California Society of Certified Public Accountants

What California Society of Certified Public Accountants does

CalCPA (California Society of Certified Public Accountants) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization serving CPAs and accounting professionals in California. It operates through 14 local chapters spanning major metros from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley, with reported chapter-level membership totaling roughly 38,000 individuals. The organization's core function is delivering state-approved Continuing Professional Education (CPE), professional development, advocacy, and community engagement to licensed CPAs, CPA candidates, accounting students, finance professionals, and CPA firms in California.

The product portfolio centers on a prepaid CPE catalog of 2,000+ courses delivered through three channels: a self-serve e-commerce platform (store.calcpa.org), live and on-demand webinars, and in-person and virtual conferences. Paid packages include On-Demand Library subscription ($359 member), CPE Select40 ($999), CPE Select80 ($1,699), and the firm-oriented CPE Share100 ($4,100, 100 shared team credits). Recent launches include the CalCPA Connect mobile application (iOS/Android, June 2026) built on Clerk authentication, Supabase real-time messaging, Expo push notifications, and Google Maps/Places location services; the CalCPA AI Assistant subscription; and Leader Lab 360 (2024), a yearlong leadership development program. Member benefits include free ethics courses (Ethics4Free, $229 value), LinkedIn-based topical communities, peer review services, job board access, and the CalCPA Knowledge Hub content library.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual membership dues (membership year May 1–April 30 with auto-renewal), CPE subscriptions, conference fees, advertising, and tax-deductible donations to affiliated 501(c)(3) entities (CalCPA Institute and CalCPA Education Foundation). Distribution combines self-serve online purchasing, a Customer Success inside-sales function reachable at (800) 922-5272, and the 14-chapter network. Two affiliated organizations extend the value proposition: CalCPA Health provides member health insurance, and CAMICO offers CPA-firm liability insurance. The organization reports 110,000+ cumulative CPAs trained, 1.5 million+ CPE credits awarded, 98% member satisfaction, and a financial literacy program that has reached 40,000+ individuals through 1,300+ volunteers in partnership with Next Gen Personal Finance.

Name

California Society of Certified Public Accountants

Legal name

California Society of Certified Public Accountants

Website

https://calcpa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CalCPA is a California 501(c)(3) professional society serving the state's CPAs and accounting professionals through 14 local chapters, delivering state-approved CPE, professional development, advocacy, and community programs to roughly 38,000 members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Membership and Continuing Education

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional accounting education
• CPE continuing education
• CPA membership association
• Accounting professional development
• State CPA society

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlingame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for individual members (CPAs, candidates, students, retired professionals, accounting & finance pros) and group/firm memberships. Membership year runs May 1 through April 30 with automatic renewal options.
2. CPE Course and Conference Fees: Revenue from individual CPE courses, webinars, conferences, and on-demand self-study programs. Member and non-member pricing varies. Ethics courses provided free to members as a membership benefit.
3. Prepaid Education Packages: Prepaid CPE packages including On-Demand Library ($359 member), CPE Select40 ($999 member), CPE Select80 ($1,699 member), and CPE Share100 for teams ($4,100).
4. CalCPA Institute Donations: CalCPA Institute and CalCPA Education Foundation are registered 501(c)(3) organizations accepting tax-deductible charitable contributions to support student outreach and financial literacy programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CalCPA is a professional membership society for California CPAs, candidates, students, and accounting/finance professionals that sells annual memberships, prepaid CPE (continuing professional education) credit packages, individual CPE courses, webinars, virtual conferences, and in-person conferences (e.g., Members Club Summit). Members also receive access to the CalCPA Connect mobile app, the CalCPA AI Assistant, Online Communities, member discounts, advocacy representation, and a free ethics course (Ethics4Free).

Product overview

CalCPA offers a comprehensive professional education and membership platform for CPAs and accounting professionals in California. The core offerings include prepaid CPE packages (On-Demand Library, CPE Select40, CPE Select80, CPE Share100) providing flexible access to over 175 on-demand courses and webinars, supplemented by in-person conferences like the annual Members Club Summit. Member benefits include the CalCPA AI Assistant for professional inquiries, Ethics4Free for ethics credit requirements, and CalCPA Connect mobile app for event discovery, networking, and conference participation. The CalCPA Knowledge Hub provides free downloadable resources, while Collective Learning offers monthly committee-designed CPE events. The platform also supports community outreach through its Financial Literacy Program and maintains 14 local chapters across California. With over 110,000 CPAs trained and 1.5 million CPE credits awarded, CalCPA serves the professional development needs of California's accounting community through both digital and in-person channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CalCPA Connect: Mobile application for iOS and Android providing community, event, and networking features for CalCPA members.
• CalCPA Institute
• CalCPA Education Foundation

