A certified public accountant (CPA), however, is someone
who has earned a professional designation through a combination of education,
experience and licensing. An accountant can save you money. Lots of money. A
skilled accountant knows how to make sound decisions when it comes to preparing
your taxes, helping you plan a business, or your setting yourself up for a
sweet retirement. Don’t leave money on the table. Hiring an accountant can be a
great way to save yourself time, money and confusion. Look for a Certified
Public Accountant (CPA) to ensure you are getting the very best expert advice.
In the end, this one decision can end up saving you thousands of dollars. In
addition to completing a program of study in accounting, and acquiring
professional work experience in public accounting, a CPA candidate also must
sit for and pass the Uniform Rocky River cpa Examination. The Rocky River cpa exam is
tough–intentionally so. In fact, the average passing rate in was, according to
AICPA, just under 50 percent for all four sections of the exam. That’s why, in
addition to providing a full range of skills, Accounting curriculum and degree
program helps prepare professionals for the Rocky River cpa exam by providing foundational
knowledge required to pass the exam.
CPAs at CPA firms basically work in one of
three areas:
- Tax services
These services include
preparing and filing federal, state, and local tax returns and working with
organizations and individuals during the year to minimize their tax obligations.
In case of an IRS audit or questions by state and local tax authorities, a CPA
firm can represent their clients.
- Audit/assurance services
Assurance services are
independent professional services that improve the quality or context of both
financial and nonfinancial information for decision makers. Auditing is an
objective evaluation of financial and economic information to make sure it is
correct and meets criteria such as generally accepted accounting principles
(GAAP).
- Management services
These services provide
assistance with supervising and managing an organization's or individual's
day-to-day activities and providing strategic and long-range planning. Such
services may include cash management, budgeting, and financial planning;
preparing financial statements; insurance coordination and risk management;
investment guidance; and estate planning.
The one thing a CPA
can do is issue an opinion on audited, reviewed or compiled financial
statements. You are required to have a CPA license to provide attest services.
You are also required to have some form of licensing to represent a client
before the IRS. Beyond that with the appropriate training and knowledge a
qualified un-licensed accountant could do what a CPA does. Bookkeeper has a
whole different connotation to accountant, although a bookkeeper could do many
of the same things, I think if they had the same training they would call
themselves an accountant.
A CPA is different than an accountant. In fact, anyone
who does any type of accounting function even someone without a degree can call
themselves an accountant.
