AICPA Statements and Standards

On this page we aim to provide a breakdown of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) publications available online and in the collection of the ICAEW Library and Information Service.

You can also view a list of Recent articles on AICPA news and publications that are available in the collection.

If you would like further information or help with our holdings, please get in touch with us and we can help you navigate around our collection of AICPA publications. You can contact the enquiry team by phone on +44(0)20 7920 8620, by fax on +44(0)20 7920 8621 or by email at library@icaew.com. Members can borrow loan copies of AICPA publications where available. For details of our photocopying/fax service please see our FAQ page.

AICPA Standards and Statements

On 1 July 2009 the FASB launched the Accounting Standards Codification as the single source of authoritative nongovernmental US GAAP as announced in the press release FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM Launches Today. The codification will be effective for interim and annual periods ending after 15 September 2009.

The codification supersedes all existing non-SEC accounting standards (this includes FASB Statements, EITF abstracts and AICPA Statements of Position). Further information is available from our US Accounting Standards page.

The key resource within the Library and Information Service at the ICAEW for AICPA standards and Statements prior to the release of the Accounting Standards Codification was the four volume looseleaf Professional Standards service, which contained:

• Vol.1: US Auditing Standards - AICPA Statements on Auditing Standards and Auditing Interpretations.
• Vol.2: Accounting and review services, ethics, bylaws, international accounting and auditing management advisory services, quality control, tax practice - AICPA Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services, Management Advisory Services, Quality Control Standards and Responsibilities in Tax Practice; IASC Accounting Standards; IFAC Auditing Guidelines.
• Vols.3 and 4: Accounting - AICPA Accounting Research Bulletins, APB Opinions, APB Statements, Accounting Terminology Bulletins, Accounting Interpretations; FASB Interpretations, Technical Bulletins, Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts and Statements of Financial Accounting Standards.

The Library and Information Service also holds a range of other AICPA publications including individual standards/Statements, the Audit and Accounting Guides, Audit and Accounting Manual, Technical Practice Aids and Financial Statement Preparation Manual. If you would like to borrow a publication from our collection, please contact the enquiry desk.

The following list of AICPA standards, Statements and publications was compiled before the release of the Accounting Standards Codification.

Statements of Position (SOP)

View a listing of Statements of Position in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Statements of Position are issued by the Accounting Standards Division or the Auditing Standards Division of AICPA. The Library and Information Service holds a copy of the looseleaf AICPA service 'Technical Aids' (Volume 2) which collects all current Statements of Position.

'Statements of Position of the Accounting Standards Division present the conclusions of the Accounting Standards Executive Committee, which is the senior technical body of the AICPA authorized to speak for the Institute in the areas of financial accounting and reporting.' - Technical Practice Aids, Volume 2

'Auditing and Attestation Statements of Position are issued to achieve one or more of several objectives: to revise, clarify, or supplement guidance in previously issued Audit and Accounting Guides; to describe and provide implementation guidance for specific types of audit and attestation engagements; or to provide guidance on specialized areas in audit and attestation engagements.' - Technical Practice Aids, Volume 2

The AICPA website includes a selection of Summaries of Recently-Issued Standards for recently issued Statements of Position (SOP), Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS), Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) and Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS).

Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS)

View a listing of Statements on Auditing Standards in the collection of the ICAEW Library

'Statements on Auditing Standards are issued by the Auditing Standards Board, the senior technical body of the Institute designated to issue pronouncements on auditing matters.' (AU100)

In the Professional Standards volume it is noted that Statements on Auditing Standards are recognized 'as interpretations of generally accepted auditing standards' and that members are required to justify any 'departures from such Statements'.

The AICPA website includes a selection of Summaries of Recently-Issued Standards for recently issued Statements of Position (SOP), Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS), Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) and Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS). In addition, the site also provides Recently-Issued Audit and Attest Interpretations (interpretations are issued by the Audit Issues Task Force).

Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS)

View a listing of Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services in the collection of the ICAEW Library

'Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services are issued by the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee, the senior technical committee of the Institute designated to issue pronouncements in connection with the unaudited financial Statements or other unaudited financial information of a nonpublic entity.' (AR)

The AICPA website includes a selection of Summaries of Recently-Issued Standards for recently issued Statements of Position (SOP), Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS), Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) and Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS. In addition, the site also provides Technical Activities and Publications including some letters and appendices issued by the staff of the Accounting and Review Services Committee relating to certain Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS). AICPA Technical Publications including SSARS can be obtained from the AICPA store.

Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAES)

View a listing of Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements in the collection of the ICAEW Library

'Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAEs) are issued by senior technical bodies of the AICPA, designated to issue pronounch4ents on attestation matters.' (AT)

The introduction to the attestation standards in the Professional Standards volume states that these 'provide guidance and establish a broad framework for a variety of attest services increasingly demanded of the accounting profession'.

The AICPA website includes a selection of Summaries of Recently-Issued Standards for recently issued Statements of Position (SOP), Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS), Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) and Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS). In addition, the site also provides Recently-Issued Audit and Attest Interpretations.

Other AICPA Publications

Assurance Services Alerts

View a listing of AICPA Assurance Services Alerts in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Audit and Accounting guides

View a listing of AICPA Audit and Accounting guides in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Auditing Practice Releases (formerly known as Auditing Procedure Studies)

View a listing of AICPA Auditing Practice Releases and Auditing Procedure Studies in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Audit Risk Alerts

View a listing of AICPA Audit Risk Alerts in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Checklist Supplement and Illustrative Financial Statements

View a listing of AICPA Checklist Supplement and Illustrative Financial Statements in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Consulting Services Practice Aid

View a listing of AICPA Consulting Services Practice Aids in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Industry Checklists and Illustrative Financial Statements

View a listing of AICPA Industry Checklists and Illustrative Financial Statements in the collection of the ICAEW Library

Practice Aids

View a listing of AICPA Practice Aids in the collection of the ICAEW Library

AICPA Journals

Journal of Accountancy

'The Journal of Accountancy is a monthly publication of the AICPA that focuses on the latest news and developments related to the field of accounting. The Journal is written for CPAs and other accounting professionals.'

The Journal of Accountancy was first published in 1905 and the ICAEW Library and Information Service holds a run from 1905 to the present day as follows:

• November 1905 to December 1931
• January 1933 to June 1945
• January 1946 to date

The current year of the Journal and the previous three years are available within the Library to personal visitors or for immediate enquiries by remote users (email/fax/telephone). Older copies of the journal are held in store and advance notice is required if members wish to consult them in person or we can answer queries from then for remote users once they are retrieved from store.

In the ICAEW Library the key articles from the Journal of Accountancy are abstracted for LibCat, the Library's online catalogue. You can Browse abstracts from the Journal of Accountancy (AICPA) for 1993 to date

The AICPA provides an online edition of the Journal of Accountancy which includes most of the articles in full text but omits some of the content from the printed version due to reasons of copyright/timeliness. The archive allows users to browse or search issues from 1997 to date.

The CPA Letter

Subtitled, 'A News Report to Members'. This journal was first published in 1973 and the ICAEW Library holds a collection of issues from 1973 to 1998 with some gaps. The CPA Letter is now published online and the current issue can be accessed at the AICPA website for The CPA Letter which also includes an archive of all issues in full text back to July/August 1996. A separate archive is available for Disciplinary Actions dating back to November 2000.

The Tax Adviser

The ICAEW Library and Information Service holds issues of The Tax Adviser for one year plus the current year.

The Tax Adviser is a monthly magazine published by AICPA, subtitled as the magazine of planning, trends and techniques. The journal is available in full text online to AICPA members who belong to the AICPA Tax Division with an archive of issues back to July 1997. Non-members can access a monthly table of contents for each issue.

In Our Opinion

In Our Opinion Full text of the newsletter from the AICPA Audit and Attest Standards Group. The current edition is available (now produced in PDF format) and an online archive of issues back to January 1996 is available.

The Practicing CPA

The Practicing CPA Full text of the The Practicing CPA which has been published by PCPS (the AICPA alliance for CPA firms) since September 1991. An online archive of issues back to January 1997 is available on the website.

Useful Links

The AICPA website provides further information on Accounting Standards and Audit and Attest Standards through their website.