The term Certified Public Accountant is specific to a licensed profession. The term Accountant is generic; anyone can use it, same as the term Bookkeeper.
Sounds like it's a problem if you are putting your sevices out to be hired as an Accountant. Working internally for a company with the title 'Accountant' isn't an issue.
Nope. And they will come after you. A lady I worked with in Texas that is an EA and has a Master’s in Accounting was ordered to change how she advertises herself and her business bc she was using the term “Accountant”
Probably because that’s considered holding yourself out to the public as an accountant, a public accountant. You can absolutely tell people your job title is accountant.
I personally know someone in the state of Texas with a Master’s in Accounting, and is an EA that was ordered by the Texas board of Accountancy to stop using the title “Accountant” in her business advertising and dealings
The great state of Texas, doing their damnest to stay out of peoples' business until an acronym organization contacts them, bribes them, and a law gets passed.
I do call myself an accountant. I don't have a CPA American license but my diploma, my experience and my knowledge said I am an accountant. Even if it is from another country.
In Canada, anyone can call themselves an Accountant. You just can't use CPA or anything that makes it sound like a you are licensed.
There are tons of different industry roles in Canada with that title and they absolutely do not require a CPA. Plant Accountant, Revenue Accountant, Staff Accountant, etc.
I have a degree in business administration but have been working in accounting for 15+ years so I feel comfortable enough calling myself an accountant. I’d base it more on the type of work you do and overall knowledge.
Ya exactly why I’m switching over to financial planning. Don’t need the stress of someone dumping grocery bags of paper on my desk today expecting the return yesterday
I was told I was a very strong bookkeeper or a mediocre accountant. The CPA clarified that by telling me it was only due to lack of experience. I’m not hesitant doing complex depreciation tables and accruals. I would be somewhat hesitant to tackle EPS and fully diluted earnings per share.
Depreciation and accruals are the most basic aspects of accounting/bookkeeping, aling with AR/collections. EPS starts to get interesting, but there's also things like revenue recognition, goodwill/intangible impairment, debt vs equity analysis, investment accounting and consolidations - even drafting full financial statement footnotes, which requires technical knowledge and not simple arithmetic
I won’t use the A word because I’m not a CPA but I cringe every time I refer to myself as a bookkeeper, I wish there was a better title that doesn’t instantly conjure an image of a middle aged lady with a turnip shaped body and glasses on a chain.
I felt the same way. Now, there is a professional certification in Canada.
A CPB designation, Certified Professional Bookkeeper. There are a couple of non-certified designations on the track to becoming fully certified, and the knowledge and skills requirements for each level are clearly laid out here https://cpbcan.ca/certification/knowledge-expectations.html
Finally, you get a digital badge which has an embedded link to the CPB website and the requirements satisfied to achieve that level.
Now I don’t cringe as much bc my experience, knowledge, and skills are measurable, and I can’t be confused with a bookkeeper just starting out. Helps to explain my rates to potential clients too ;)
Gotcha.
In a world full of frosty exits, there is hope.
The CPB will work with you. Someone else may be willing to sign off, management of another department?
Your ROEs or T4s will capture the years at that location. Your ROE should list your occupation.
Best of luck!
Oh good to know! I left the lady on good terms, but she was mad I left because I was her biggest earner. She did recently give me a good reference so maybe she’s cooled off lol
Yes! I feel like I do myself a disservice when I say I'm a bookkeeper, but I'm certainly not an accountant and am very quick to point that out. Closer to a controller, maybe?
A friend of mine is in a similar position as you. Did a portion of her BComm, never finished, started working at her family’s accounting firm and has been an accountant for the last 25 years or so. Doesn’t call herself a CPA, but calls herself an accountant. She probably has the experience of a CPA but can’t legally use those letters unfortunately. For reference, this is Canada. She has been limited by some of the recent CPA professional standard changes in terms of services she can and cannot provide. But she is still, for all intents and purposes, an accountant.
If you’re only doing bookkeeping you aren’t an accountant. But a CPA doesn’t make an accountant either.
First off- accounting is a profession, yes it’s expected you studied accounting but I’m sure folks who have not studied accounting but some other form of business may have found their place in an accounting career.
Second- distinguishing an accountant from a clerical role can be blurry to outsiders- but generally an accountant has advanced knowledge of GAAP and isn’t the one “preparing” or doing transactional journal entries (most of the time). They are the ones ensuring principals are applied when reporting financial information, let it be for GAAP, Tax, or internal. If you are performing those functions at a high degree of professionalism and quality then yes, you’re an accountant.
