Accountants today are using these resources to save time and money on research. Everyone has their own opinion on which sites are the most useful, but the following are five sites that most accounting professionals agree are essential to conducting research.
CPA Michael Gintz of Moss Adams in Tacoma, Wash., said that government Web sites make getting government information and forms easier. "The IRS site, FASB site and GASB site are especially useful," he said.
Other CPAs use the Web as a source of financial information. "The SEC site is one of the most useful on the Web," said Steven Jones, a CPA who owns a small tax practice in San Francisco, Calif. Jones added that he finds the IRS and Social Security Administration sites useful as well.
The Internal Revenue Service
www.irs.gov
Any discussion of important Web sites must start with the one operated by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has posted most of its essential forms, along with news items, press releases and other information about IRS programs and services.
Essential features include:
- a downloadable library of IRS forms and publications
- forms from past years
- links to state tax forms
- tax information for individuals
- tax information for small business
- IRS Newsstand, featuring the latest news about the IRS
- IRS Digital Daily
- Meet the Commissioner
The IRS site is updated daily, although some days there is little or no new information to be found. There are usually several changes made each week.
Financial Accounting Standards Board
www.fasb.org
The Financial Accounting Standards Board has made significant improvements to its site over the past year, making it easier for users to access essential information. The FASB site contains information on past statements as well as issues the board is considering. It is another favorite site of CPAs who use the Web.
Essential features include:
- a summary and status of all FASB statements
- proposal drafts of new statements for review by accountants
- feedback forms for CPAs
- a FASB meeting schedule
- ordering instructions for FASB publications
- the latest FASB press releases
The site is not updated on any regular schedule. Instead, new information is added as it becomes available. Generally, this means that new information is added a few times each week. FASB provides a summary of new postings in a new additions section.
Governmental Accounting Standards Board
www.gasb.org
Along with the FASB site, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board site is housed by Rutgers and shares a similar structure. CPAs involved with government related issues will find a great deal of useful information.
Along with its normal features, which are listed below, the GASB site currently contains the complete text of GASB Technical Bulletin No. 98-1, Disclosures about Year 2000 Issues.
Essential features include:
- summaries and status reports of all GASB statements and interpretations
- exposure drafts
- GASB press releases
- ordering information for GASB publications
- contact information
- a calendar of GASB events
Like the FASB site, the GASB does not update its site on a regular basis. Information is posted as it becomes available. Generally, it is not updated more than once a week.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
www.sec.gov
More and more, CPAs are becoming involved with financial planning, and anyone involved with securities trading or advising will find useful information at the Securities and Exchange Commission site. Many accountants who use the Web for research listed the SEC as a favorite destination. Essential features include:
- current SEC news
- Edgar database of corporate information
- SEC press releases
- SEC news digests
- SEC rules enforcement information
- information on new and proposed SEC regulations
The SEC provides daily updates, but as with most government sites, the amount of information updated varies greatly. Only the news section is changed frequently. The Edgar database is continually updated with new documents.
Social Security Administration
www.ssa.gov
Despite the agency's reputation for bureaucratic bog-downs, the Social Security Administration has put together a well-organized and helpful Web site. Most research questions can be answered by the Top 10 Services section.
Essential features include:
- the complete code of Social Security regulations
- SSA news
- SSA press releases
- downloadable Social Security forms and publications
- online personal earnings and benefit estimate
- research statistics
Like the SEC site, the SSA updates its site daily, but the amount of new information each day is sparse.
