An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy, which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resource(s).
Founded in 1887, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States, with more than 418,000 members in 143 countries in business and industry, public practice, government, education, student affiliates and international associates. It sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies, non-profit organizations, federal, state and local governments. It also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination. The AICPA maintains offices in New York City; Washington, DC; Durham, NC; and Ewing, NJ. The AICPA celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founding in 2012.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. In the United States, the CPA is a license to provide accounting services to the public. It is awarded by each of the 50 states for practice in that state. Additionally, almost every state has passed mobility laws to allow CPAs from other states to practice in their state. State licensing requirements vary, but the minimum standard requirements include passing the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination, 150 semester units of college education, and one year of accounting related experience.
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is a UK based professional body offering training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects. It is focused on accountants working in industry, and provides ongoing support and training for members.
Chartered accountants were the first accountants to form a professional accounting body, initially established in Scotland in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants (1854), the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries (1854) and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants (1867) were each granted a royal charter almost from their inception. The title is an internationally recognised professional designation; the certified public accountant designation is generally equivalent to it.
Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification (ACCA). ACCA's headquarters are in London with principal administrative office in Glasgow. ACCA works through a network of over 104 offices and centres in 52 countries - with 323 Approved Learning Partners (ALP) and more than 7,300 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide employee development.
The Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants or CICPA is a professional accounting organization based in Beijing with oversight responsibility for accountants in China.
The Society of Management Accountants of Canada, also known as Certified Management Accountants of Canada and CMA Canada, awards the Certified Management Accountant designation in Canada.
The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) is an association dedicated to serving the 55 state boards of accountancy. These are the boards that regulate the accountancy profession in the United States of America.
The Indiana CPA Society (INCPAS) is a professional association the certified public accountant (CPA) profession in Indiana. Founded over 100 years ago, INCPAS has over 8,000 members and serves as the professional home of CPAs, CPA candidates, accounting students and persons who are working in or involved with the CPA profession but are not CPAs. INCPAS members work in public accounting, business and industry, not-for-profit, government and education.
The Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) is a professional membership organization headquartered in Tallahassee. The FICPA represents approximately 18,500 CPAs and accounting professionals in Florida and beyond. Deborah Curry, CPA, CGMA, is the FICPA's President/CEO and Alan West, CPA, is the Institute's 2017-2018 Board Chair.
Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) is the title used by members of the CPA Australia professional accounting body. Accountants practising in Australia have the choice of becoming members of CPA Australia, joining the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia or the Institute of Public Accountants.
The Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA) is a professional association for certified public accountants (CPAs) in Minnesota.
In December 1969, nine African-Americans met in New York City to discuss the unique challenges and limited opportunities they faced in the accounting profession. In that year, there were only 136 African-American Certified Public Accountants (CPA's) out of a total of 100,000 in the United States.
A professional accounting body is an organization or association of accountants in a particular jurisdiction. Usually a person needs to be a member of such professional body to hold out to the public of the jurisdiction as an accountant. The designations for qualified accountants vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, such as Chartered Accountant (CA/ACA), Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CPFA).
The Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA) is a professional association of accountants in Liberia.
The Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) founded in 1908, is a professional association based in the U.S. state of Oregon with nearly 5,000 members statewide, as well as in other states and countries.
Chartered Professional Accountant is the professional designation which united the three Canadian accounting designations that previously existed:
CPA Ireland is a professional body for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in Ireland. It is one of the main Irish accountancy bodies, with 5,000 members and students.
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) is a professional body for certified public accountants (CPAs) in Kenya. ICPAK is a full member of the International Federation of Accountants and the Pan African Federation of Accounting.
