Spidell Tax Education

What Spidell Tax Education does

Spidell Tax Education (legal entity Spidell Publishing, LLC) is a US tax education company founded in 1975, headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia with publishing operations in Anaheim, California, and operating as part of the CeriFi family of professional learning brands. The company delivers continuing professional education (CPE) and tax research products to licensed tax practitioners — primarily Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), Enrolled Agents (EAs), CTEC Registered Tax Preparers (CRTPs), and attorneys — through a multi-format learning ecosystem. Core offerings include live in-person seminars, live and on-demand webinars (notably the flagship Federal and California Tax Update cycle drawing 18,000+ attendees annually and quarterly tax update series), self-study CPE courses, monthly subscription newsletters (Spidell's California Taxletter and Federal Taxletter), reference publications (the Big Blue Answer Book on California taxes), podcasts (California Minute, Federal Tax Minute), topical tax guides, and an online Research Corner database.

The technology foundation consists of the SpidellCPE learning management platform for delivery of on-demand courses, webinar recordings, materials, and CPE certificate management, paired with Adobe Connect as the live webinar infrastructure. Content delivery requires attendance monitoring polls for live CPE credit and exam completion within one year for self-study, evidencing a compliance-focused, rather than modern AI-driven, architecture. Proprietary intellectual property is anchored in nine registered trademarks covering the company's publication, podcast, and webinar brands, plus 50 years of accumulated tax content including searchable archives dating back to 2009.

The revenue model combines recurring subscription revenue (annual Taxletter subscriptions at $149/year and similar tiers, plus Big Blue Answer Book annual editions) with transactional revenue (live seminars, on-demand webinars, self-study courses, and individual tax guides priced $24-59). Marketing and distribution run through a self-serve e-commerce storefront on spidell.com, supported by phone and fax ordering, email newsletters (Flash E-Mail, Hot News and Notes, Tax Season Tribune), podcasts, and a dedicated legislative resource hub (the OBBBA Hub). Spidell holds four regulatory accreditations that constitute its core market-access credentials: NASBA Registered CPE Sponsor, IRS Continuing Education Provider, CTEC Approved Provider, and CFP Board Approved Sponsor.

Name

Spidell Tax Education

Legal name

Spidell Publishing, LLC

Website

https://spidell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Spidell Tax Education (Spidell Publishing, LLC) is a US tax education company, founded in 1975 and part of the CeriFi learning group, delivering CPE-accredited live seminars, webinars, self-study courses, subscription newsletters (California Taxletter, Federal Taxletter), reference guides, and online research tools to licensed tax professionals including CPAs, EAs, CRTPs, and attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Tax Education & Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)

Keywords

• Tax continuing education
• CPE courses
• Professional tax training
• Tax webinars seminars
• California tax publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Anaheim

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. CPE Courses (Webinars & Self-Study): Revenue from live and on-demand continuing education courses for tax professionals. Live webinars require completion of attendance monitoring polls for CPE credit; on-demand courses require exam completion within one year of purchase.
2. Publication Subscriptions: Monthly newsletters (Spidell's Federal Taxletter and California Taxletter) with searchable online archives, plus the Big Blue Answer Book (Analysis & Explanation of California Taxes) available in print and online formats with annual editions.
3. Live Seminars: In-person tax update seminars held in various locations for tax professionals seeking face-to-face CPE credit and networking.
4. Tax Guides & Books: Individual tax guide publications covering specific topics (Reverse Mortgages, Divorce Tax Planning, Disaster Tax Relief, Life Cycle of a Corporation, Identity Theft Guide, etc.) sold as one-time electronic or print purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spidell Tax Education delivers continuing professional education (CPE) and tax law update content to licensed tax professionals (CPAs, Enrolled Agents, CRTPs, attorneys, and CFPs) through live in-person seminars, live and on-demand webinars, self-study courses, monthly subscription newsletters (California Taxletter, Federal Taxletter), and reference publications such as the Big Blue Answer Book. All content is accredited by NASBA, the IRS, CTEC, and the CFP Board, and is delivered via the proprietary SpidellCPE learning management platform alongside an online research database covering California and federal tax issues.

Product overview

Spidell Tax Education is a comprehensive tax education platform offering a multi-format learning ecosystem for tax professionals. The core offerings include live in-person seminars, live and on-demand webinars (including Federal and California Tax Updates and Quarterly Tax Updates), and self-study CPE courses covering taxation, accounting & auditing, and ethics. The publication portfolio includes Spidell's California Taxletter and Federal Taxletter (monthly newsletters with searchable archives), and Spidell's Analysis & Explanation of California Taxes (The Big Blue Answer Book), a comprehensive reference guide. Additional resources include the Research Corner database, podcasts (California Minute and Federal Tax Minute), tax guides on specific topics (divorce planning, disaster relief, identity theft, corporate lifecycles), and the California Online Research Package. All courses are accredited for CPAs, Enrolled Agents, CRTPs, and attorneys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spidell's California Taxletter®: Monthly newsletter covering California tax changes with searchable online archive
• Spidell's Federal Taxletter®
• The Big Blue Answer Book®
• Spidell's Quarterly Tax Update®
• SpidellCPE
• Spidell's California Minute®
• Spidell's Federal Tax Minute™

