Registration
Recommended requirements:
• embers offering any services to the public that could be
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considered “public practice” must be registered in public practice,
irrespective of remuneration.
• ll individuals who have signing authority (the ability to issue or
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release financial statements or tax returns) will be required to be
registered in public practice, even if they have no proprietary
interest in the firm.
• egistration will be required at both the individual and firm level.
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• ole proprietors will be required to appoint a CPA public
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practitioner as “Assisting Accountant,” responsible for returning
client records in case of emergency or death (already required for
CGA sole proprietors).
• ndividuals intending to register under an assurance category
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(audit or review) must earn their required assurance experience
hours in a pre-approved program (transitional provisions will
apply for legacy members).
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• ndividuals wishing to register under the compilation category
may earn their required experience either in a pre-approved
program or through an experience verification route (transitional
provisions will apply for legacy members).
Recommended categories:
• ere will be four different categories of registration for
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individuals:
1) Audit;
2) Review;
3) Compilation; and
4) Other regulated services.
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• ndividual members who are already in public practice will be
registered in a category based on their current authorized
practice area.
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• ew practitioners will apply for registration in a category
determined by their experience, education, and intended practice
area.
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• o maintain a category level, a practitioner will be required to
have been active in that practice area for the previous five years,
with consideration for any relevant professional development
they may have completed.
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• ractitioners will need to complete an annual public practice
registration renewal form.
Detailed info on
recommended public
accounting registration
pathways at bccpa.ca
26 CPABC in Focus •May/June 2015
What this means for new registrants and legacy members:
CPA candidates seeking public accounting registration for the three
public accounting streams (audit, review, and compilation) must follow
specifically identified pathways within the overall CPA certification
model. Detailed information on recommended public accounting
registration pathways is provided on the CPABC website. Note: These
recommendations have not yet been finalized and are subject to change.
CPA members who have not completed a public accounting registration
pathway may be subject to bridging requirements for entry into public
practice.
Legacy members who have met all requirements to practise public
accounting under their legacy designations but who have not previously applied for public accounting registration may not be required
to take bridging programs. It is proposed that for current legacy
members, the legacy entry requirements—or equivalents—will be
maintained until 2018. If a member wants to “crystallize” their right to
practise under legacy requirements, they can ask their legacy body to
assess their education and experience to see if they meet the requirements. If the answer is yes, the member can ask to have their member
file flagged—then, should they decide to register in public practice at
a later date, they’ll be able to enter public practice via the “re-entry
path to public practice,” rather than having to meet the public practice
entry requirements as a new practitioner.
Until CPABC legislation is enacted, the public practice program is
being operated individually by each legacy body. Please contact your
legacy body for information on current registration requirements.
Training – Pre-approved programs and experience
verification routes
Recommended requirements for firms and individuals:
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• irms wishing to train CPA students through a pre-approved
program must apply to CPABC.
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• ll firms seeking to offer pre-approved programs in public
accounting must be in good standing with their provincial body,
and must meet specific requirements. Provided they meet the
requirements, firms may offer pre-approved programs in any or
all of the pre-approved path categories.
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• ere are four main types of pre-approved paths in public practice
firms: 1) Audit; 2) Review; 3) Leading to assurance; and
4) Compilation, tax, and advisory.
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• n addition, there are customized pre-approved paths such as
Direct Tax, Enterprise Risk Management, and Financial Advisory
Services.
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• urthermore, offices may offer the experience verification route
(including compilation via experience verification).
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• e education, evaluation, and experience requirements for CPA
certification apply to all publ