting requirements - The Charities SORP, SORP information sheets and FRS 30; Auditing issues - Audit thresholds, Practice Note 11 (updated for the clarified ISAs) and whistle blowing.
Corporate Reporting
A no-nonsense update, for busy professionals who assist companies with accounts preparation and other related issues. Focusing on areas that are important for both small and large companies will ensure that delegates keep up to date with relevant standards, guidance and law. The course will cover: Relevant, recent FRSs, UITF Abstracts etc; Frequently asked questions in topical areas; Updates from CCAB, ACCA and ICAEW on accounting issues; Notice of imminent changes to relevant standards – particularly changes to UK GAAP in order to converge with IFRS; Practical examples of dealing with complex standards relating to small companies; Small Company Law.
Employment Law
With changes emanating from Europe as well as from the domestic political agenda, Employment is currently one of the fastest developing areas of law in the UK and Employers ignore it at their peril. This course updates delegates with a summary of recent important developments in employment law likely to be relevant to the accountant as employer and as professional adviser. Course contains: Significance of employment status; The contract of employment; Implied obligations of the employer and employee; Statutory obligations: working time; minimum wage; Family friendly rights, maternity, paternity and adoption pay and leave, parental leave and time off for dependants; Discrimination: new developments and their implications; Dismissal: distinction between wrongful and unfair dismissal; Particular common problems with staff: Appropriate procedure with long-term and short-term sickness; Incompetence and misconduct; how to deal with these issues; Proper disciplinary proceedings, including implications of Employment Act 2002.
Finance Act 2012
The 2012 Budget will be half way through the 5 year term for the Coalition Government and hopefully there will be signs of recovery in the economy. If not, there will need to be further tax incentives in the Finance Act 2012 to get the economy moving. This course will cover the practical implications of changes in legislation and other topical tax developments and planning issues.
Money Laundering & Bribery – Keeping you and your client out of prison
This workshop is intended to help accountancy practitioners stay up to date with the important regulatory areas of anti-money laundering legislation and the new anti-bribery legislation. It is aimed at accountancy practitioners who advise clients on taxation and accountancy matters, particularly those who deal with SME enterprises. Content will include: Reminders of changes in The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and how they apply to accountants and their clients; The 2010 Bribery Act; The Government’s guidance to business on bribery; The revised ICAEW guidance on money laundering; Identification of clients; When to report suspicions of money laundering including practical examples; Legal privilege; A review of the problem areas reported by the ICAEW and ACCA.
Pension Schemes: Accounts and Audit
The aims and objectives of this course are: To provide a refresher and update for professionals involved in the accounting and audit of pension schemes; To consider the accounting and auditing requirements of the Pensions Acts 1995 and 2004; To consider the requirements of the SORP 2007; To consider the requirements of Codes of Practice (1, 3, 5, 9 and 15) and the impact on accountants and auditors; To consider audit topics which may not be encountered in company audits but are likely to be relevant to pension schemes.
Solicitors' Accounts Rules
Practical and participative, this course will ensure that all staff dealing with SRA Accounts Rules work are up to date and confident in dealing with the testing and reporting requirements. The course will deal with all the changes that came into force on 6 October 2011. Subjects will include: the key definitions and different time frames under the rules; Receipt and payment rules; Billing issues and taking money for the firm’s own costs; Residual balances; Common problems areas and breaches most likely to cause concern to the SRA; Reports to the SRA; Pre and post October 2011 rules; Implications of a ‘qualified’ report; Reporting during the period by the Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA).
Spotlight on Payroll
Suitable for staff engaged on P11D or payroll year end assignments, both in practice and business, this course will also be useful for more senior staff with overall responsibility for payroll, finance or HR as a refresher and compliance reminder. The course will give an update on changes in PAYE and the taxation of benefits, highlight areas of practical difficulty and suggest compliance issues to consider. Content: Payroll year end reporting : IR35 declarations; Form P35 penalties; E-filing : mandatory, voluntary; penalties and incentive payments; Penalties – late payment of PAYE in year; new late filing penalties; Update on new Real Time Information proposals – implementation dates; The latest employment status decisions; Taxing benefits and reporting them on P11D – Changes to the taxation of benefits in the last two years; forthcoming changes in company car tax; common compliance problem areas; Expense payment reporting – what to report and what not; Tricky travelling expenses scenarios; other expenses danger areas.
Tax Errors — The Accountant's Top Forty
The objectives of this course are to outline and discuss how and why errors arise in tax computations on submission to the Revenue. Also to identify 40 specific examples of common errors and to suggest protective measures to avoid them. The course concentrates on the practical approach and uses real life examples to illustrate frequent mistakes. Tax departments can be one of the most profitable parts of an accountancy practice but can also expose them to the most risk of client disapproval when errors occur. This course attempts to help minimise those risks. Content will include: Accounts submission errors; Tax return errors; Capital Gains Tax errors; Inheritance tax errors; Errors in correspondence?; Errors over the phone? Errors in interviews?
Valuation of Company Shares
The course considers the practical aspects associated with share valuations and other valuations (not land or related areas) that may need to be agreed with HMRC. In view of the aspects of the Financial Services Regulations the course will have a bias towards taxation but must deal with “open market valuations” as these are the basis for taxation valuations. Course content: The basis of valuation – case law and methodology, open market valuations, shareholders’ agreement and Articles of Association valuations; Preparing the valuation report – methods of valuing shares, the content of the report, communicating with the client; Negotiations with Shares Valuation and the other areas of HMRC – 1982 values, other valuation aspects and planning points, establishing goodwill values on incorporation.
VAT for SMEs
This course will look at the most important developments over the last 12 months, together with a number of relevant and troublesome areas of VAT. Topics will include: Key changes to HMRC policy and guidance; Important recent tribunal and/or court cases; B2C international services; VAT for academy schools; Salary sacrifice arrangements; Selected land and property issues; Developments in the penalty regime; A selection of items of topical interest.