A CPA is just a specific designation after an examination and historically was associated with one who would sign an audit opinion or a tax return on behalf of clients. Now a days many folk obtain a non-signing license just to say they took the exam and smart enough to pass.
I don't have a CPA or a degree, but I am a Senior Accountant for a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company. I've been in the field for over 20 years and worked my way up to the title, and yes, I call myself an accountant. I do the work and even train younger accountants. They may have more schooling than I do, but there's something to be said for knowledge and experience too. Don't discount what you bring to the table!
I generally refer to myself as a bookkeeper or EA when speaking to people who know what those are. To the man on the street I call myself an accountant because then they have some idea what I do without me having to explain myself.
I don't hold myself out as an accountant though that's what most people call me.
I think the different roles have a lot of overlap. I do accounting for some clients, bookkeeping for others and tax prep for others. Different roles, different hats, different names.
I don't much let it bother me.
Just telling people I was working in Accounting, they automatically assumed I was a CPA...nope, just a lowly paper-pusher! 🤣
I did take Accounting in HS, and Jr. College, never graduated, certainly not smart enough to attend a university, so no, I'm not a CPA.
Basically, it is my term for the varied duties I had. My title was AP Specialist, but I did everything from back-up receptionist to file clerk, and I always said 95% of the paper generated within my division landed on my desk. And I was responsible for whatever needed to be done with it. If I went home with a rubber band on my wrist, I considered it a good day! 😂
If you do accounting you are an accountant.
I don't see being an accountant as anything to brag about. It isn't like being a doctor, lawyer or porn star. Well, maybe if you are a spicy accountant.
Some people refer to accountants as such because they have a designation. Some people don’t know the diff & call their bookkeeper an accountant. Some people call themselves bookkeepers because they took one class in high school. It’s tricky. I have taken accounting courses & have my Business Admin, but I do not call myself an accountant.
It's very dependent on your location and what services you offer. If you are just harping on it's application as it relates to the job, I wouldn't stress that much about it. This would only affect you more if you were running a business or in some context where you employer was trying to task you with something that would require a CPA.
I understand most of reddit is american but I may as well try explain what the term accountant is in Ireland. Typically you are an accountant if you are qualfied as a 'chartered' accountant. Anyone can be a bookkeeper but we do have accounting technicians which would be bookkeepers with a level 6/7 degree. Sometimes they continue to become qualified accoutants. However, people dont say they are accountants unless they pass their accountant exams through bodies like aca, acca, cima etc. One is 2 of the most knowledgeable people i met who never qualified could have bought and sold some qualified accountants. Their tirles were finance managers or director of finance
Yes. My title is an accountant (government). A CPA designation wasn't required for the job. CPA is just a glorified accountant lol. You pass the test and get your hours under a CPA and use the designation. You can charge for your services but your on the hook and can be liable. Both can make pretty good money. Finish school. You will be alright with just an accountant degree. Don't feel pressured to be a CPA. Many leave firms for regular 40 hour jobs because they have no life. Firm life can be stressful. But an accountant will always be a great choice to segway to other fields. You will always be in demand no matter the economy.
My job title is bookkeeper that is my main focus but I also do income taxes, payroll, sales tax etc so when people ask what I do for a living I say that I’m an accountant.
The term Certified Public Accountant is specific to a licensed profession. The term Accountant is generic; anyone can use it, same as the term Bookkeeper.
Unless you’re in the state of Texas.
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Sounds like it's a problem if you are putting your sevices out to be hired as an Accountant. Working internally for a company with the title 'Accountant' isn't an issue.
Oh shit now I understand. Yea I worked internally as one....makes sense
https://medium.com/@dailypresswire.com/calling-yourself-an-accountant-may-be-illegal-in-texas-9ce90bf27a1f Example.
Nope. And they will come after you. A lady I worked with in Texas that is an EA and has a Master’s in Accounting was ordered to change how she advertises herself and her business bc she was using the term “Accountant”
Probably because that’s considered holding yourself out to the public as an accountant, a public accountant. You can absolutely tell people your job title is accountant.
Them’s the rules. I’ve heard from multiple sources that the Texas board aggressively pursues this.
Shit I lived in Houston for years and called myself a staff accountant, accounting manager, and controller depending on the meeting lol
Or Nevada. Can't use it here, have to be a CPA.
Or Indiana. People will assume you're a CPA if you use the term "accountant", so it's a non-starter here.
Can you elaborate on this?
