Members Moving Provinces

If you are moving to another province but will continue to work and represent yourself as a CPA in Alberta, you must maintain your CPA Alberta membership.

Please follow these steps:

1. Register as a member with your new provincial body.
2. Once you have been accepted and you have paid your full fees to that provincial body, please notify us that you are now a member of another province but you wish to retain your membership with CPA Alberta.
3. We will confirm your membership with your new provincial body and update your billing status with CPA Alberta to 'Affiliate'.

You will be invoiced for Affiliate Member fees on a yearly basis. Login to the CPA Alberta Member Portal and make your payment.

Please note: As a Member, you will continue to be responsible for all obligations of membership (this includes submission of your annual CPD declaration—you will need to report to all CPA provincial bodies you are registered with).

If you are currently registered with CPA Alberta but are moving to another province and no longer wish to be a member in Alberta, you must resign your CPA Alberta membership.

Please follow these steps:

1. Register as a member with your new provincial body.
2. Once you have been accepted and you have paid your fees to that provincial body (provincial and CPA Canada fees), send us your resignation request.
3. Return all of your Alberta certificates to one of our offices. Your CPA Alberta certificate as well as your Legacy certificate(s) need to be returned.
4. Once all certificates are received, we will complete your resignation and you will no longer be a member of CPA Alberta.

Please note: If we do not receive your resignation request prior to the annual member fees payment deadline (May 31 for each billing year), you are responsible for late payment penalties as per section 54(2)(b) Bylaw 1401 of the Chartered Professional Accountants Act.

Individuals who currently hold a CPA designation (or legacy CA, CMA, CGA) in another Canadian province and who are representing themselves as CPAs (or legacy CA, CMA, CGAs) in the province of Alberta are required to register as a member with CPA Alberta.

Please review the instructions here before continuing.

Once all your documents have been received, your application will be processed. Please allow 4–6 weeks for processing your request.

A2. In general, you are considered to be using the CPA designation in Alberta when you represent or imply that you are entitled to use the CPA designation in Alberta. Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• You work in Alberta (physically or remotely).
• You reside in Alberta.
• You use an address in Alberta on your business cards or letterhead (hard copy or electronic), e-mail signature, website, social media, etc.
• You are involved in the community in Alberta such as serving on a volunteer board, etc.

If you are using the CPA designation in Alberta, you must be registered as a member of CPA Alberta.

A3. Tagging the Province is not permitted.

A4. You are not required to register as a member of CPA Alberta if you are visiting for the purpose of making presentations, attending meetings and conferences (see also public practice questions 8. & 9. below). While you may describe yourself as being a CPA member of BC, you must not represent or imply that you are a member in Alberta.

A5. Register as a member with CPA Alberta, and with the Provincial CPA Body in BC if you are also considered to be using the CPA designation in BC (see FAQs 1 and 2).

A6. Register as a member with CPA Alberta and in every province where you are using the CPA designation (see FAQ 1 and 2).

A7. To retain your CPA designation, you must maintain your membership in at least one Provincial CPA Body. You should also contact the international accounting regulatory body where you live/work to determine the registration requirements of that jurisdiction.

Additional guidance for members who offer/provide public practice services:

Any Chartered Professional Accountant who is providing or offering to provide services listed under the definition of professional accounting services or public accounting services in the Chartered Professional Accountants Act (CPA Act) in Alberta must do so through a registered professional accounting firm (PAF).

PAFs are registered in Alberta under the Varied Registration Model. This model provides clear understanding for clients and prospective clients on the types of services that a PAF can perform. The Varied Registration Model contains four categories, which are designed to cover the unique types of PAFs currently operating:

• Audit
• Review
• Compilation
• Other regulated services (including public accounting practice services)

For more information on public practice or registration of PAFs, please visit: Public Practice.

Note that for purposes of the following FAQs, an Engagement Lead is a CPA in public practice who is responsible for the engagement. This could be a partner, partner equivalent or authorized individual.

For information on additional firm and/or licensure registration requirements, please contact the Provincial CPA Body where your client is located.