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Nominate a Woman to "Watch!" (DEADLINE 7/1)

By Amy Pitter posted 3 days ago
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In seeing many of you at our recent events and conferences , I’m constantly reminded of how exceptional our members are, and the MSCPA wants to recognize your accomplishments. With that in mind, I’d like to remind you that nominations are open for the 11th Annual Women to Watch Awards ! We’re looking to celebrate women at all levels in their careers, for both public accounting and industry. The deadline to submit a nomination is Monday, July 1. We are looking for women who are:       Role models/mentors;  Distinguished or emerging leaders at her firm/company;  Committed to the accounting profession;  Active and making a difference in ...
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Update on Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law

By Amy Pitter posted 10 days ago
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On Thursday, Governor Baker signed a bill that delays the start of the payroll tax for the new paid family and medical leave program by three months, moving its effective date to October 1, 2019 from July 1, 2019. Governor Baker has requested $3.5 million for the Department of Family Medical Leave to provide outreach to employers and staff and is working to clarify details of the program. To learn more, click here . The MSCPA advocated for the delay as it will give businesses more time to prepare for the required contributions to the program. There is strength in numbers, and we thank those members who reached out to their legislators to support our efforts! ...
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Last Week's Discussion at the AICPA's Spring Council Meeting

By Amy Pitter posted 24 days ago
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I was thrilled to be part of a large Massachusetts contingent at the AICPA’s Spring Council Meeting last week. Our advocacy team was joined by board chair John Micalizzi of RSM US LLP; chair-elect John Colucci, Esq., CPA of McLane Middleton; newly-appointed board member Carol Ruiz, CPA of PwC LLP; Julie Quink, CPA of Burkhart Pizzanelli PC; and past board chairs Rich Caturano, CPA, CGMA of RSM US LLP, Carla McCall, CPA CGMA of AAFCPAs, Mark Nichols, CPA, MBA, MST of Mark W. Nichols CPA PC and Margery Piercey, CPA, CGMA of Mass Insight Education & Research.   Almost all the talk at Council revolved around the top issues facing the profession ...
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Staying on Top of Change in the Profession

By Amy Pitter posted 05-24-2019
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Helping you succeed is our top priority at the MSCPA. Our duty is to stay on top of change in the profession, so that we can implement programs to help members, and their firms and companies, adapt and grow. We've talked a lot about technology changes, but diversity and inclusion are another business reality that's shifting the accounting workforce. In fact, studies show that businesses with more diversity are   35% more likely   to outperform those with less diversity, and   minorities will be the majority of the U.S. population by 2044 . This means the demographics of your clients, consumers and staff are changing, and for firms and organizations to remain ...
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Sign Up for the CPA Day of Service!

By Amy Pitter posted 05-17-2019
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One of my favorite days every year is when our profession comes together for the CPA Day of Service. For one day, members in public accounting and industry give back to their communities by volunteering at organizations across the state. This year's Day of Service will be on Friday, June 7, and I'm thrilled to announce that we have again partnered with Cradles to Crayons – a nonprofit organization that helps children in need across the Commonwealth – and invite you to volunteer with us! You can volunteer in shifts between 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and/or 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. If your firm or company (or just you) would like to join us, please sign up here . Other ...
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Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

By Amy Pitter posted 05-10-2019
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There has been much discussion about Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) and what it means for both employers and employees. You should be aware that the state has extended the employer notice requirements from May 31 to June 30, 2019. The state also extended the deadline for the Q1 exemption for private plans from June 30 to September 20, 2019. Here is the announcement , which includes more details on each of the extensions. Additional information about PFML can be found on our website at mscpaonline.org/pfml .    In Society news, this was a big week! On Wednesday, we celebrated the new membership year at our Annual Meeting & Networking Reception at ...
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The Revenue Working Group

