Order of certified accountants

What Order of certified accountants does

Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados (OCC) is the Portuguese statutory regulatory body for certified accountants (Contabilistas Certificados), headquartered in Lisbon and founded in 1995. It is a private non-profit professional order (Ordem Profissional) that holds exclusive statutory authority over professional licensing, ethical standards, continuing education, and disciplinary oversight for the accounting profession in Portugal. OCC operates a five-office regional network (Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Braga, Leiria, Viana do Castelo) and is led by Bastonária Paula Franco.

Its core product surface is built around TOConline, a member digital portal providing access to licensing management, regulatory filings, professional tools, and a SAF-T (PT) 1.04 to Excel converter for tax compliance. Supporting this core platform are AFECC (the continuing education and training management portal with separate paths for Portuguese citizens, foreign citizens, and students), an online library (Biblioteca Online), online simulators, a public registry of certified professionals, a job board (Bolsa de Emprego), and the professional publication Revista Contabilista/TOC. OCC is GDPR-compliant (RGPD), holds associate membership in IFAC, and runs the triennial Congress of Certified Accountants, with the 8th edition scheduled for September 22-24, 2026 at Meo Arena, Lisbon.

OCC's revenue model is fundamentally membership-driven: annual quotas (Quotas) from licensed accountants form the recurring core, supplemented by training fees, professional examination fees, magazine subscription revenue, and merchandising (identification plaques, badges, and institutional merchandise). Training fees are priced lower for members than for the public. Distribution is omnichannel and primarily domestic, combining self-serve digital portals, a technical support call center, and direct field engagement through regional offices. The organization's customer base is structurally a single segment — Portuguese certified accountants — with secondary outreach to trainees, students, and the general public.

Name

Order of certified accountants

Legal name

Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados

Website

https://www.occ.pt/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Order of certified accountants is a chartered accountants' association that controls the profession and provides training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Accounting Regulation

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAANAD

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

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Certification Programs

SECONDARYBPAHAFAL

Fraud Risk Management & Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption (ABAC)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Risk, Compliance & Governance Advisory

Keywords

• Professional accounting regulation
• Chartered accountant certification
• Continuing professional education
• Tax compliance services
• Professional membership body

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisboa

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Quotas (Quotas): Annual membership fees paid by certified accountants for professional registration and access to OCC services
2. Professional Training Fees: Fees charged for continuing professional education programs, seminars, and workshops for members and the public
3. Examination Fees: Fees for professional admission examinations and certification tests
4. Professional Magazine Subscription: Revenue from Revista Contabilista/TOC publication subscriptions
5. Merchandising and Institutional Products: Sale of professional identification plaques, badges, and institutional merchandise to members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados (OCC) is the statutory regulatory body for certified accountants in Portugal, providing professional licensing, certification examinations, continuing professional education, and ethical/disciplinary oversight. It operates member-facing digital platforms TOConline (professional portal) and AFECC (training portal), complemented by online tools such as a SAF-T (PT) converter, financial simulators, and a public registry of certified accountants. The organization also delivers social benefits (health insurance, professional liability insurance, pension fund, solidarity fund) and runs major professional events such as the triennial Congress of Certified Accountants.

Product overview

The Ordem dos Contabilistas Certificados (OCC) is a professional regulatory association for certified accountants in Portugal. Its product portfolio centers on TOConline, a comprehensive member portal providing access to licensing management, professional tools, and member services. Supporting this core platform are AFECC (training portal), an online library, a SAF-T converter tool for tax compliance, a job board, and a public registry of professionals. The organization primarily serves as a regulatory and professional development body rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TOConline TOConline is OCC's primary online platform for certified accountants, providing access to professional tools, licensing management, regulatory filings, and member services.
• AFECC Training Portal AFECC is the professional training and continuing education portal of OCC, offering online and in-person training courses, webinars, and certification programs for accountants.
• Biblioteca Online (Online Library) An online library service providing OCC members with access to professional resources, publications, and technical documentation.
• Conversor SAF-T (PT) A SAF-T (Standard Audit File for Tax) converter tool that converts accounting data from SAF-T PT version 1.04 to Excel, assisting accountants with Portuguese tax reporting compliance.
• Bolsa de Emprego (Job Board) A job board service connecting certified accountants with employment opportunities, including registration for job seekers and employer job postings.
• Registo Público de Contabilistas Certificados A public registry of certified accountants and professional societies, providing verification of professional credentials and professional society registrations.
• Professional Certification and Licensing Services Statutory certification, examination, and licensing services for certified accountants in Portugal, including admission exams and issuance of the professional license (cédula profissional).
• Social Benefits and Insurance Programs for Members Social support services for members including health insurance, professional liability insurance, pension fund, and social solidarity fund, plus dispute mediation services.
• Congress of Certified Accountants (8th edition, September 2026) Major triennial professional congress organized by OCC focused on professional education, networking, and discussion of technical and ethical challenges facing the accounting profession. The 8th Congress is scheduled for September 22-24, 2026 at Meo Arena in Lisbon.

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2014IFAC is a global organization headquartered in New York with 167 member and associate bodies from 127 countries representing approximately 2.5 million accountants. OCC (formerly OTOC) has been an associate member since November 2012. Organizations co-hosted a conference on 'Financial Information and Sustainability' in April 2014.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales): UK chartered accountants' professional body with statutory regulatory authority over its members. Operates member training, professional development, and disciplinary functions in an almost identical structural model to OCC, making it the closest analogue.
• Ordre des Experts-Comptables (OEC): French chartered accountants' professional order regulating the profession in France. Closest continental European peer with the same 'Ordre' structure, statutory certification authority, and regional chamber network that mirrors OCC's model.
• Consiglio Nazionale dei Dottori Commercialisti e degli Esperti Contabili (CNDCEC): Italian national council of chartered accountants and accounting experts. Statutory regulatory body with mandatory membership, continuing education, and regional disciplinary structure — a near-identical operational model to OCC.
• ICAS (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland): Royal-chartered regulatory body for Scottish chartered accountants with member training, examinations, and disciplinary authority. Comparable in size, scope, and statutory mandate to OCC.
• Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI): All-island Irish professional accountancy body with statutory recognition, mandatory CPD, and member regulation. Closely comparable in scale, jurisdiction size, and regulatory function to OCC.

Broad incumbents

• AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants): US national professional association for CPAs with member certification, continuing education (via CIMA partnership), and standards-setting authority. Much larger in scale but structurally analogous to OCC in mandate and member services.
• CPA Australia: Major Asia-Pacific professional accounting body with designation, continuing professional development, and member services. Larger and more internationally diversified than OCC but operates an equivalent member-based regulatory and education model.
• ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants): Global chartered certified accountant body with examinations, accreditation, and CPD. Differs from OCC in being international rather than national-statutory, but is highly comparable in offering certification exams and continuing professional training.

Emerging players

• CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants): UK-based professional body for management accountants with member training, qualification exams, and continuing education. Overlaps with OCC's training and CPD functions but targets management accounting rather than statutory public accounting.

Others

• Instituto dos Registradores e Notários (IRN): Other Portuguese professional regulatory body. Not a direct competitor but a peer institutional reference point for how Portuguese statutory professional orders operate, fund themselves, and deliver member services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OrdemContab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/ordemdoscontabilistascertificadosocc
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrdemContabilistas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ordem-contabilistas-certificados
• Instagraminstagram.com/ordem.contabilistas

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Order of certified accountants