Illinois CPA Society

What Illinois CPA Society does

The Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS) is a nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1903 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a secondary Capitol Office in Springfield for government relations. It represents more than 20,000 accounting and finance professionals across Illinois and is described as one of the largest state CPA societies in the nation. Its operations are organized around five member-facing pillars — Membership, Learning, Communities, Advocacy, and Resources — and it executes quasi-regulatory functions including peer review administration for public practice firms and engagement on licensing and professional ethics standards.

ICPAS monetizes through six identifiable revenue streams: recurring membership dues, CPE/conference programs, publications (Insight Magazine quarterly, Public Practice Insight newsletter, KnowledgeHub resource library), advertising and sponsorships (Brilliant, Paychex, Miles Masterclass, Rightworks), peer review services for firms, and partner-sponsored content. The technology backbone consists of icpas.org as the main web property, learn.icpas.org as a learning management system for the CPE catalog, community.icpas.org powered by Higher Logic for the ICPAS Connect online community, careers.icpas.org as a job board, and the Find a CPA directory as a public-facing lead-generation tool. Member authentication is handled via OpenIDConnect SSO.

The go-to-market is sales-led and membership-based, with acquisition through the website, events (SUMMIT26, Technology Conference, Agriculture Tax & Accounting Conference, Government Accounting Technology Conference, Women's Leadership Forum), the online community, and the career center. Customer segments include licensed CPAs (primary), public practice firms, corporate finance professionals, CPA candidates, young professionals, students, women in accounting, and member volunteers. The organization is private and membership-governed through a Board of Directors; there are no external investors, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Illinois CPA Society

Legal name

Illinois CPA Society

Website

https://icpas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Illinois CPA Society is a nonprofit professional membership association serving more than 20,000 accounting and finance professionals in Illinois, delivering CPE education, peer review, advocacy, publications, and a member community anchored by its Chicago headquarters and Springfield Capitol Office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Professional accounting association
• Continuing professional education
• Peer review services
• CPA licensing support
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from more than 20,000 accounting and finance professionals across Illinois. The society offers member benefits including CPE programs, publications, advocacy, and member community access.
2. CPE/Credentialing Programs: Continuing Professional Education (CPE) catalog and programs for professional development, including conferences, online courses, and specialized training programs.
3. Publications and Resources: Insight Magazine (quarterly publication), Public Practice Insight newsletter, and various professional resources available to members and potentially non-members.
4. Advertising and Sponsorships: The society accepts advertisers and sponsors on their platforms and publications. Partners include Brilliant, Paychex, and Miles for sponsorship arrangements.
5. Partner-Sponsored Content: Sponsored educational content partnerships such as the Miles Masterclass AI education partnership where firms can earn NASBA-approved CPE credits.
6. Peer Review Services: Peer review program for public practice firms to ensure quality control standards in accounting and auditing practice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Illinois CPA Society is a nonprofit professional membership association that sells annual memberships to more than 20,000 accounting and finance professionals in Illinois. Its core products and services include continuing professional education (CPE) courses and conferences, peer review services for CPA firms, the Find a CPA public directory, an online Career Center job board, professional publications (Insight Magazine and Public Practice Insight newsletter), and the ICPAS Connect online community platform, supplemented by advocacy and government relations activities representing the CPA profession before the Illinois legislature.

Product overview

Illinois CPA Society is a membership organization serving over 20,000 accounting and finance professionals across Illinois. The organization provides a portfolio of member services including ICPAS Connect (an online community platform), Insight Magazine and Public Practice Insight newsletter publications, the Find a CPA Directory, Career Center job board, CPE Catalog for professional education, KnowledgeHub resource library, Government Report Review compliance tools, MAP Survey benchmarking, Firm Strategic Planning Services, and an Awards Program. These products serve the accounting profession through professional development, networking, advocacy, and practice resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPE Catalog
• Peer Review Services
• Find a CPA Directory
• Career Center
• Insight Magazine
• Public Practice Insight
• MAP Survey
• Firm Strategic Planning Services
• ICPAS Connect

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BrilliantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrilliant is listed as a partner on the Illinois CPA Society website, appearing in the partners section. The specific nature of the partnership is not detailed in the available content.
• PaychexminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPaychex is listed as a partner on the Illinois CPA Society website. The specific nature of the partnership arrangement is not detailed in the available content.
• Miles MasterclasscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the ICPAS and Miles Masterclass partnership, firms can learn how to apply AI across audit, tax, advisory, and reporting workflows while earning NASBA-approved CPE credits. The partnership provides practical use cases for tools like Microsoft Copilot, Power BI, Fabric, and Power Automate, taught by industry experts and Microsoft MVPs.
• Higher LogiccoreTechnology or IntegrationICPAS works with Higher Logic as its web hosting services provider for online communities. Higher Logic is located in Virginia and the website is stored by Higher Logic in Virginia. ICPAS shares member data, including Personal Data, with Higher Logic for the purposes of processing data pursuant to member use of the services.
• RightworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRightworks partnered with ICPAS to publish the Accounting Firm Technology Study revealing investments and strategies that separate high-performing firms from competitors. The study provides a roadmap for firm modernization and transformation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ohio Society of CPAs (OSCPA): Ohio's state CPA society providing parallel services — CPE, peer review, advocacy, publications. Comparable mid-tier state peer with similar revenue model.
• Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA): Florida's statewide CPA association running a similar CPE, peer review, advocacy and member-publication model. Relevant comparison as one of the larger state-level peers.
• New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA): Another largest-in-class state CPA society with parallel CPE, publications, peer review, and advocacy offerings for NY-based CPAs. Closest analog to ICPAS in terms of member scale, product mix, and advocacy infrastructure.
• Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs (PICPA): Pennsylvania's statewide CPA society offering analogous CPE, peer review, publications, and advocacy services. Comparable mid-size state CPA society model.
• California Society of CPAs (CalCPA): The largest U.S. state CPA society with a similar membership-dues-plus-CPE revenue model, comparable publications, and peer-review services for California CPAs. Operates with similar product breadth but in a different state.
• Texas Society of CPAs (TXCPA): Major state CPA society serving a large Texas membership with CPE, advocacy, peer review, and publications. Comparable to ICPAS in product depth and member scale but jurisdictionally distinct.
• Massachusetts Society of CPAs (MSCPA): Massachusetts-based CPA society with analogous CPE, advocacy, and member-services portfolio. Comparable mid-size regional peer.

Emerging players

• CPA.com: The AICPA's commercial arm selling practice management, technology and advisory tools to CPA firms. Overlaps with ICPAS's firm-tech strategic-planning services and Career Center adjacent value, but with a national tech-product focus.

Broad incumbents

• AICPA & CIMA: The national U.S. CPA body offering CPE, advocacy, and member services at federal scope. Comparable because it is the apex association ICPAS members also belong to and the primary national competitor for CPE and credentialing revenue.

Others

• NASBA: The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy oversees U.S. CPA licensing and the Uniform Accountancy Act. Adjacent rather than competing — it sets the rules ICPAS advocates within, making it an ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/todd_icpas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/illinoiscpasociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/icpas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-cpa-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/illinoiscpasociety

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Illinois CPA Society