By Amy Pitter posted 05-08-2019
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I am very happy to announce that I've been asked to sit on a working group convened by Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka, and chaired by Senator Adam Hinds, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Revenue, to develop recommendations for a simplified and modernized tax system in the Commonwealth. The working group consists of 21 appointees, including representatives of business, unions, academics and other advocacy groups, which should make for some interesting conversations! You can read more about it here . This appointment will provide a great opportunity for the accounting profession and the Society to be heard during this important process. ...
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Looking at the Year Ahead

By Amy Pitter posted 04-26-2019
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Our new membership year has officially started! Earlier this week, you were emailed your dues invoice for the fiscal year, beginning May 1. You can renew your membership here or call us at 617.556.4000.   We have so much in store for members this year and are always looking for ways to better serve you. Please visit our website where you can learn about your exclusive member benefits , our upcoming networking opportunities and CPE programs and conferences . Also, watch your mailbox for our CPE course calendar, which was mailed to you this week.   I also hope you'll join us on May 8, as we celebrate the new membership year at our Annual Meeting ...
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Out with Tax Season & in with a New Membership Year

By Amy Pitter posted 04-18-2019
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A big congratulations to our members in public accounting for making it through tax season! I hope you can now enjoy some downtime to recharge for spring. The end of busy season also means that a new membership year is here. On Monday, April 22, we will email your dues notice for the 2019-20 membership year, so keep an eye on your inbox and check our website for details . If you have questions, please contact Amanda Curtis at acurtis@mscpaonline.org or call 617.556.4000. Last year was a time of growth at the Society, and I hope each of you had a positive member experience. It was wonderful to see many new and familiar faces at our new regional ...
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The MSCPA Is Gearing Up for Busy Season

By Amy Pitter posted 04-05-2019
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Did you know that the MSCPA’s busy season starts after the tax deadline? May and June are when we have the most networking events and conferences, and I’m excited to share two of our most popular programs that are coming up fast: the Annual Meeting and Networking Reception and our After Tax Bash in Boston and West Springfield ! This year’s Annual Meeting and Networking Reception will be on May 8 at the Warrior Ice Area, the brand new, state-of-the-art training facility for the Boston Bruins. At this incredible location, you will network with peers and recognize our new Board of Directors, firm ambassadors and newly certified CPAs as you ...
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MSCPA Leadership Series: The Route to the Top

By Amy Pitter posted 03-29-2019
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Giving staff opportunities to grow is one of the best ways to keep them around, so I’m thrilled to announce our brand-new MSCPA Leadership Series: The Route to the Top . Developed with feedback from managing partners and firm ambassadors, this program is a progressive series of half-day courses featuring dynamic speakers and thought leaders which will provide the training, learning and development that young professionals need to move their firms and companies forward.  The Leadership Series launches this spring and incorporates networking at each half-day course for participants to sharpen their communication skills, which will help build confidence ...
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High School Students Attend Our “Is Accounting for Me?” Conference

By Amy Pitter posted 03-21-2019
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Today was a special day at the MSCPA. Over 90 high school students gathered at Suffolk University to attend the MSCPA’s “Is Accounting for Me?” Conference where they heard from CPAs about what it’s like to work in the profession, spoke to college accounting students about their work and experience and participated in exercises and discussions about CPA career paths and the work they do.  Sustaining a vibrant and diverse accounting workforce is one of the main goals of the MSCPA, and programs like this are crucial for building and retaining a diverse and a robust pipeline in Massachusetts. Compared to last year’s event, the number of students who attended ...
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Save the Date: The MSCPA's 2019 Annual Meeting and Networking Reception

By Amy Pitter posted 03-15-2019
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Spring is just around the corner and I’m so excited to announce that registration is now open for our Annual Meeting and Networking Reception ! Join 200 of your peers on May 8 for an unforgettable evening at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Warrior Ice Arena , the practice facility for the Boston Bruins. This event kicks off our membership year and is the place to connect with colleagues and old friends and make new relationships that can enhance your career. You won’t want to miss it!   In addition to networking, we’ll celebrate newly-certified CPAs and welcome our Board of Directors and new Chairman  John Micalizzi of RSM US LLP . We’ll also thank outgoing ...
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Happy International Women's Day!

