Do you know what the letters ICPA CA AT ATT after someone's name stand for? I know ATT is association of taxation technicians but not sure of the first 3 ICPA and CA and AT
ICPA has been around for a while (since 2001), it stands for the Independant certified practicing accountants. (website http://www.icpa.org.uk/index.html).
Like IFA its one where some CCAB qualified accountants park themselves when unable or unwilling to get a practicing certificate under their original professional body.
Nothing wrong with them as a body to represent you once qualified with someone else but not a qualifying body in themselves.
Currently they're very vocal in trying to stop the word accountant being protected. Make of a professional accountancy body attempting that what you will.
CA
Chartered Accountant. On its own it means nothing. It must be qualified to say chartered with who. For example, saying that one is a chartered accountant the assumption is ICAS, ICAEW or ICAI. But, one could just as easily be chartered in another country under a body not recognised in the UK or a lot further down the pecking order that chartered accountants in the UK.
AT
Not sure but I think that they may have missed a letter out of that one?
And to quote meatloaf Rob, two out of three ain't bad.
-- Edited by Shamus on Tuesday 4th of February 2014 05:45:49 PM
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Thank you...I've just looked someone up and they had these letters after their name and I had no idea what they meant. I'm thinking prehaps the AT is AAT but then when your a qualifed accountant (CA) you wouldn't bother putting AAT letters after your name anymore.
I know Theresa. You just couldn't make this stuff up!
Right up there with in my first job I working in Payroll operations for the NCB (350k employee's on payroll... Hardly surprising that I now hate Payroll). It was a closed shop meaning that like it or not you had to be part of a union so all of the management grades joined BACM (British Association of Colliery Management).
Back in late 86 British Coal offered x% rise to us and our union bless there little cotton socks argued that they were being too generous and got them to reduce the offer by 2%! And I was paying them to do that.
I left them a few months later to go and play with real businesses.... Never been part of a union since.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
My understanding is that CA=ICAS and ACA-ICAEW, I know of 2 ICAS who just use CA after their names. As regards ICPA I believe that they are against the term "accountant" being protected by the chartered bodies. In other words, preventing IFA (AFA) from using the title of accountant amongst others.
I had naively assumed that when 'Certified Bookkeeper' became a protected name with real meaning and some very real penalties for misuse that all you accountants either were protected at the same time or had had protected status before us!
That is just............... stupid!
And I've never been a devotee of Unions ever since the Students Union went out in sympathy with the lecturers (who do deserve more pay - but striking isn't the answer) and tried to stop me crossing the line to hand in a vital piece of course work for my degree! The cat calls I could ignore, the things they threw were harder to deal with but it was them or my degree - they never had a chance!
Ok.. cheeky bookkeeper take on accounting acronyms!
CA - Can't Add
ICAS - I Can't Add Silly!
ACA - Actual Calculations? Awful!
ICAEW - Incomplete Calculations Abound, Everything's Wrong
ICPA - Indescribable! Completely Pathetic Addition
IFA - Involuntary Financial Addiction
AAT - Appalling Arithmetic Targets
ACCA - Advanced Calculation Calamity Area
I suspect the Actuaries might agree with their description :)
a few things such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certified accountant and Certified Bookkeeper are protected by their resective professional bodies.
Other things such as auditor and insolvency practicioner are protected in law.
However neither the term bookkeeper or accountant without other designation are protected terms which has been the cause of much debate over the years.
As for crossing picket lines... Well, my Dad didn't talk to me for a while and nearly 30 years on some others still won't but Payroll (including the Pensions run) didn't stop for anyone or anything.
(Advanced Calculation Calamity Area.... If only is wasn't true, lol).
Definition of an Actuary : Someone who finds accountancy just too damn dynamic.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Thank you...I've just looked someone up and they had these letters after their name and I had no idea what they meant. I'm thinking prehaps the AT is AAT but then when your a qualifed accountant (CA) you wouldn't bother putting AAT letters after your name anymore.
Thanks
I do!
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Nick
Nick Craggs FMAAT ACA AAT Distance Learning Manager
Thank you...I've just looked someone up and they had these letters after their name and I had no idea what they meant. I'm thinking prehaps the AT is AAT but then when your a qualifed accountant (CA) you wouldn't bother putting AAT letters after your name anymore.
I once addressed a letter to a chartered accountant who had qualified in England as "Mr X, CA", whereas it should have been ACA (or something like that). He quite pointedly replied that he was a member of the ICAEW, not the Scottish Institute!
Letters are important ... people work hard for them. It's simple courtesy to use them - but don't be an ass like me and use the wrong ones!
