National Society of Accountants

What National Society of Accountants does

The National Society of Accountants (NSA) is a private, nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1945 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. It serves approximately 5,000 members, primarily U.S.-based tax and accounting professionals — including CPAs, EAs, sole practitioners, and small-to-medium firm teams — along with students and educators. The organization provides continuing professional education (CPE), tax research, practice management resources, advocacy on practice rights, and networking through monthly Tax Talk Live roundtables, regional Business Teams, and online community forums. Its core technology footprint is a service-organization platform (nsacct.org, online learning center, HigherLogic-based community, member dashboard) rather than a technology product in the conventional sense.

NSA's core products and services include multi-tiered membership (Active, Associate, Young Professional, NSA Next digital, International, Educator, Student, Firm), the NSA Learning Center for CPE delivery, NSA Sync for secure client communication and e-signatures, and a Tax Help Desk for practitioner research. Member benefits are amplified through an ecosystem of partner integrations, most notably Wolters Kluwer's CCH AnswerConnect for tax research, GetNetSet for member websites, and a co-branded NSA American Express Business Card issued by Mercantile. ACAT (Accreditation Council for Accountancy & Taxation) credentialing and the NSA Foundation scholarship program extend the mission into professional accreditation and student pipeline development.

The business model is subscription-based annual membership dues, tiered by member type and priced from $50 (Student) to $850 (Firm), with Active Membership at $295/year. GTM is direct-to-consumer via the website and phone support, supplemented by community-led growth (Tax Talk Live, member roundtables, online forums). Non-dues revenue is generated through sponsored partner webinars (with ADP, Verito, FirstOS, Crecer Connect, Financial Cents, FTJ, and Alternative Payments, among others), the co-branded Amex card program, and donations to the NSA Foundation. Operating geographies are primarily the United States, with a small International membership tier; the organization underwent a leadership transition in May 2026 (Joshua Caulfield to John Overington as Interim Executive Director) and a January 2026 headquarters relocation to a smaller, digitally-aligned office space.

Name

National Society of Accountants

Legal name

National Society of Accountants

Website

https://nsacct.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Society of Accountants is a 1945-founded nonprofit professional membership association serving nearly 5,000 U.S. tax and accounting practitioners (CPAs, EAs, sole practitioners, small-firm teams, students, and educators) with tiered annual memberships, continuing professional education, tax research, advocacy, and partner-benefit services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Advisory (GAAP/IFRS) (BPAHABAF)

Keywords

• Professional accounting association
• Tax professional membership
• Continuing professional education
• Small practice advocacy
• Tax research resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NSA generates primary revenue through membership dues across seven tiers: Active Membership ($295/year), Young Professional ($175/year), NSA Next ($95/year), Educator ($125/year), Student ($50/year), and Firm Membership ($850/year). Active members must complete 72 CPE hours per three-year cycle. Associate and International membership pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The National Society of Accountants is a professional membership association serving tax and accounting practitioners, primarily sole proprietors and small-to-mid-sized firms. NSA sells tiered annual memberships (Active, Associate, Young Professional, NSA Next, International, Educator, Student, and Firm) and bundles them with continuing professional education, networking forums, practice management tools, tax research access via CCH AnswerConnect, advocacy, and a co-branded American Express business card.

