Thursday, July 10, 2014

The Training And Roles Of A Cpa Accountant

By Rosella Campbell


The title CPA is used as a designation for local public accountants in many countries. However there might exist other titles for these individuals largely based on the level of their qualification. In the United States of America, a CPA accountant ought to have excelled in the certified public accountant examination which is uniform for all states. This has to be accompanied by appropriate academic qualifications and experience as set by accounting bodies in the various states.

Designation CPA can only be used by an individual certified in that particular state. Out of state accountants have to be licensed in other states before they are allowed to use the designation. In the states there exists other designations for low tier accountants such as PA (public accountants) and LPA (licensed public accountants)Certified public accountants can work in the private as well as public sector. They may occupy positions such as chief executive officers, chief financing officers or head finance departments depending on their business knowledge and practice. They have a responsibility to ensure that accepted accounting principles that are applicable are adhered to.

Though in many countries accountants may work as business consultants, this is limited due to legal provisions and professional standards that require accountants conducting audits to maintain the greatest possible levels of independence with the entity attestation is being conducted on. Thus it becomes impossible for CPAs to be consultants and auditors.

Whether working in private or public sector, certified public accountants deal with virtually all financial matters such as financial analysis, cooperate finance, financial planning, forensic accounting(deals with matters of tax evasion, embezzlement, securities fraud and money laundering), venture capital, estate planning, information technology(looks at information technology and accounting), management consulting, environmental accounting(involves dealing with environmental disputes, monitoring green initiatives and taking note of audit compliance), assurance and attestation services, income tax, tax preparation and planning and regulatory reporting.

Though CPA examinations may be the same for all students in the country, in others like the US, state governments greatly influence the licensing and certification since they hold the final verdict on the various licensing requirements that are outlined in the laws enacted by the state.

State requirements for an individual to qualify as a certified public accountant can be generally viewed as examinational, experience and education requirements. Some of these such as educational requirements are achieved as one seeks to realize the requirements to be eligible for certified public accountant examination. After one has had the stipulated experience, they are considered eligible for licensing.

Examinations primary concentrate on four key areas; Regulation (tests candidates on federal or national tax procedures, business law and tax and ethics in business) audit and attestation ( covers issues like evaluating evidence, performing audits, communicating audit findings, professional responsibilities) Financial accounting and reporting and Business environment and concepts(tests on corporate governance, strategic planning and information systems).

Ethics remain a critical area of study for an accounting student. In fact before one is a certified public accountant, he or she must sit a special ethics examination which evaluates ones understanding of professional ethics and might be a mandatory requirement when joining accounting professional bodies.




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