CPA Certifications

The common certifications

Income certification

Confirms your level of income — salary, business income or a combination — for a given period. Who asks: banks for mortgages and loans, insurers, housing institutions, courts in maintenance proceedings, and sometimes public bodies assessing eligibility.

Turnover confirmation

Confirms turnover for a year or a period. Who asks: tender committees (there is almost always a turnover threshold), suppliers and franchisors, funding bodies, and financial institutions assessing credit.

Bookkeeping and withholding-tax certificates

Confirm that the business keeps proper books and what rate of withholding tax applies to it. Who asks: every business customer before paying you — without it, tax will be withheld at the maximum rate.

Equity and balance confirmations

Confirm equity, account balances or asset values as at a given date. Who asks: banks, licensing authorities, and visa and immigration applications.

Certifications for authorities and licensing

Letters for business-licence renewal, for the Registrar of Nonprofits, for government ministries and supervisory bodies — each in the form the requesting body expects.

What is needed to issue a certification quickly

A CPA's certification is not a declaration — it rests on data that has been examined. The more current the records, the faster it is:

• Up-to-date bookkeeping for the period being certified;
• Signed annual statements for prior years, where the certification relates to them;
• Current filings that have been submitted — VAT, advances and withholdings;
• The original request from the body asking for it.

The practical consequence is simple: a client whose books are current receives a certification within a short time. Someone who must first make up months of recording waits — and sometimes misses the deadline. This is one of the less-discussed reasons not to let bookkeeping fall behind.

← Ongoing bookkeeping — so a certification is a matter of days

One limitation worth knowing

An accountant certifies only what they can substantiate. A request to certify a figure that has not been examined, or a period not yet reported, will not be met — and that is precisely what gives the certification its value in the eyes of the bank or the tender committee. Where the wording demanded of you goes beyond what can be certified, we will say so upfront and propose alternative wording that still satisfies the requirement.

The information on this page is general and does not constitute professional advice. The type of certification, its wording and the data required vary according to the requesting body and the client's circumstances.