What Is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)?
A CPA, or certified public accountant, is a licensed accounting professional who has cleared the examination organized or administered by the state’s Board of Accountancy. The CPA license is only granted when the professionals meet certain education, experience, and other requirements. The state CPA exam is created according to the guidelines of the AICPA (the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants).
Accountants who not only hold a bachelor’s degree but also have professional experience in the field can take the Uniform CPA Exam. CPAs must have essential technical skills and can provide several services like financial reporting, financial accounting, business environments, and business concepts.
CPA candidates must complete at least 150 hours of education and have a minimum of two years of public accounting experience. CPAs have multiple skills like critical thinking, written communication, leadership, and technical soundness.
Roles and Responsibilities of a CPA
It is essential to remember that not all accountants are CPAs. Only those accountants who have received CPA licenses are called CPAs. A Certified Public Accountant has several responsibilities. Generally, they work in diverse industries, such as NGOS (nonprofit organizations), public accounting firms, corporate finance, and government agencies.
Anyone who becomes a CPA can help clients prepare the financial statements. According to the SEC, you must be a CPA to prepare a financial report. The IRS allows CPAs to solve tax problems on behalf of clients. Being a certified public accountant, you can also work in a wide range of sectors, such as health, forensic services, or accounting services.
As a CPA, you can choose your role in the following areas as well:
- In preparing tax returns of businesses and individuals
- Detecting the company’s internal financial discrepancies and solving those
- Provide consultation on financial matters
- Give advice about the financial risk to an organization
- Keeping the financial record