Product overview

The National Society of Accountants operates as a membership-based professional association offering a unified ecosystem of member services. The core offering is the NSA Membership program with multiple tiers (Active, Associate, Young Professional, NSA Next, International, Educator, Student, and Firm) providing access to professional development, networking, and practice resources. Key products include Tax Talk Live (monthly member webinars), the NSA Learning Center (continuing education), NSA Sync (secure client communication), CCH AnswerConnect (tax research), and the Tax Help Desk. Additional offerings encompass the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum, Tax Organizers/Samples/Toolkits, NSA Income & Fees Survey, NSA Business Teams peer groups, and the NSA Foundation Scholarship Program. The organization also offers a co-branded NSA American Express Business Card through Mercantile and ACAT credentialing programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GetNetSetcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015GetNetSet has proudly served as NSA's website partner since 2015, providing customized websites exclusively for tax and accounting professionals. Features include service listings, up-to-date tax resources, embedded social media feeds, contact forms, payment pages, automated tax newsletter, and secure client portal. NSA members receive a 10% discount on monthly GetNetSet website plans.
• ADPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerADP partnered with NSA for the NSA Partner Highlight webinar on Optimizing R&D Tax Credits in 2025 (November 19, 2025), providing 1 NASBA CPE Credit in Business Management & Organization.
• FirstOSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirstOS partners with NSA to provide exit planning resources for members. NSA members have access to a free introductory course on exit planning and discounted rates on exit planning assistance tools including self-service valuation and actionable strategies.
• Crecer ConnectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNSA partnered with Crecer Connect for a webinar on retirement planning for small business (December 11, 2025). Crecer Connect enables accountants and tax preparers to help clients plan for retirement with Traditional and Roth IRAs.
• Wolters Kluwer (CCH AnswerConnect)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNSA partners with Wolters Kluwer to provide CCH AnswerConnect as a member benefit. The Tax Research with CCH AnswerConnect webinar (December 17, 2025) showcased this popular benefit which has recently been upgraded to provide access to even more information.
• MercantileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMercantile powers the NSA American Express Business Card, offering unlimited rewards and powerful benefits tailored for NSA members including $500 cash back bonus, up to 3% cash back on accounting software purchases, and no annual fee.
• American ExpressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe NSA American Express Business Card is issued by Celtic Bank pursuant to a license from American Express. American Express logos and trademarks are used under license.
• Alternative PaymentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlternative Payments partnered with NSA for the webinar 'Fixing Hidden Compliance Risks in Client Payment Systems' (April 22, 2026), helping tax professionals address compliance risks in multi-platform payment environments.
• Financial CentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial Cents sponsored WorkflowCon 2025, a virtual event for accountants and bookkeepers to master workflows and connect with peers. The event featured 5 tracks, 25+ speakers, and was free to attend.
• FTJ (FT Jones)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFTJ partnered with NSA for the NSA Partner Highlight on Cybercrime and Cyber Insurance for CPAs (September 24, 2025), addressing cyber liability insurance and protection against cybercrime risks.
• VeritominorGTM or Marketing PartnerVerito partnered with NSA for the webinar 'Practical Cybersecurity & Compliance for Tax & Accounting Professionals' (October 16, 2025), addressing FTC Safeguards Rule and IRS Pub 4557 compliance requirements.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP): U.S. membership association focused specifically on tax preparers and Enrolled Agents, with overlapping CPE, practice resources, and advocacy missions that most directly compete with NSA for the sole-practitioner tax professional.
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA): The largest U.S. professional association for CPAs, offering CPE, advocacy, credentialing (CPA, CGMA), and member benefits directly overlapping NSA's core offerings to the tax and accounting profession.
• Institute of Management Accountants (IMA): Global association for management accountants and financial professionals offering CPE, CMA credentialing, and advocacy — overlapping NSA's accounting professional development and credentialing value proposition.
• The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA): International professional association for internal auditors, providing CPE, CIA certification, and advocacy — comparable membership association model serving a related accounting/finance practitioner niche.

Others

• Accreditation Council for Accountancy & Taxation (ACAT): Credentialing body whose accreditation programs are operated and promoted by NSA itself; relevant as a closely affiliated entity providing professional credentials (Accredited Tax Preparer, Accredited Tax Advisor) for the same target market.
• Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting: Provider of CCH AnswerConnect, the flagship tax research benefit NSA offers members; an enabling ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but also sells CPE, practice tools, and workflow software into the same practitioner base.

Regional players

• California Society of CPAs (CalCPA): Largest U.S. state CPA society, offering CPE, advocacy, networking, and member benefits to California CPAs — a regional peer with a comparable membership association model competing for the same small-practice demographic in its geography.
• New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA): Major state-level CPA society serving New York CPAs with CPE, advocacy, and member services — directly comparable operating model to NSA at a regional level, serving a similar small/mid-firm practitioner base.

Emerging players

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA): Global professional accountancy body offering the ACCA qualification and member services; comparable as a membership-driven international association for accounting professionals, relevant given NSA's International membership tier.

Broad incumbents

• CPA.com (AICPA subsidiary): AICPA's technology and practice-management arm offering member-centric SaaS, marketing services, and client portal tools that increasingly overlap with NSA Sync, Tax Organizers, and NSA Business Teams offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NSAtax
• Facebookfacebook.com/nsacct
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-society-of-accountants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 National Society of Accountants