Have you been trying to get some clarification or guidance on a certain topic? How many times have you called a what you hoped would be a good source and been put on hold—only to discover you cannot be helped? In cases like these, it’s helpful to turn to another source, especially as we get into tax season: the NYSSCPA technical hotline. Whether your question is related to tax, accounting, auditing or consulting services, the technical hotline offers a member benefit that provides free guidance and assistance exclusively to Society members.

Through the hotline, volunteers with a wealth of knowledge from more than 45 of the NYSSCPA’s committees are available to answer your technical questions with expertise that includes the following areas:

• Individual taxation
• Accounting
• Corporate taxation
• Real estate
• Estate taxation
• Compilations
• State taxation
• Not-for-profit
• Peer review
• Construction contractors
• International taxation
• Health care

Just by calling or sending an e-mail to the technical hotline, members are able to get their questions answered. Once a query is received, Society staff give the caller the appropriate
hotline committee volunteer’s phone number, who will provide assistance. Most frequently, a volunteer offers guidance by making referrals to appropriate standards setting bodies or to authoritative literature.

On almost a daily basis, members call or email questions to the hotline, which serves as a benefit not only to members asking questions, but also to those who provide the answers as well.

Tamir Dardashtian, a technical volunteer from the NYSSCPA Estate Planning Committee, requested to serve as a hotline volunteer. “You get a lot of benefit out of it, so that if the question arises again or if you have that issue at work, you are able to tackle it,” said Dardashtian. “I find myself immersed in the hotline with these questions … there is no better practice.”

Several calls that Dardashtian has received have been related to:

• Rental property related to gift tax
• Trust taxation
• Creation of an estate beneficiary
• New estate tax rates
• Form 706

And members have indicated that they are more than satisfied with the hotline, in part due to the hotline volunteers themselves.

T. Bassing Mantenfel, an industry member, who needed assistance with Form 706, said that Dardashtian "went out of his way to help me on his day off. He provided good information and is rather terrific and dedicated to his service commitment.”

The next time you need guidance on a technical inquiry, take advantage of this exclusive member benefit by contacting the technical hotline at 212-719-8309 or technical@nysscpa.org. 

Hotline responses are not intended as a substitute for a member’s own research and judgment, and do not reflect the opinions of the Society, the committee or the volunteer providing the assistance.