About Membership

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Public Accountants Society of Colorado to:

• Preserve and protect the unlicensed accountants' right to offer services to the public.
   
• Assure the integrity of the public accounting profession by promoting our professional competence and by requiring our adherence to a code of professional ethics and standards, and
   
• Provide resources, programs and services that:

• Enhance our professional status and recognition
• Better enable us to provide quality services in tax, accounting and other financial matters, and
• Improve our own business skills for maintaining efficient and well-managed accounting practices.

Benefits of Membership

Tax and Accounting Seminars
The Society co-sponsors one and two-day seminars with the National Center for Professional Education as well as monthly and quarterly mini- and half-day seminars.

Legislative Representation
The Society maintains professional representation and close contact with the Colorado legislature and the State Board of Accountancy, keeping constant vigil on matters affecting you and the profession.

Bi-Monthly Newsletter
The Society publishes a bi-monthly newsletter informing you of current events both within and without the Society, as well as noteworthy items from the Internal Revenue Service and Colorado Department of Revenue.

Networking with Peers
The Society offers you the opportunity to know and confer with other professionals with your interests, thus assisting you in your practice. There is usually a luncheon accompanying the seminar program.

Chapter Meetings
 The Society has chapters in metro Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Ft. Collins, Grand Junction, and Sterling, offering regular luncheon and special seminar meetings, keeping you informed on matters affecting the financial professional.

Annual Convention & Accounting Forum
The annual convention and accounting forum, often held in a central resort area, provides one of the few sources of accounting CPE as well as informative business meetings and social activities.

Designations

A Special Membership Invitation For:

• Public Accountants (Including Tax Preparers/Bookkeepers)
• Certified Public Accountants
• Accounting Educators and Students
• Enrolled Agents
• Certified Financial Planners
• Accredited Tax Preparers and Advisors
• Other Financial Professionals 

Code of Ethics

A member of this Society:

• shall not violate the confidential relationship between himself and his clients or former clients.
   
• shall not offer or render a professional service for a contingent fee during any period where the professional service consists of an audit, review or compilation engagement, including the period of time covered by any historical financial statements involved while performing an audit, review or compilation engagement; further, a member shall not offer to accept or accept a contingent fee for the preparation of original or amended tax returns or claims for tax refunds.
   
• or a firm of which he/she is a partner or shareholder shall not express an opinion on financial statements of an enterprise unless he/she and his/her firm are independent of such enterprise; Accordingly, a member shall not express an opinion on financial statements of an enterprise financed in whole, or in part, by public distribution of securities or on financial statements for use as a basis of credit if he/she or a member of his/her immediate family owns or is committed to acquire a substantial financial interest in the enterprise, or during the period covered by the examination he/she has been a director, officer or employee of the enterprise unless such interest or relationship is disclosed in the report.
   
• shall not allow any person to practice in his/her corporate, partnership or individual name who is not a partner, professional corporation co-shareholder or in his/her employ.
   
• who is engaged in the practice of public accounting shall not concurrently engage in any business or occupation which would create a conflict of interest in rendering professional services.
   
• shall not sign a report purporting to express his/her opinion as the result of an examination of financial statements, unless they have been examined by him/her or by a member or employee of his/her firm.
   
• shall be diligent, thorough and completely candid in expressing an opinion on representations in financial statements which he/she has examined.
   
• shall not permit his/her name to be used in conjunction with any special purpose statement prepared for his/her clients that anticipates results of future operations, unless he/she discloses the source of information used and what assumptions he/she has made, and unless he/she indicates he/she does not vouch for the accuracy of the forecast.
   
• shall not accept a commission from any person or client for whom the member offers or renders concurrently a professional service, where the professional service consists of an audit or review engagement (including the period of time covered by any historical financial engagements involved while performing an audit or review engagement), nor accept a commission where the member performs a compilation of a financial statement when the member expects or reasonably might expect that a third party will use the financial statement and the member's compilation report or transmittal does not disclose a lack of independence.
   
• shall not seek to obtain clients by advertising or other forms of solicitation in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive.
   
• in practice as an individual shall not use a firm name or plural term as "and company" or "and associates" or other designation indicating anything other than individual ownership.
   
• who receives an engagement for services by referral from another accountant shall not discuss or accept an extension of his/her services beyond the specific engagement without first consulting with the referring accountant.

Application

Download a membership application in Adobe Acrobat format (.PDF).