News & Updates

Passing the CPA exam takes more than study hours. It takes a mindset, a way of showing up for yourself when you’d rather quit, when you’re tired, and when no one else understands why you care this much.

The accounting profession is sending a clear message on skills: workforce readiness at the early-career level has become a pivotal challenge as the business environment grows more complex and technology continues to reshape how CPAs work.  To address the skills gap, the American Institute of CPAs is launching an important effort to develop and strengthen young CPA talent: the Profession Ready Initiative.  

For this year, it appears tax conformity will be resolved through committee amendments to the caboose budget bills (HB 29 and SB 29) rather than standalone legislation.

Here's where things stand on major tax proposals before the Virginia General Assembly, as well as the bill to introduce a CPA, Emeritus licensure status.

At CPA firms everywhere, busy season takes stress to the highest levels. So, this is a great time to think about actions that will make your business run more efficiently, become more appealing for talent attraction and retention, and become more financially rewarding.

While H.R. 1, P.L. 119–21, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), extended and instituted a wide range of tax provisions, a number of its provisions directly and indirectly affect higher education.

This white paper examines what AI agents are, how they work in practice, and how CAS leaders can adopt them responsibly – unlocking efficiency, scalability, and higher-value advisory services along the way.

Performance reviews can affect culture, compensation, and careers. When ethics are integrated into a company’s performance review process, it encourages fairness and promotes positive employee behaviors.

AI in hiring has officially crossed a new threshold. On Jan. 21, 2026, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed in California against Eightfold AI, alleging that the company’s hiring algorithms were used to evaluate candidates without proper notice, transparency, or access,

The IRS is expanding Tax Pro Accounts, introducing business-level digital capabilities for tax professionals who work in tax-preparation companies, accounting firms, or other organizations.

https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2026/feb/aicpa-supports-accounting-stem-pursuit-act-legislation

In addition to imparting subject knowledge and accomplishing the stated learning objectives, it’s important to prepare students to be professionals by providing them with perspective.

As the General Assembly session moves deeper into February and crossover approaches, the gravitational pull of the budget is becoming impossible to ignore. Even for bills that don’t directly appropriate funds, fiscal impact is increasingly shaping which proposals advance, pause, or change form.

The AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) voted Dec. 19, 2026, to issue the exposure draft of Proposed Revisions Related to Alternative Practice Structures, which features updated guidelines related to independence and private-equity investments.

The Auditing Standards Board, a key standard-setting body of the American Institute of CPAs, has voted to seek public comment on proposed updates to attestation standards, in part to address sustainability information and other emerging areas of assurance.

Like the year before it, 2026 will be a year of great change as the accounting profession continues its digital transformation journey. Accounting Today reached out to roughly 150 practitioners, vendors, consultants and advocates who provided us their predictions on how all that change will unfold.

The House passed a spending package to end a short-term partial government shutdown and fund most federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year. The spending deal, which includes a two-week continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security, was passed by the Senate last Friday.

Artificial intelligence (AI), geopolitics, and cyber-enabled fraud make up the three main trends executives expect to reshape the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026.

As 2025-2026 chair of the VSCPA Board of Directors, Krystal McCants, CPA, brings more than 20 years of public accounting experience and a passion for relationship-driven leadership. We sat down with Krystal to learn more about her journey, her insights on the profession, and what inspires her both inside and outside the office.

Accounting is no longer just about numbers. It’s about navigating possibilities — and career paths should reflect that.