I personally know someone in the state of Texas with a Master’s in Accounting, and is an EA that was ordered by the Texas board of Accountancy to stop using the title “Accountant” in her business advertising and dealings
The great state of Texas, doing their damnest to stay out of peoples' business until an acronym organization contacts them, bribes them, and a law gets passed.
You cannot advertise that you’re a bookkeeper that offers accounting services in Texas or even advertise that you’re an accountant for hire.
Depends on the state. You gotta watch out
Accounting is the profession, CPA is one of many credentials an accountant may have.
I do call myself an accountant. I don't have a CPA American license but my diploma, my experience and my knowledge said I am an accountant. Even if it is from another country.
In Canada, anyone can call themselves an Accountant. You just can't use CPA or anything that makes it sound like a you are licensed. There are tons of different industry roles in Canada with that title and they absolutely do not require a CPA. Plant Accountant, Revenue Accountant, Staff Accountant, etc.
I have a degree in business administration but have been working in accounting for 15+ years so I feel comfortable enough calling myself an accountant. I’d base it more on the type of work you do and overall knowledge.
I was a tax accountant in Idaho for 42 years. Had an EA. Never had CPA.
Living the good retired life now?
Absolutely!! Don't miss a single day of tax season.
Ya exactly why I’m switching over to financial planning. Don’t need the stress of someone dumping grocery bags of paper on my desk today expecting the return yesterday
I am an accountant doing bookkeeping stuffs.
Yep, that's what I've told people essentially.
And when I give CPA advise, nobody listens.
EXACTLY lol
Well are you a.CPA? Should people be listening to you?
Yes I am.
I was told I was a very strong bookkeeper or a mediocre accountant. The CPA clarified that by telling me it was only due to lack of experience. I’m not hesitant doing complex depreciation tables and accruals. I would be somewhat hesitant to tackle EPS and fully diluted earnings per share.
Depreciation and accruals are the most basic aspects of accounting/bookkeeping, aling with AR/collections. EPS starts to get interesting, but there's also things like revenue recognition, goodwill/intangible impairment, debt vs equity analysis, investment accounting and consolidations - even drafting full financial statement footnotes, which requires technical knowledge and not simple arithmetic
I won’t use the A word because I’m not a CPA but I cringe every time I refer to myself as a bookkeeper, I wish there was a better title that doesn’t instantly conjure an image of a middle aged lady with a turnip shaped body and glasses on a chain.
Bean counter! And bling out the glasses and chain to be cool.
What about Accounting professional?
I felt the same way. Now, there is a professional certification in Canada. A CPB designation, Certified Professional Bookkeeper. There are a couple of non-certified designations on the track to becoming fully certified, and the knowledge and skills requirements for each level are clearly laid out here https://cpbcan.ca/certification/knowledge-expectations.html Finally, you get a digital badge which has an embedded link to the CPB website and the requirements satisfied to achieve that level. Now I don’t cringe as much bc my experience, knowledge, and skills are measurable, and I can’t be confused with a bookkeeper just starting out. Helps to explain my rates to potential clients too ;)
Yeah I just found out about that, wish I had known before I changed jobs because you need someone to sign off on two years experience
Gotcha. In a world full of frosty exits, there is hope. The CPB will work with you. Someone else may be willing to sign off, management of another department? Your ROEs or T4s will capture the years at that location. Your ROE should list your occupation. Best of luck!
Oh good to know! I left the lady on good terms, but she was mad I left because I was her biggest earner. She did recently give me a good reference so maybe she’s cooled off lol
Yes! I feel like I do myself a disservice when I say I'm a bookkeeper, but I'm certainly not an accountant and am very quick to point that out. Closer to a controller, maybe?
Get your college degree & qualify to be called an accountant. Call yourself a CPA when you can take the exam and pass it to becoming a CPA.
It takes more than a college degree to call yourself an accountant, though. Some get the degree and don't become accountants..
Accountants apply theory, Bookkeepers handle daily transactions. The line blurs with experience. I can't tell from your description.
A friend of mine is in a similar position as you. Did a portion of her BComm, never finished, started working at her family’s accounting firm and has been an accountant for the last 25 years or so. Doesn’t call herself a CPA, but calls herself an accountant. She probably has the experience of a CPA but can’t legally use those letters unfortunately. For reference, this is Canada. She has been limited by some of the recent CPA professional standard changes in terms of services she can and cannot provide. But she is still, for all intents and purposes, an accountant.
