certified public accountant

Definition of certified public accountant

: an accountant who has met the requirements of a state law and has been granted a certificate

Examples of certified public accountant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Pleading guilty Tuesday were certified public accountant Ronald Roach, 53, and general contractor Joseph Bayliss, 44, both of the Bay Area. — Don Thompson, chicagotribune.com, "Massive $1 billion solar power ponzi scheme results in the largest single-owner car collection ever auctioned by the U.S. Marshals Service — including Burt Reynolds’ Trans Am," 23 Oct. 2019 Write to Michael Rapoport at Michael.Rapoport@wsj.com Corrections & Amplifications The American Institute of CPAs represents certified public accountants, while licensing of CPAs is done by individual state boards of accountancy. — Michael Rapoport, WSJ, "CPAs Fight to Protect Part of Their Turf," 20 Aug. 2018 Short, a tax attorney and certified public accountant, ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio House 18th-District seat in 2002. — Joseph Clark, cleveland.com, "Officers trace license plate in hit and skip: Olmsted Township police blotter," 30 Dec. 2017 Short, a tax attorney and certified public accountant, ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio House 18th-District seat in 2002. — Joseph Clark, cleveland.com, "Officers trace license plate in hit and skip: Olmsted Township police blotter," 30 Dec. 2017 As a young man, Mr. Rubino worked at Starkweather & Co. in financial services on Wall Street and at Haskins & Sells, certified public accountants. — Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, "Anthony Rubino, accountant who worked on Baltimore County projects, dies," 18 Dec. 2017 The first step is a goals meeting to gather information and then involve my firm’s professional contacts—certified public accountants, estate-planning attorneys, asset-protection agencies and mortgage specialists—to help us analyze that data. — WSJ, "On Working With Clients Who Don’t Meet Asset Minimums," 13 July 2017 Three Republicans — Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot, MSU assistant professor Joseph Guzman and Grosse Pointe certified public accountant Mary Treder Lang — have also filed to run. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "Candidates raising big bucks for Michigan attorney general, secretary of state races," 25 Oct. 2017 Short, a tax attorney and certified public accountant, ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio House 18th-District seat in 2002. — Joseph Clark, cleveland.com, "Unknown intruder enters house: Olmsted Falls police blotter," 11 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'certified public accountant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Certified public accountant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certified%20public%20accountant. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for certified public accountant

certified public accountant

noun

Financial Definition of certified public accountant

What It Is

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is an accounting professional who has passed the Uniform CPA examination and has also met additional state certification and experience requirements.

How It Works

To become a CPA, a person must: A) complete a college-level accounting program, B) pass the Uniform CPA Examination, and C) have a certain amount of professional work experience in accounting -- typically one year.

The CPA examination is developed and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The exam has four sections: auditing and attestation, financial accounting and reporting, regulation, and business environment and concepts. Nearly 14 hours long in total, the CPA examination also includes a writing skills exercise, multiple choice questions and case studies.

Once a person becomes a CPA, they can specialize in one specific area of finance or a wide range of services, including:

Corporate Finance
Corporate Business
Estate Planning
Financial Accounting
Financial Analysis
Financial Planning
Forensic Accounting
Income Tax
Information Technology
Management Consulting
Performance Management
Tax Preparation and Planning
Venture Capital

CPAs are required to complete a minimum number of continuing professional education (CPE) courses in order to retain the CPA designation.

Other countries have different designations for the CPA qualification. The Canadian equivalent to a CPA is a Chartered Accountant (CA).

Why It Matters

The CPA designation is granted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants in order to maintain industry-wide, professional standards.

A CPA designation is a certification of expertise in the field of accounting. Only a CPA can provide an opinion to the public regarding publicly distributed financial statements.

Source: Investing Answers

certified public accountant

noun