Products and services

• CalCPA Individual Membership Annual membership for current CPAs, CPA candidates, students, retired professionals, and accounting & finance professionals, providing access to free CPE benefits, networking events, advocacy representation, member discounts, and chapter affiliation. Membership year runs May 1 through April 30 with auto-renewal.
• CalCPA Group/Firm Membership Group membership for accounting firms that bundles staff access to CPE, member concierge service, and discounts on membership, events, and courses for the whole firm.
• On-Demand Library Subscription Annual subscription providing unlimited access to 175+ on-demand CPE courses through April 30, 2027. Self-paced, available 24/7. Member price $359 with auto-renewal.
• CPE Select40 Prepaid CPE package providing 40 credits over one year. Includes on-demand courses, webinars, and virtual conferences. Member price $999, nonmember $1,350.
• CPE Select80 Comprehensive prepaid CPE package with 80 credits and two-year access, including up to 16 in-person conference credits. Member price $1,699, nonmember $2,295.
• CPE Share100 Team-based prepaid CPE package with 100 shareable credits for one year, including in-person conference access. Priced at $4,100 for both members and non-members.
• CalCPA AI Assistant Subscription AI-powered assistant available to CalCPA members, providing AI-driven help for professional inquiries and resources related to accounting and CPA practice.
• CalCPA Connect Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing event discovery, conference participation, community networking, direct messaging, and push notifications for CalCPA members.
• CalCPA Members Club Summit Annual in-person flagship conference offering 8 CPE credits over three days, held in Coronado, CA, with networking and professional development for CPAs.
• Estate and Trust Planning Virtual Conference Virtual conference providing 16 CPE credits over two days, covering estate and trust planning topics for CPAs seeking specialized knowledge.
• Collective Learning Statewide CPE education program designed by CalCPA state committees and chapters offering monthly virtual CPE events (MAP Monday, Tax Tuesday, Wealth Wednesday, Trending and Technology Thursday, Financial Accounting Friday) and regional chapter collaborations.
• Leader Lab 360 Yearlong leadership development program reimagined from CalCPA's Leadership Institute, designed for CPAs and financial professionals across all career stages to build leadership clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,000+ CPAs trained through CalCPA education programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalCPA uses NGPF's free curriculum to support financial literacy volunteers making presentations to middle and high school audiences. NGPF's curriculum and professional development has extended to 40,000 middle and high school teachers reaching more than 2 million students.
• CAMICOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCAMICO is featured as an affiliate/sponsored partner on CalCPA's website, offering insurance products and services specifically designed for CPA firms.
• CalCPA HealthcoreOthersCalCPA Health is an affiliate organization providing health insurance products and services to CalCPA members. Listed as an affiliate organization under CalCPA's organizational umbrella.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA): AICPA is the national professional association for CPAs, offering CPE, advocacy, and member benefits across all 50 states. It is the most direct broader-scale peer to CalCPA, providing overlapping CPE, advocacy, and member services to many of the same California CPAs.
• Institute of Management Accountants (IMA): IMA is a global association for management accountants offering CPE, certification (CMA), and member benefits. It serves a partially overlapping audience with CalCPA - California-based accounting and finance professionals - though it focuses on management accounting rather than public practice.

Direct peers

• Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS): ICPAS is a large state CPA society offering CPE, advocacy, and member benefits to Illinois CPAs, comparable to CalCPA in structure, membership-based funding, and chapter-driven local engagement.
• Western CPE: Western CPE is a self-study CPE provider offering NASBA-approved and state-specific (including California) CPE at lower price points. It is a direct competitor to CalCPA's On-Demand Library on cost and convenience.
• New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA): NYSSCPA is one of the largest state CPA societies in the U.S. and the most structurally comparable peer to CalCPA - it provides statewide CPE, chapters, advocacy, and member benefits exclusively to New York CPAs with a similar dues + CPE + conference revenue model.
• Surgent CPE: Surgent is a leading commercial CPE provider offering subscription-based on-demand CPE courses approved across multiple states. It directly competes with CalCPA's On-Demand Library and Select CPE packages on price, format, and credit compliance.
• Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA): FICPA serves Florida CPAs with statewide CPE, advocacy, and chapter programming under the same professional-society model as CalCPA, making it a directly comparable regional CPA membership organization.
• Texas Society of CPAs (TXCPA): TXCPA is a large statewide CPA membership organization offering CPE, advocacy, and chapter-based member services to Texas CPAs, mirroring CalCPA's regional society model with comparable dues + CPE + events revenue mix.

Regional players

• American Accounting Association (AAA): AAA is the academic accounting association supporting accounting educators and students with publications, conferences, and resources. It overlaps with CalCPA's pipeline and student outreach segments but does not directly compete for practicing CPA members.

Emerging players

• Becker Professional Education: Becker is a national CPA exam prep and CPE provider whose CPA Pass review and continuing education catalog competes for the same California-licensed CPA audience as CalCPA's CPE Select packages and regulatory review courses.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cal_cpa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/calcpa
• Facebookfacebook.com/52008528303
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-society-of-cpas-calcpa-education-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cal_cpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about California Society of Certified Public Accountants