SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN U. S. AND CANADIAN REQUIREMENTS FOR C.P.A. AND C.A. CERTIFICATES.

The article focuses on significant differences between the U.S. and Canada requirements for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and Chartered Accountants (CA) certificates. In the U.S. the examinations and requirements are set and administered by an agency of the state government while in Canada the provincial institutes of chartered accountants determine the requirements. The author compares the CPA requirements of New York State, Illinois, California and Alabama with the Ontario CA requirements. The practical experience requirements for the prospective CPA or CA vary between jurisdictions and even within the same state or province depending upon the candidate's formal education. At the present time, all states included in the sample except Illinois require some experience before the certificate is awarded, although California does not require any prior to the taking of the examination. The candidate in New York State must obtain three years' experience before he is eligible to complete taking the CPA examination while in the case of California the length of experience required not only depends upon the amount of formal education but also upon the type of practical experience gained by the candidate.