The CPA certification program includes prerequisite education, professional education, a common final examination and a practical experience requirement. If you would like your co-op work experience to be considered towards the practical experience requirement of the CPA Certification Program, you should register with CPA Ontario as a co-op student. Not all co-op work experiences will qualify. Learn more about the CPA Ontario's practical experience requirements.
Registration as a co-op student comes at a cost. Student fees are due to CPA Ontario upon registration and annually thereafter. You are responsible for paying these fees. Payment of fees is required to maintain your registration. Failure to pay your fees and remain in good standing has significant consequences, including a formal process to re-apply which is not guaranteed. Student fees are currently $340 per year but are subject to change. Please refer to CPA Ontario Regulation 4-2 for further information on fees.
Registration
Please visit the CPA Ontario website to start your journey.
Four Step to Enter the CPA Certification Program
1. Use the drop-down field in the link above to find your path to the CPA designation and complete a self-assessment.
2. Submit your transcript assessment request (if applicable) and/or register as a student.
3. Enroll in a course, module or exam.
4. Begin reporting practical experience.
To access My Portal, simply use your Google Chrome browser to log in with your CPA ID and password.
If you are new to CPA Ontario and trying to log in for the first time; sign up for My Portal access by creating an account.
If you require a new password, please select “Reset My Password.”
Registration Timeline
As a general rule, we encourage you to register as early as the time you receive an offer for qualifying employment (if employment will begin within the same calendar year) or at the latest at the beginning of the co-op work term in which you expect to gain qualifying experience.
Qualifying employment/experience is defined as work in which you will gain skills in at least one technical sub-competency area at least at a Level 1 proficiency. To determine if your current or prospective job meets the requirements to start the qualifying period of practical experience, and complete this self-assessment.
Questions can also be directed to the CPA Practical Experience team (PracticalExperience@cpaontario.ca).
You can choose to wait to register until you are employed on a full-time basis and then claim your co-op experience as prior experience. You can claim up to 12 months of experience from the previous five and a half years (three and a half years for the external audit stream). To do this, you will need to maintain contact information of your supervisors from those work terms so they can sign off on your experience at a later date. If that can’t be done, you assume the risk the employment cannot be verified and therefore will be ineligible for recognition by CPA Ontario. Please use this form (PDF)to assist in gathering relevant information for future submission of practical work experience.
Additional Resources
There is a significant amount of information available on the CPA Ontario website relating to registration, practical experience requirements and P.E.R.T. (Practical Experience Reporting Tool). It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the requirements, expectations and obligations of the profession.
CPA Ontario Resources
- Does My Job Qualify? (PDF)
- PE Requirements - Technical Competency Sub-Areas (PDF)
- PE Reporting Requirements for Co-op Students (PDF)
In addition, CPA Ontario hosts regular virtual office hours. During these hours you will have the opportunity to speak with a CPA representative to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. More information about CPA Ontario events and information sessions can be found on the My SAF Community LEARN announcements.
QUESTIONS? Contact Lynn Graham