{"id":17677,"date":"2026-07-09T16:11:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T10:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/?p=17677"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:20:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T10:50:33","slug":"what-is-a-cpa-in-accounting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/resources\/blogs\/what-is-a-cpa-in-accounting\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a CPA? Qualifications, Services, and Business Role"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"17677\" class=\"elementor elementor-17677\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b40ecf9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b40ecf9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c4b546 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4c4b546\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;ve ever asked &#8220;What is a CPA?&#8221; while comparing accounting options for your business, here&#8217;s the short answer: a CPA, or certified public accountant, is a state-licensed accounting professional who has passed the Uniform CPA Examination and met specific education and experience requirements. That license is what separates a CPA from a general accountant. It&#8217;s a legal credential, not just a job title, and it authorizes services an unlicensed accountant cannot perform.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For businesses, understanding that distinction matters. It affects who can sign off on your financials, represent you before the IRS, and take on the liability that comes with those tasks.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a90fe4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8a90fe4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What Is a CPA in Accounting?<\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CPA is an accountant who holds an active license issued by a state board of accountancy. To earn it, a candidate must hold at least a bachelor\u2019s degree, complete the required college credit hours (typically 150), pass the Uniform CPA Exam, and log supervised work experience, usually one to two years under a licensed CPA.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The exam itself covers three core sections plus a discipline of the candidate&#8217;s choosing, testing knowledge of technical accounting, auditing standards, tax law, and business concepts. Licensure doesn&#8217;t end there: CPAs must complete continuing professional education (CPE) every year to keep their license active.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This combination of exam, experience, and ongoing education is what makes the CPA designation a recognized standard of competence and accountability in the accounting profession.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37c98c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"37c98c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What Does a CPA Do? Core Services for Businesses<\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what does a CPA do day-to-day, beyond the licensure requirements? For most businesses, a CPA&#8217;s work falls into a few categories:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tax preparation and planning:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Filing returns, advising on entity structure, and managing the tax implications of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/resources\/blogs\/w2-1099-season-cpa-payroll-compliance\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">W-2 payroll, 1099 contractor relationships<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and Schedule C filings for sole proprietors.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Audit and assurance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Reviewing financial statements and issuing an opinion on their accuracy, often required by lenders, investors, or regulators.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Financial consulting:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Guiding decisions on budgeting, cash flow management, business structure, and growth planning.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>IRS representation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Communicating with the IRS on a client&#8217;s behalf during audits, notices, or disputes.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of this work overlaps with what a skilled bookkeeper or accountant already does. The difference is authority: a CPA can legally sign audited financial statements and represent you before the IRS. An unlicensed accountant cannot.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0cd5a35 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0cd5a35\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>CPA vs. Accountant: Where the Roles Overlap and Differ<\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every CPA is an accountant, but not every accountant is a CPA. The overlap is in the daily work &#8211; reconciliations, reporting, tax filings, and financial analysis. The divergence is in legal authority and liability.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An accountant without a CPA license can manage books, prepare internal reports, and often file basic tax returns. A CPA takes on additional responsibility: issuing audit opinions, representing clients in IRS proceedings, and being held to a formal code of ethics enforced by a state board. That accountability is exactly why lenders, investors, and regulators often require a CPA&#8217;s signature rather than an accountant&#8217;s.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a0ea0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a0ea0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>When Does a Business Actually Need a CPA?<\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not every business need calls for a CPA. But certain situations do:<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;re seeking a loan or investment and need audited or reviewed financial statements.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;re managing complex tax exposure across multiple states or entity types.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;ve received an IRS notice or are facing an audit.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;re preparing for a merger, acquisition, or ownership transition.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your payroll mix of W-2 employees and 1099 contractors carries misclassification risk.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In each case, the cost of getting it wrong could be a denied loan, a penalty, or a failed audit, and it typically outweighs the cost of CPA oversight. The decision isn&#8217;t really CPA versus no CPA; it&#8217;s about matching the right level of licensed oversight to the risk in front of you, without paying for more capacity than the work requires.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&#8217;s where structure matters as much as the license. Many growing businesses and accounting firms handle volume work such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/services\/bookkeeping-outsourcing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bookkeeping services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reconciliations, and return preparation through a remote team or accounting support partner, while keeping CPA sign-off where it&#8217;s legally required. It&#8217;s a model built for capacity, not just compliance.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47c8ef4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"47c8ef4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>The Bottom Line<\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CPA brings licensed authority, accountability, and a defined scope of legal services to your business&#8217;s financial decisions. Whether you need that authority directly or you need the operational capacity to support a CPA&#8217;s workload more efficiently, the right setup depends on what&#8217;s actually driving the need.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Befree works as an accounting support partner to businesses and accounting firms that need to scale their capacity without scaling overhead. If you&#8217;re weighing how much CPA oversight your business actually needs, and how to staff around it efficiently, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact Befree<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to talk through your options.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78a56e96 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"78a56e96\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d851780 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3d851780\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13bb659b elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-accordion\" data-id=\"13bb659b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;default_state&quot;:&quot;expanded&quot;,&quot;max_items_expended&quot;:&quot;one&quot;,&quot;n_accordion_animation_duration&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;ms&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:400,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-accordion\" aria-label=\"Accordion. Open links with Enter or Space, close with Escape, and navigate with Arrow Keys\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-3310\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" open>\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"1\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-3310\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What is the difference between a CPA and an accountant? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3310\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72e27f0d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"72e27f0d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3310\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d054f63 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5d054f63\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1038c2f2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1038c2f2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CPA is a licensed accountant who has passed the Uniform CPA Exam and met state experience requirements. That license allows a CPA to issue audit opinions and represent clients before the IRS, unlike an unlicensed accountant.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-3311\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-3311\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What does a CPA do for a small business? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3311\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52fcd1db e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"52fcd1db\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3311\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-528144a6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"528144a6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4600f2cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4600f2cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A CPA typically handles <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/befreeltd.com\/us\/services\/tax-outsourcing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tax preparation services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and planning, financial statement reviews or audits, and strategic financial consulting. For many small businesses, a CPA also represents them in IRS matters and advises on entity structure.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-3312\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-3312\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Does my business need a CPA, or can a bookkeeper handle everything? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3312\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-237f2d3d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"237f2d3d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3312\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a9a761d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7a9a761d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e7d5bc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2e7d5bc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A bookkeeper can manage day-to-day transactions and reporting, but only a CPA can issue audited financial statements or represent your business before the IRS. Most businesses use both a bookkeeper or accounting support partner for volume work and a CPA for work that requires a license.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-3313\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-3313\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> How can I verify a CPA's license is active? <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-minus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h384c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-plus\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 208H272V64c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32h-32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v144H32c-17.67 0-32 14.33-32 32v32c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h144v144c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h32c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32V304h144c17.67 0 32-14.33 32-32v-32c0-17.67-14.33-32-32-32z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3313\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-66bef004 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"66bef004\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-3313\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-255e8d91 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"255e8d91\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-385260a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"385260a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each state board of accountancy maintains a public license lookup tool. Searching by the CPA&#8217;s name or license number will confirm their status and any disciplinary history.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;ve ever asked &#8220;What is a CPA?&#8221; while comparing accounting options for your business, here&#8217;s the short answer: a CPA, or certified public accountant, is a state-licensed accounting professional who has passed the Uniform CPA Examination and met specific education and experience requirements. That license is what separates a CPA from a general accountant. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":17679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a CPA? Roles, Qualifications &amp; Key Benefits Explained<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is a CPA? Discover the qualifications, responsibilities, and services of a Certified Public Accountant. Learn why businesses rely on CPAs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"What Is a CPA? 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