How to check whether someone is actually a CPA

Reviewed by EverStone CPA · August 2026

Quick answer: In BC, “accountant” is a word anyone can use, but Chartered Professional Accountant is a protected designation regulated by CPABC — and membership is publicly checkable in about two minutes. Before handing your corporate records to anyone, verify the person or firm with CPABC directly. If someone resists that check, the check has done its job.

Why the difference matters

The designation is not about intelligence — there are capable bookkeepers and preparers without it. It is about accountability: a CPA answers to a regulator with mandatory professional standards, continuing education, professional liability requirements and a public discipline process. When something goes wrong with an unregulated preparer, your recourse is a negotiation. With a CPA, there is a body to answer to. For engagements a lender or agency will rely on — like compilation engagements — the designation is not optional at all.

The two-minute check

Go to CPABC (bccpa.ca), the regulator’s own site — not a directory that copies from it.
Use its member and firm search to confirm the individual’s membership and, separately, that the firm is registered — both matter, because services to the public are delivered through registered firms.
While there, check the public discipline listings.
Cross-check the basics: does the name on the engagement letter match the membership? Does the firm name on the invoice match the registration?

Red flags the check exposes

“Accounting firm” branding with no named, verifiable CPA anywhere on the site or engagement letter.
A designation claimed from another jurisdiction that does not appear in the BC register while the person practises in BC.
Resistance to the question. A CPA expects it — our own hiring questions put it first.

Verify us while you are at it

EverStone CPA is an Abbotsford firm serving owner-managed businesses across Canada. Run the check on us before the free consultation — we would genuinely rather you did.

Book a free consultation Call (604) 832-1743

General information, not tax advice. A letter’s own wording and dates govern — confirm anything that affects a decision on a free consult.

Common questions

Is “tax preparer” the same as a CPA?+

No. Anyone can prepare a return for a fee in Canada. A CPA is a regulated professional with standards, insurance requirements and a discipline process behind the work. For simple returns the difference may not matter; for a corporation it usually does.

What about designations from other provinces or countries?+

Canadian CPAs are provincially regulated and mobility between provinces is normal — the point is that practice in BC should be visible to BC’s regulator. A foreign credential alone, however legitimate at home, is not the same accountability here.

What does verification not tell me?+

It confirms standing, not fit. A verified CPA can still be the wrong accountant for your business — which is what the twelve hiring questions are for.

Does EverStone appear in the CPABC register?+

Yes — and rather than take this page’s word for it, run the search at bccpa.ca. Building the habit of checking is precisely the point.

Got a letter you’d rather not face alone?

Send it over before you respond. A CPA reads it, tells you what it actually asks, and what to send — free.

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