By Amy Pitter posted 03-08-2019
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Today is International Women's Day, a time to celebrate, respect and appreciate women all around the world. On behalf of the MSCPA, I'd like to thank all the amazing women involved in the profession and our Society! We are committed to developing future leaders in accounting and are proud to offer several programs to help women all year long.   The Women in Accounting Committee , co-chaired by Krista Huebner, CPA (EY) and Katie Soule, CPA (Merrill Lynch), is responsible for developing meetings and networking events for women throughout the year. We also recently added women's mentoring circles to provide a confidential space for peer to peer learning, ...
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Not My Deadline Industry Networking Event

By Amy Pitter posted 03-01-2019
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Congratulations! You’re already one month through tax season and I hope all our members in public accounting are having a very smooth, productive and profitable busy season so far! As a reminder, members can access all resources of the MSCPA's tax season ad campaign and use them for your firm's marketing efforts to help spread the word about the value CPAs provide to clients. To view and share our “Real experts. Real results” ad campaign resources, click here . For those of you working in industry, academia or government, I am excited to share that we are having a one-of-a-kind event just for you! As always, we strive to find ways to assist and engage you, ...
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Making Your Firm/Company the Best Place to Work

By Amy Pitter posted 02-22-2019
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If I had to categorize the two types of issues facing firms of every size, they would be technology and staffing. Every firm struggles with questions like, “How do I hire, retain and develop the best staff who will help me deliver the greatest value to my clients?” While these issues are ongoing, progress is also being made, and so many of our member firms are at the forefront of this revolution. Flexible work hours and work from home options, unlimited PTO and “Shark Tank”-like programs to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship are just some of the initiatives I’ve seen that can make any firm a best place to work. And, I was thrilled to see all the Big ...
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The Importance of Guiding and Advocating for College Students

By Amy Pitter posted 02-15-2019
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I finally read The Boston Globe ’s riveting series on the fate of valedictorians from Boston public schools . The story of these valedictorians is one of wasted potential; kids we thought would set the world on fire as high school seniors haven’t come close to realizing their dreams, as many faltered in college or after. They lacked adequate preparation, mentors and advocates. This series reiterated the importance of guiding and advocating for college students, which is integral to their success as adults. At the MSCPA, we are committed to helping accounting students thrive in their careers by preparing them to enter the profession. While we have a team ...
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The New Paid Family and Medical Leave law

By Amy Pitter posted 02-08-2019
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We’ve been hearing from members who have questions about the new Paid Family and Medical Leave law. For those who aren’t aware, in 2018, Massachusetts signed into law a statute that provides paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits to workers. This program provides temporary income replacement to eligible workers who are welcoming a new child into their family, are struck by a serious illness or injury, need to take care of an ill or ailing relative and for certain military considerations. Employers and employees must begin making contributions in 2019, with benefits becoming available to employees in 2021. Draft regulations were published late last ...
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The MSCPA CPE Tracker is Now Paperless!

By Amy Pitter posted 02-01-2019
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While earning CPE might take a backseat during tax season, I wanted to share some exciting news. Your CPE Tracker can now be saved as a PDF file, so you can easily upload and submit your record to the Board of Public Accountancy. We added this feature to help simplify the reporting process, which is now paperless. To get started, visit mscpaonline.org/tracker , select your renewal year or date range, and click “Save as PDF.” As a reminder, all MSCPA members have a CPE Tracker and every course taken with the MSCPA is automatically entered in your Tracker, and you can manually add any third-party course. You can check it out here (you will need to login to ...
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The New Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction of Section 199A

By Amy Pitter posted 01-25-2019
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Big news this week: final regulations were issued on January 18, implementing the new Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction of Section 199A. The new QBI deduction was enacted as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and allows a deduction of up to 20% of QBI from a U.S. trade or business operate as a sole proprietorship or through a partnership, S corporation, trust or estate.   In response to arguably the most requested clarification from tax professionals, Notice 2019-07 separately issued a proposed revenue procedure containing a safe harbor under which a rental real estate enterprise will be treated as a trade or business solely for purposes ...
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