“I hope that when I die, people say about me, ‘Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.’ — Jack Handey, American thinker
That hubbub you hear near and far is the sound of accountants all across the land gearing up — putting their game faces on for the looming tax season.
Every year in our state, the Board of Accountancy — aka the CPA Board — considers
applications from hundreds of people who wish to become certified public accountants. For you Revised Code of Washington enthusiasts, by the way, pertinent board-standards in state law are found in the Public Accountancy Act (RCW 18.04).
In its role as a consumer-protection agency, the board keeps a vigilant watch over CPA newcomers, as well as the veterans. The 10-employee panel’s mission includes investigating complaints from people who assert that their numbers have been crunched improperly, incompetently, unethically, or what have you. Right at this moment, says the latest information from the board, there are 55 complaints in various stages of the investigatory process.
The House Business & Financial Services Committee, which is chaired by state Rep. Steve Kirby, has jurisdiction over the CPA Board. Among its other responsibilities, this state agency:
- Provides consumer alerts and public-protection information.
- Tests upward of 2,000 CPA and CPA-firm applicants every year — evaluating initial qualifications before deciding whether a license-approval or a license-denial is in order.
- Monitors continuing qualifications and performance of Washington’s 17,000 women and men working as CPAs, and Washington’s 2,100 firms open for CPA business.
- Processes electronic applications submitted by individuals and firms wanting to renew credentials, change addresses or firm-ownership information, or pay their professional fees.
- Investigates a yearly average of 200 complaints regarding possible violations of the aforementioned Public Accountancy Act.
- Works with other states’ accountancy boards regarding CPAs doing business in those states.
Information on Board of Accountancy orders and other sanctioning agreements is available under the Public Disclosure Act. Just e-mail the board at customerservice@cpaboard.wa.gov. Do you have any questions about enforcement or an investigation? Simply e-mail the board at investigations@cpaboard.wa.gov.
The board has something in common with a mere handful of other public agencies: Its work isn’t funded by public dollars. Administrative fees paid by CPAs, CPA firms, and CPA-applicants cover what it takes to run the agency. Keep your calendar free the morning of Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, for the next board meeting. It’s in the Cascade Room of the Doubletree Hotel near the airport in SeaTac. Check the website noted above in a few weeks for the agenda.