California Board of Accountancy

Name

California Board of Accountancy

Legal name

California Board of Accountancy

Website

https://dca.ca.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Licensing & Regulation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Registration & Corporate Affairs (Registries) (BPAIAOAA)

Keywords

• Professional licensing
• CPA licensure
• Accountancy regulation
• Tax preparer registration
• Regulatory oversight

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The California Board of Accountancy (CBA) is a California state government regulatory body that licenses and regulates Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and paid tax preparers in California. It enforces statutory credentialing requirements, conducts disciplinary actions against licensees, and provides public license verification services through the BreEZe online system operated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

Product overview

The California Board of Accountancy (CBA) is a regulatory body under the California Department of Consumer Affairs that licenses and regulates certified public accountants (CPAs) in California. It operates within the broader DCA ecosystem, utilizing the BreEZe online licensing system for license applications, renewals, public license searches, and complaint filing. The CBA's core functions include CPA licensure, enforcement actions against licensees (such as the discipline against Ernst & Young LLP), and governance through board member appointments and leadership elections. No specific standalone products or services beyond regulatory/licensing functions are described in the available sources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPA Licensure
• Paid Tax Preparer Registration (CTEC)
• License Verification & Search Public-facing license verification service that allows consumers and employers to confirm the credential status of CPAs and tax preparers licensed in California via the BreEZe/DCA search system.
• Disciplinary & Enforcement Actions Investigation and discipline of licensed CPAs and tax preparers for violations of professional standards, including actions taken against major firms (e.g., discipline against Ernst & Young LLP in 2023).
• License Renewal Services Periodic renewal of CPA and tax preparer licenses, administered through the DCA BreEZe online portal for credentialed professionals.
• Consumer Complaint Filing Public complaint intake process enabling consumers to file complaints against licensed CPAs and tax preparers for review and potential disciplinary action.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Florida Board of Accountancy: Florida's state board licenses and regulates CPAs and accounting firms in Florida. It is a direct functional peer to CBA, operating a comparable licensing and enforcement mandate in another large state.
• Texas State Board of Public Accountancy: Texas's state board of accountancy performs essentially the same licensing and regulatory function as CBA, but for Texas CPAs. It is one of the largest U.S. state accounting boards and a direct functional peer.
• National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA): NASBA is the national association that coordinates the 50+ U.S. state boards of accountancy, including CBA. It is the most directly comparable peer because it operates in the same regulatory domain (CPA licensure) and serves the same state regulatory infrastructure CBA belongs to.
• New York State Board for Public Accountancy: New York's state accountancy board licenses and regulates CPAs in New York. It is a direct functional peer to CBA, operating the same mandate in a different state with a large licensee base.

Others

• AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants): AICPA is the national professional membership association for CPAs. It is adjacent to CBA rather than directly comparable: CBA is a government licensing authority, while AICPA is a private professional association that sets standards (e.g., the Uniform CPA Examination) and provides credentials that feed into CBA's licensing pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Medical Board of California: The Medical Board of California is a sibling DCA board that licenses and regulates physicians. It is a structural peer to CBA in that it performs the same licensing, discipline, and consumer-protection functions for a different licensed profession in California.
• California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA): DCA is CBA's parent agency and oversees 36 boards and bureaus regulating more than 3.4 million California licensees. It is a broader incumbent that provides the shared infrastructure (BreEZe, enforcement, licensing) that CBA operates within.
• California State Athletic Commission: The California State Athletic Commission is a sibling DCA board that licenses and regulates combat sports in California. It is a structural peer to CBA, performing the same licensing, enforcement, and consumer-protection function for a different profession within the same state regulatory umbrella.
• Contractors State Licensing Board (California): CSLB is a sibling California DCA board that licenses and regulates the contracting profession. It is a structural peer because it operates the same licensing, enforcement, and consumer-protection model for a different profession within the same state regulatory umbrella.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CaliforniaDCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaliforniaDCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/CaliforniaDCA
• Instagraminstagram.com/californiadca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about California Board of Accountancy