American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

With over 330,525 CPA members (in August 2006), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the largest professional organization of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States of America. Approximately 40% of its members are engaged in the practice of public accounting, in areas such as auditing, accounting, taxation, general business consulting, business valuation, personal financial planning and business technology. The majority (60%) of its members are CPAs who work in industry, government and education. However, because of the Institute’s major role in the self-regulation of most practising CPAs, a large part of the Institute’s resources are devoted to this function and to related programs to help CPAs maintain professional competence. The two most visible CPA practice functions are tax practice and the independent audits and similar services related to financial statements of all types of entities. Only CPAs and a now dwindling number of “grandfathered-in” non-CPA accountants are permitted to perform this audit function.

The Institute’s overriding role is to promote and enhance the profession of accounting. To accomplish this, it has a variety of functions, which include: providing group member benefits; preparing the Uniform CPA Examination; developing CPA professional standards; providing technical support to CPA members in many areas of practice; operating the profession’s public relations programs; providing support to the academic community and representing the profession before Congress and federal agencies.

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