The South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) is a professional association of accountants based in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. , the institute claims to have more than 10,000 members. SAIPA represents qualified Professional Accountants (SA) in practice, commerce and industry, academia and the public sector.

Recognition

SAIPA is a professional body registered with South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) and has a number of registered professional designations. In 1995 SAIPA became a full member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), and today is one of only two accountancy bodies in South Africa that are full members. In terms of the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, South African Revenue Service (SARS) will only register members of approved professional bodies as tax practitioners. Only registered tax practitioners may provide advice with respect to the application of a tax law, and complete or assists in completing a return for another person or company. SAIPA is a SARS recognised controlling body of the tax profession in South Africa. SAIPA has a Centre of Tax Excellence (CoTE) for tax practitioners who practice and specialise in the field of taxation.

Qualification

The requirements for membership are: *Academic: A Degree with a major in

financial accounting Financial accounting is the field of accounting concerned with the summary, analysis and reporting of financial transactions related to a business. This involves the preparation of financial statements available for public use. Stockholders, ...

and with

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

management accounting In management accounting or managerial accounting, managers use accounting information in decision-making and to assist in the management and performance of their control functions. Definition One simple definition of management accounting is th ...

, auditing and commercial law as subjects. *Practical training or experience: at least 3 years under a SAIPA recognised Learnership, or 6 years of relevant verifiable experience. *SAIPA Professional Evaluation: This is a three-hour examination offered twice yearly coverin

Financial Accounting, Auditing, Taxation, Commercial Law, Management Accounting and Practice Management.

References

{{IFAC_Members Professional associations based in South Africa Organisations based in Johannesburg Accounting in South Africa Member bodies of the International Federation of Accountants