What CPA Regulation actually tests
REG is a Core section (required for every candidate):
| Area | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Ethics & Professional Responsibilities | Circular 230, AICPA Statements on Standards for Tax Services |
| Federal Individual Income Tax | Gross income, deductions, credits, QBI deduction (§199A), AMT |
| Property Transactions | Capital gains/losses, like-kind exchanges (§1031), basis determination |
| Business Entity Taxation | Sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corps, C corps |
| Corporate Distributions | Dividends (E&P), stock redemptions, liquidations |
| Estate & Gift Tax | Annual exclusion, unified credit, portability |
| Business Law | Contracts, agency, bankruptcy, secured transactions |
| Federal Securities Law | Securities Act 1933, Securities Exchange Act 1934, SOX |
Why capital gains treatment is worth mastering as a decision tree
The recurring skill REG tests isn't computing a gain — it's correctly classifying the transaction first (short-term vs. long-term, capital vs. ordinary, §1231 vs. §1245 recapture) before any tax rate gets applied. Misclassifying the transaction, not miscalculating the gain itself, is the most common source of lost marks.
Sample question: Capital Gains Tax
An individual sells stock for $30,000 that was purchased 3 years ago for $18,000. Assuming a long-term capital gains rate of 15%, what is the tax owed on this transaction?
Gain = Sale proceeds − Basis = $30,000 − $18,000 = $12,000. Since the stock was held more than one year, it qualifies for long-term capital gains treatment: $12,000 × 15% = $1,800. Held for one year or less, the same $12,000 gain would instead be taxed at ordinary income rates — usually a meaningfully higher rate.
The REG blueprint, area by area
Pinnacle runs on a syllabus graph — named areas with explicit prerequisites, each one mapped against the AICPA's Uniform CPA Examination Blueprints effective January 2026. It is the same map the free diagnostic reasons over, not a marketing summary of it. These are the five confirmed REG areas, and what each one covers:
Ethics & Professional Responsibilities in Tax
Treasury Circular 230 and the rules governing practice before the IRS, preparer requirements and penalties, and the state boards of accountancy. Federal tax procedures cover audits, appeals and the judicial process, substantiation and disclosure of return positions including foreign bank account reporting, taxpayer penalties, and the authoritative hierarchy — plus the preparer's common law duties, privileged communications, confidentiality and privacy acts.
Business Law
Agency authority and the duties of agents and principals; contract formation, performance, breach and remedies; debtor-creditor relationships including secured transactions, perfection, and the distribution of property in bankruptcy. Federal regulation covers employment taxes, qualified health plans, worker classification, bankruptcy types and anti-bribery prohibitions — and business structure covers the selection, formation, operation and termination of entities with the rights and obligations of owners and management.
Federal Taxation of Individuals
The Form 1040 pipeline: gross income inclusions and exclusions — from fringe benefits and virtual currency gains to gifts and life insurance proceeds — reporting pass-through items, adjustments and itemised deductions, the QBI deduction, loss limitations including wash sales and hobby losses, filing status and dependents, and computing tax and credits with the net investment income tax and estimated-tax safe harbors.
Property Transactions
Basis of assets — purchased, converted from personal use, received by gift or inheritance, or acquired through a wash sale — plus the basis of intangibles. Cost recovery covers MACRS recovery periods and conventions, bonus depreciation, the Section 179 deduction, tax amortization of intangibles, and reviewing depreciation and amortization schedules against source data.
Federal Taxation of Entities
Book/tax differences with Schedules M-1 and M-3; C corporations — taxable income, loss limitations, credits, and state and local nexus, apportionment and allocation; S corporations — eligibility, election and termination, separately stated items, the accumulated adjustments account, stock and debt basis; partnerships — ordinary income and separately stated items, partner basis, Form 1065 review; LLC classification options; and the types of tax-exempt organization.
Every practice question in the bank is tagged to one of these blueprint areas — which is how the diagnostic can name the specific concept underneath a wrong answer, not just the area it sat in.
Area names follow the AICPA's published Uniform CPA Examination Blueprints (effective January 2026), referenced for accuracy. Pinnacle is an independent adaptive learning platform. CPA is a professional designation administered by US state boards of accountancy. Pinnacle is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the AICPA, NASBA, or any US state board of accountancy.