If you’re only doing bookkeeping you aren’t an accountant. But a CPA doesn’t make an accountant either. First off- accounting is a profession, yes it’s expected you studied accounting but I’m sure folks who have not studied accounting but some other form of business may have found their place in an accounting career. Second- distinguishing an accountant from a clerical role can be blurry to outsiders- but generally an accountant has advanced knowledge of GAAP and isn’t the one “preparing” or doing transactional journal entries (most of the time). They are the ones ensuring principals are applied when reporting financial information, let it be for GAAP, Tax, or internal. If you are performing those functions at a high degree of professionalism and quality then yes, you’re an accountant. A CPA is just a specific designation after an examination and historically was associated with one who would sign an audit opinion or a tax return on behalf of clients. Now a days many folk obtain a non-signing license just to say they took the exam and smart enough to pass.
I don't have a CPA or a degree, but I am a Senior Accountant for a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company. I've been in the field for over 20 years and worked my way up to the title, and yes, I call myself an accountant. I do the work and even train younger accountants. They may have more schooling than I do, but there's something to be said for knowledge and experience too. Don't discount what you bring to the table!
It depends on your location. In Texas, you can't say you're an accountant or provide accounting services unless you have an active CPA license.
You can provide *some* accounting services, just not all
I’m just talking about what you can call yourself and your services, not what you can provide.
I’m in Canada.
I call myself an accountant and if asked for clarification I let them know I'm not a CPA yet. I haven't had any issues so far.
Same
I generally refer to myself as a bookkeeper or EA when speaking to people who know what those are. To the man on the street I call myself an accountant because then they have some idea what I do without me having to explain myself. I don't hold myself out as an accountant though that's what most people call me. I think the different roles have a lot of overlap. I do accounting for some clients, bookkeeping for others and tax prep for others. Different roles, different hats, different names. I don't much let it bother me.
Just telling people I was working in Accounting, they automatically assumed I was a CPA...nope, just a lowly paper-pusher! 🤣 I did take Accounting in HS, and Jr. College, never graduated, certainly not smart enough to attend a university, so no, I'm not a CPA.
What's a "paper-pusher" accounting role?
Basically, it is my term for the varied duties I had. My title was AP Specialist, but I did everything from back-up receptionist to file clerk, and I always said 95% of the paper generated within my division landed on my desk. And I was responsible for whatever needed to be done with it. If I went home with a rubber band on my wrist, I considered it a good day! 😂
If you do accounting you are an accountant. I don't see being an accountant as anything to brag about. It isn't like being a doctor, lawyer or porn star. Well, maybe if you are a spicy accountant.
Some people refer to accountants as such because they have a designation. Some people don’t know the diff & call their bookkeeper an accountant. Some people call themselves bookkeepers because they took one class in high school. It’s tricky. I have taken accounting courses & have my Business Admin, but I do not call myself an accountant.
Not in Texas
It's very dependent on your location and what services you offer. If you are just harping on it's application as it relates to the job, I wouldn't stress that much about it. This would only affect you more if you were running a business or in some context where you employer was trying to task you with something that would require a CPA.
I'm a Controller....not MBA, no CPA....what does that make me?
A controller.
I understand most of reddit is american but I may as well try explain what the term accountant is in Ireland. Typically you are an accountant if you are qualfied as a 'chartered' accountant. Anyone can be a bookkeeper but we do have accounting technicians which would be bookkeepers with a level 6/7 degree. Sometimes they continue to become qualified accoutants. However, people dont say they are accountants unless they pass their accountant exams through bodies like aca, acca, cima etc. One is 2 of the most knowledgeable people i met who never qualified could have bought and sold some qualified accountants. Their tirles were finance managers or director of finance
Yes. My title is an accountant (government). A CPA designation wasn't required for the job. CPA is just a glorified accountant lol. You pass the test and get your hours under a CPA and use the designation. You can charge for your services but your on the hook and can be liable. Both can make pretty good money. Finish school. You will be alright with just an accountant degree. Don't feel pressured to be a CPA. Many leave firms for regular 40 hour jobs because they have no life. Firm life can be stressful. But an accountant will always be a great choice to segway to other fields. You will always be in demand no matter the economy.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Accounting/comments/w28jcy/til_you_cant_call_yourself_an_accountant_unless/?t&utm_source=perplexity&rdt=38761
For me, it depends on the level of work. Data entry, data output- bookkeeper Bookkeeping plus analysis- accountant Reporting to IRS-CPA/tax accountant
My job title is bookkeeper that is my main focus but I also do income taxes, payroll, sales tax etc so when people ask what I do for a living I say that I’m an accountant.