Products and services

• Live Seminars In-person tax update seminars held at various locations for CPAs, EAs, CRTPs, and attorneys seeking face-to-face CPE credit and networking, including the flagship 2026/27 Federal and California Tax Update Seminar.
• Webinars (Live and On-Demand) Live and on-demand webinar CPE courses, including the Federal and California Tax Update webinar, Summer Tax webinar, and the Quarterly Federal Tax Update series, requiring poll completion for live CPE credit and exam completion for on-demand credit.
• Self-Study Courses Self-paced CPE courses covering taxation, accounting and auditing, and ethics, available on-demand with exam completion required within one year of purchase.
• Spidell's California Taxletter Monthly newsletter with a searchable online archive of back issues keeping tax professionals ahead of California tax changes, available as an annual or two-year online subscription.
• Spidell's Federal Taxletter Monthly newsletter plus searchable online archive of back issues keeping tax professionals current on federal tax changes, available as an annual subscription.
• The Big Blue Answer Book (Analysis & Explanation of California Taxes) Comprehensive annual California tax reference guide covering income/franchise tax, payroll taxes, sales and use tax, with audit guidance and conformity information, available in online and printed formats.
• California Online Research Package Subscription-based online research package providing access to California tax information, analysis tools, and tax guides for tax professionals.
• Tax Guides and Specialty Publications Individual tax guide publications covering specific tax topics (Reverse Mortgages, Divorce Tax Planning, Disaster Tax Relief, Life Cycle of a Corporation, Identity Theft, Walking Away From a Corporation, etc.), priced $24–$59 each in print or electronic formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ tax professionals rely on Spidell's Federal and California Tax Update annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpidell Publishing is registered with NASBA as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Approved for Group Live, Group Internet Based, and QAS Self Study delivery methods. This regulatory accreditation is essential for serving CPAs nationwide.
• IRS (Internal Revenue Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpidell Publishing is an approved IRS Continuing Education Provider to deliver CPE to Enrolled Agents and IRS tax preparers. Required pre-registration with IRS for courses used for IRS PTIN holders.
• CTEC (California Tax Education Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpidell Publishing has been approved by CTEC to offer continuing education courses for CTEC Registered Tax Preparers (CRTPs) to meet California's annual CE requirement.
• CFP BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpidell Publishing is an approved Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Sponsor. Courses must be pre-registered with CFP Board for CFP credit.
• CeriFicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpidell is part of the CeriFi family of learning brands including Mark Meldrum (CFA prep), Bionic Turtle (CFA prep), Dalton Education, Money Education, Pass Perfect, ACFCS, CeriFi CPEdge, CeriFi LegalEdge, and CalTax.com. Learning programs powered by the best brands in the industry.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Western CPE: Western CPE offers self-study and live webinar CPE for tax and accounting professionals, with self-paced courses in taxation, A&A, and ethics. It competes with Spidell's self-study segment on price and course catalog, though with less California specialization.
• CPE Link: CPE Link is a NASBA-registered CPE provider offering webinars and self-study courses to CPAs, EAs, and tax preparers. It is a direct peer on format (webinar/self-study) and target persona, though it lacks Spidell's California-specific depth.
• CalCPA Education Foundation: CalCPA's education arm delivers California-specific tax and accounting CPE to California CPAs, including live seminars, webinars, and self-study. It is the most direct California-focused peer, competing with Spidell for the same CA-CPA persona and CA-specific content.
• Surgent Tax & Accounting CPE: Surgent is a direct competitor in CPE for tax and accounting professionals, offering live webinars, self-study, and on-demand courses with NASBA/IRS accreditation. It serves the same CPA/EA/CTEC persona and competes head-to-head on price, course catalog breadth, and AI-driven adaptive learning.

Others

• Mark Meldrum (CeriFi): Mark Meldrum is a Cerifi sibling brand offering CFA exam prep. While it serves a different credential (CFA vs. CPA/EA), it is part of the same Cerifi portfolio and demonstrates the cross-sell platform Spidell benefits from.

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg Tax: Bloomberg Tax provides federal, state, and international tax research, news, and practice tools to tax professionals and in-house tax departments. It overlaps with Spidell's California Online Research Package and Federal Taxletter subscription products.
• Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting (CCH): CCH offers tax research software and publications (CCH AnswerConnect, CCH Intelliconnect) plus CPE-eligible content for tax professionals. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Spidell's research and subscription publication businesses, though at much larger enterprise scale.
• AICPA CPE Courses: The American Institute of CPAs is the dominant incumbent in CPA continuing education, offering CPE across tax, A&A, ethics, and BE. It competes broadly with Spidell on tax content but lacks Spidell's California specialization and dedicated publication/newsletter brand.
• Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting (Checkpoint / UltraTax): Thomson Reuters provides tax research, compliance, and CPE-adjacent content to tax professionals via Checkpoint. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping research and continuing-education offerings, though its core is software/research rather than CPE delivery.

Emerging players

• Tax Practitioners Alliance / 1040taxpro: Tax-focused practice management and CPE content providers serving EAs and unenrolled preparers. They overlap with Spidell's IRS-CE and CTEC segments for smaller tax practices, though with less California specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/spidellpublish
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpidellPublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spidell-publishing

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spidell Tax Education