[Anonymous]

I am a small business manager, I do everything from bids, to pay bills, accounting, project management, to sweep the floor. I have an accounting degree and do lots of bookkeeping and working with insurance people, CPAs during tax time, etc. I have a chance to grow with another company my company is sharing an office with. I took over their accounting as a favor.

I don’t want to change jobs or anything. The CPA is a personal thing for me. I just want for the people I am working for to know and to say they have a CPA working for them. I want the credibility when I call a bank or a client to say, “I am the CPA here at….”

My question is do I really have to pay all the annual fees associated with being a firm? I know I can go inactive, but then I cannot be called a CPA right? I don’t mind doing CPE as I love learning, but wouldn’t mind if I didn’t have to do it if you know what I mean.

So what exactly are the rules for being an inactive CPA? Wouldn’t I save a lot of money, especially if I am not going into public accounting? I do want to do people’s taxes though, but not for a business.

[KasiaS]

It depends on your state. For example, IL is a two-tier state until 6/30/12 and here you have the option of becoming a registered CPA or a licensed CPA. You can hold yourself out to the public as a CPA just the same, the only difference is that you can't do attest and assurance services and you can't represent anyone in front of the CPA if you're only registered. The fee is $90 to renew every 3 years and there is no CPE.

FAR 88 (07/15/11)
BEC 83 (08/31/11)
AUD 81 (10/15/11)
REG 83 (11/26/11)

Used NIU Correspondence CPA Review

[Anonymous]

Wow that is cool. Makes me want to live there!

[Author]

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