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Public Accounting Licence Disclosure

Public accounting licence holders, registered firms and professional corporations that are authorized to practise public accounting must disclose their public accounting status when providing accounting or assurance services associated with:

  • a financial statement
  • any part of a financial statement
  • any statement attached to a financial statement

The public accounting disclosure must be used — using prescribed wording — on any statement, opinion or report issued, or work for the engagement that is primarily performed in Ontario.

This disclosure is not required on other communications with or on behalf of a client or to a potential client.

Review Regulation 17-1, section 20 for more information.

Use of the CPA designation

Registered firms, and registered firms that are professional corporations, in good standing with CPA Ontario can choose to use the designation "Chartered Professional Accountant(s)" or the initials "CPA" or "C.P.A." as part of their firm name, but this is not a requirement.

If a member’s name and designations issued by CPA Ontario form part of the professional corporation name as registered with the Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, then “CPA”, “C.P.A.” or “Chartered Professional Accountant” is required.

Please refer to Regulation 10-1 and Regulation 12-1 for more details.

Examples of public accounting disclosure usage

In either English or French, these disclosure requirements must appear in the statement, opinion or report, in one of the exact forms set out below as required by Regulation 17-1, section 20.

Firm registered as a public accounting practice

A firm, other than a professional corporation, registered as a public accounting practice must use the term "Licensed Public Accountants" or “LPA” when the firm’s name is being used to sign.

  • Doe and Doe, CPA, Licensed Public Accountants
  • Doe et Doe, CPA, experts-comptables autorisés

Professional corporation authorized to practise public accounting

A professional corporation that has been issued a certificate of authorization to practise public accounting may use the phrase "Authorized to practise public accounting by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario". In every instance where you present the name of your professional corporation, the words “Professional Corporation” must appear.

  • John Doe, CPA, Professional Corporation, Authorized to practise public accounting by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario
  • John Doe, CPA, Société professionnelle, autorisée à exercer l'expertise comptable par les comptables professionnels agréés de l'Ontario

Licensed member

A member who is signing under their own name must use the term “Licensed Public Accountant” or “LPA” following their name and designation(s).

  • Member Name, CPA, LPA
  • Member Name, CPA, CA, Licensed Public Accountant
  • Member Name, CPA, CMA, Licensed Public Accountant
  • Member Name, CPA, CGA, Licensed Public Accountant
  • Member Name, CPA, CA, expert-comptable autorisé(e)
  • Member Name, CPA, CMA, expert-comptable autorisé(e)
  • Member Name, CPA, CGA, expert-comptable autorisé(e)

Note: Only the lead engagement person responsible for signing a statement or report for a public accounting engagement must hold a public accounting licence. Other members of the engagement team, including the engagement quality control reviewer or other experts, may be but are not required to be licensed.

PAL Disclosure FAQs

View more related FAQs