The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) is published jointly by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) to provide a framework for the development, presentation, measurement, and reporting of CPE programs. The Standards were last revised in 2002.

In 2010, a Task Force comprised of CPE program sponsors; CPE Advisory Committee members; state board of accountancy members; state society members; educators and a representative of the AICPA (provider side) was created to help review, analyze and implement suggestions and changes to the Standards. The proposed changes to the Standards in this exposure draft are the recommended revisions from the Task Force that were released for comment in August 2011.

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Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs

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Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession Co-Chairs Statementead

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Uniform Accounting Act Discussion Paper

The following Discussion Papers are from the Ethics & Strategic Professional Issues Committee regarding the Audit Fees and Engagement Discussion and the Uniform Independence Definition Discussion. These papers monitor and evaluate the issues of the AICPA’s Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC), to harmonize ethics standards of State Boards of Accountancy with other regulatory bodies, to promote the development and adoption of UAA ethics provisions uniformly among the states, and to share with state boards emerging ethics and other professional issues.

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Audit Fees and Engagement Discussion Paper 2010

Final Uniform Independence Definition Discussion Paper 2010

The AICPA/NASBA Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) Committee has worked over the past year to consider guidelines as to what are and what are not misleading CPA firm names. The proposed changes to the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) and Uniform Accountancy Act Model Rules (Model Rules) in this exposure draft are the result of these efforts.

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UAA Exposure Draft

NASBA has developed this position paper because it is deeply concerned that the authority, the resources, and the reporting relationship to the state legislature and Governor are inappropriate or inadequate for many Accountancy Boards. If an Accountancy Board is not able to satisfy its public protection responsibility because it lacks financial resources or operational autonomy, ordinary citizens and business owners can incur economic loss and financial distress. As a consequence, the state legislature and Executive Branch, along with the Accountancy Board, become subject to public criticism.

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Semi-Independent State Boards of Accountancy Position Paper

Monitor and evaluate the issues of the AICPA’s Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC), to harmonize ethics standards of State Boards of Accountancy with other regulatory bodies, to promote the development and adoption of UAA ethics provisions uniformly among the states, and to share with state boards emerging ethics and other professional issues.

The NASBA Ethics and Strategic Professional Issues Committee studied the ethical issues associated with performing an audit, or other attest services, below cost. Initially, the Committee identified several significant ethical issues posed when a firm quotes a very low audit fee or a fee expected to result in a significant loss. Once the Committee exposed its initial ideas to comment and feedback from various State Boards of Accountancy, it became apparent that a wider scope of issues should be addressed. For instance, there may also be a significant threat to independence, integrity and objectivity when fees and profitability are too large. Both situations are addressed in the document below.

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Audit Fees and Engagement Discussion Paper

Monitor and evaluate the issues of the AICPA’s Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC), to harmonize ethics standards of State Boards of Accountancy with other regulatory bodies, to promote the development and adoption of UAA ethics provisions uniformly among the states, and to share with state boards emerging ethics and other professional issues. A properly developed concept of independence will enable auditors to carry out their responsibility to report accurate, unbiased financial information to shareholders. As the Committee began to survey the jurisdictions and various regulatory bodies, we identified several reasons for a uniform definition of independence.

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Final Uniform Independence Definition Discussion Paper

The AICPA/NASBA Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) Committee has worked over the past year to consider guidelines as to what are and what are not misleading CPA firm names. The proposed changes to the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) and Uniform Accountancy Act Model Rules (Model Rules) in this exposure draft are the result of these efforts.

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NASBA Proposed Revisions to UAA Exposure Draft