Historical frame
- Kind
- organization
- Period
- Institutional history begins in 1887
- Jurisdiction
- United States
The organization supports examinations, ethics, professional resources, and standard setting in defined areas; state boards issue professional licenses.
Questions to carry forward
- Who issues a certified public accountant license?
- Why is a professional association different from a government regulator?
Claim disciplineEvidence boundaries
- Association membership is not a certified public accountant license.
- The organization's standards do not govern every company or every type of accounting work.
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) traces its history to 1887. A certified public accountant (CPA) holds a professional license issued by a state board, not by membership in the AICPA.
The AICPA's work includes the CPA examination, ethics, professional resources, and standards for specified areas of practice. It is not the government regulator of every accountant or company.
For this unit, distinguish three responsibilities: professional associations support the profession, accounting standard setters develop reporting requirements, and government regulators administer laws within their authority. The organization's name alone does not establish which source governs a particular accounting or auditing question.