--- title: "How to Verify a CPA: The CPABC Member Directory Check" url: https://www.everstonecpa.com/how-to-verify-a-cpa-bc description: "How to verify a CPA in BC with the CPABC member directory: the two-minute check, what a listing shows and why the protected designation matters. Check." type: service-or-info updated: 2026-10-05 faq_count: 4 publisher: EverStone CPA Inc., a Chartered Professional Accountant firm registered with CPA British Columbia and CPA Alberta service_area: British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba language: en-CA contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online --- [Home](https://www.everstonecpa.com/) [Resources](https://www.everstonecpa.com/resources) Verify a CPA Choosing an accountant # How to verify that someone is actually a CPA Updated 5 October 2026 **Quick answer:** In BC, “accountant” is a word anyone can use, but Chartered Professional Accountant is a protected designation regulated by [CPABC](https://www.bccpa.ca/), 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. The CPA at this firm is on that register, and you are welcome to check before you call. [About the firm](https://www.everstonecpa.com/about), or [send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online). What this covers, at a glance. ## Why the difference matters The designation is about accountability, not intelligence; capable bookkeepers and preparers work without it. A CPA answers to a regulator with mandatory standards, continuing education, professional liability requirements and a public discipline process. With an unregulated preparer, your recourse is a negotiation. For engagements a lender or agency relies on — like [compilation engagements](https://www.everstonecpa.com/compilation-engagement-canada) — the designation is required. ## The two-minute check - Go to [CPABC](https://www.bccpa.ca/) (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](https://www.everstonecpa.com/questions-to-ask-an-accountant) put it first. ## Verify us while you are at it EverStone CPA is a CPA firm serving owner-managed businesses across BC. Run the check on us before you [send an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online). We would genuinely rather you did. [Get My Fixed Quote](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online)[Ask a Free Question](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) General information, not tax advice. A letter’s own wording and dates govern — confirm anything that affects a decision by [sending us an enquiry](https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online). ## Checking a CPA in Alberta Alberta keeps its own register. For an accountant working with Alberta businesses, run the same check in [CPA Alberta’s member and firm lookup](https://www.cpaalberta.ca/Protecting-the-Public/Verify-a-Member-or-Firm). EverStone works with owners in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba; see [Alberta accounting](https://www.everstonecpa.com/accountant-alberta). ## Check us, using exactly this method Everything above applies to this firm too, so here is the shortcut: [EverStone CPA Inc. in the CPABC firm and practitioner directory](https://services.bccpa.ca/Directory/Firm_Practitioner_Directory.aspx?ID=400056780). It is CPABC’s own record, not ours — it shows the firm, the practitioner, the class of public practice licence held (**compilation**), the licence status, and any public notice. Two points for reading any firm’s entry. **Licence class defines what a firm may sign.** A compilation licence covers compilation engagements; audit and review need another class, so we refer that work out. **Status matters more than tenure.** Look for “Active”; discipline history appears under public notice. ## Common questions about verify a CPA **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. [Ask about your case →](https://www.everstonecpa.com/quick-question) **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. --- Source: https://www.everstonecpa.com/how-to-verify-a-cpa-bc Prices: https://www.everstonecpa.com/pricing · Contact: info@everstonecpa.com · https://www.everstonecpa.com/book-online