Certified Public Accountant

Certified public accountant generally known as CPA is a qualified accountant who has successfully completed a series of examinations. In addition the accountant has additional experience which is the essential requirement for this certification. This is a specialization and can be accomplished by meeting certain specific qualifications and on-job-experience or you can qualify for this CPA certification by continuing professional education and obtaining experience in particular areas in finance.

Most of the countries use this qualification as CPA whereas in certain areas these professionals are called chartered accountants. There are various paths which can lead to this qualification and the most preferable path usually seen is to start the career as public accountant after obtaining the basic qualification in commerce and extending this qualification to certified public accountant by successfully completing the required examinations and along the way gaining experience working on a relevant job.

 non for profit accounting

Most of the public accountants join the prestigious National Society of Public Accountants where they are required to meet stringent conditions to obtain the membership. Different states may have some specific requirement and out-of state qualified CPA is restricted and is not permitted to use CPA designation until the certification is acquired from that state.

There are various services provided by certified public accountants and the primary service is the public accounting or these can be also referred to as financial audit services. In general terms these services are known as assurance services.

CPAs attest the adherence to the generally accepted principles of accounting in financial statements. They also attest to the sagacity or reasonableness of disclosures. Another major role is to certify the freedom from misstatement. Most of the certified public accountants are specialists and provide services and expertise in particular areas whereas some of the CPAs who work with small businesses are generalists and provide a range of financial services.

Certified public accountants are well aware of the professional standards of Federal and State Laws which they are expected to abide by to maintain independence as and when required to audit and attestation in reviewing the financial practices of the organizations. It is commonly observed that CPAs do not work as auditors if their professional role is of a consultant.

 retirement plan

The general practice in small to medium organizations is to hire a CPA for taxation purposes and at the same time have an audit department to ensure that the correct practices are followed and independently assessed.

In the public interest there should be a uniform system which should facilitate the timely services from the elite certified public accountants regardless of their location and will also prevent unnecessary paperwork to be completed. Today, the businesses are located in multiple states and they struggle with compliance responsibilities in various jurisdictions, therefore a uniform system will provide flexibility and there will be better services for customers. The responsibility to follow ethical codes lies with the individuals rather than the business they work for. From ethical point of view higher standards are required from customers when compared with law requirements. continue reading wealth planning