Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Membership Fees

Background

In June 2023, CPA Ontario and l’Ordre des CPA du Québec (CPA Québec), the regulatory bodies for Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) in Ontario and Quebec, agreed to establish a new working relationship with CPA Canada, emphasizing their roles as provincial regulators. This is of particular interest and application to members of the Comptrollership (CT) group.

As a result of this shift, members of these two provincial entities will no longer receive automatic membership to CPA Canada, effective December 20, 2024. However, a binding agreement has been reached to ensure that these members continue to benefit from important resources and initiatives, such as ongoing collaboration on standard setting, the continuation of an education agreement, and sustained funding for standards development. Additionally, members will still have access to key resources such as the CPA Canada Handbook and a consistent educational pathway. These measures are in place to uphold the integrity of the profession and maintain public trust.

Optional CPA Canada membership

CPA Canada now offers members an optional annual membership for $195. This membership provides access to continuing education services, publications, professional networks, and other valuable resources. Members of CPA Ontario and CPA Québec must register directly with CPA Canada if they wish to maintain this affiliation.

Reimbursement of membership fees

Departments will continue to reimburse employees for their membership fees to CPA Ontario and CPA Québec in alignment with past practices and collective agreements.

However, following consultations between the Office of the Comptroller General (OCG) and the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), it has been determined that:

• Membership in CPA Canada is not required for employees to perform their day-to-day duties in comptrollership positions in the federal public service.
• TBS does not support the reimbursement of the $195 CPA Canada membership fee for employees whose membership is not already included in their existing CPA.

Next steps

• Employees wishing to maintain their CPA Canada membership must register directly with CPA Canada and pay the annual fee of $195. Reimbursement of this fee may be approved exceptionally on a case-by-case basis, at the sole discretion of departments and based on appropriate delegated financial authority approval, in consideration of organizational needs, financial flexibility and alignment with the employee’s growth needs and the department’s workforce development strategy.
• Departments should ensure continued reimbursement of provincial body membership fees as per established practice.

For more details on the changes to CPA membership structures, please consult CPA Ontario, CPA Québec, or CPA Canada websites.