No, you do not need to be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to work as an accountant. While a CPA license is required for signing audit reports, filing documents with the SEC, or holding certain high-level public accounting positions, many accountants work in corporate, tax, or staff roles without this certification.
Not all accountants are CPAs (certified public accountants), but all CPAs are in the accounting profession. Typically, an accountant has achieved a bachelor's degree in accounting. A certified public accountant earns this designation after completing specific educational and work requirements and passing a CPA exam.
If you want to be able to represent your clients in audits and handle exterior or SOC audits, it may be worth it to pursue your CPA. However, for those who are interested in other aspects of accounting, there is nothing wrong with becoming an accountant without the additional CPA certification.
You do not need a CPA to open an accounting firm. CPAs generally are needed for corporation but not individuals. Most accountants are not CPAs.
All CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) are accountants, but not all accountants are CPAs; the key difference is that a CPA has a state license, requiring extra education, experience, and passing the rigorous CPA exam, granting them the legal authority to perform advanced tasks like signing audit reports for public companies, representing clients before the IRS, and acting as fiduciaries, which non-certified accountants generally cannot do. While accountants handle daily financial records and tax prep, CPAs offer broader expertise in complex financial planning, external audits, and regulatory compliance.
You'll need 150 semester hours (225 quarter hours) which takes most people around five years. You'll need at least 120 semester hours (180 quarter hours) to sit for the CPA Exam. Passing all four sections of the CPA Exam takes between one and two years. You'll need at least one year of qualifying employment.
Comparison between CA and CPA
It is difficult to determine which of these professions offers a higher salary, as the salary of a CA or CPA can vary greatly based on several factors. However, in general, CAs tend to earn slightly more than CPAs in India.
You can call yourself an accountant without an accounting degree, but you will need at least a bachelor's degree before you can work as one. Depending on the accounting work you want, you may need a master's degree or professional credentials that can require additional study.
A significant percentage of accountants are leaving the profession or their jobs, with over 300,000 U.S. accountants quitting in recent years (a ~17% workforce reduction), driven by burnout, long hours, poor work-life balance, and lack of advancement, leading to a major talent shortage. Surveys show high intentions to leave, with nearly 44% planning to switch jobs in the next year and 29% having already left a company in the past two years, while many younger professionals (39% in one survey) are particularly prone to high turnover.
You cannot generally represent yourself as a CPA. Some jurisdictions, however, permit you to refer to yourself as a “CPA but not in public practice.” Others, though, do not let you use the title in any form.
No, an accounting degree is not useless without a CPA; it opens many doors in corporate, government, and non-profit sectors (like financial analysis, management accounting, and internal audit), but a CPA is often essential for public accounting (especially auditing), high-level management roles (like CFO/Controller), and roles requiring public attestations, with the CPA providing a significant career boost, higher earning potential, and faster advancement, according to Bellevue University, Franklin University, Post University, and SuperfastCPA.
CPAs are licensed by their state's Board of Accountancy. Becoming a CPA requires passing a national exam and meeting other state requirements. All states require CPA candidates to complete 150 semester hours of college coursework to be licensed, which is 30 hours more than the usual 4-year bachelor's degree.
In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPAs earn 10% to 25% more than non-certified accountants. However, salaries of CPAs and non-certified accountants vary by industry. They can be higher than average in industries experiencing a lot of growth, such as financial technology or software.
A Non-CPA accounting job involves performing various accounting tasks without holding a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. These roles often include bookkeeping, financial reporting, payroll processing, tax preparation, and accounts management.
5 accounting careers in demand
Apprenticeship overview
BPP's Level 7 Accounting Apprenticeships help you become technically qualified by passing professional exams, whilst developing the complementary skills and behaviours to succeed in your career.
Absolutely not. Many accounting roles don't require CPA certification. In fact, our Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting are designed as non-licensure programs. That means they provide the essential accounting knowledge and skills needed for a variety of accounting careers.
2024 CPA Exam Pass Rates
The pass rates for AUD and FAR were around 46% and 41%, respectively. The discipline sections also yielded surprising results, with BAR at 41%, ISC at 56%, and TCP achieving an impressive 78% pass rate.
A CPA is necessary when the situation requires specialized expertise, certification or legal representation. For example, only a CPA can perform financial audits, issue audited financial statements for public companies and represent clients before the IRS during an audit or tax dispute.