Guidance for Completion of Your Firm's Annual Return

An annual return of fee income and client numbers must be submitted on-line by the compliance principal of all CPA regulated firms. This information is provided for quality assurance and regulatory purposes. Please click here to view the sample Annual Return and AML forms to help you with making your 2024 Annual Return.

Upon final submission, a PDF version of the return will be e-mailed to the compliance principal in the firm. This form must then be stamped by the firm’s PII provider and uploaded back to CPA Ireland via the online portal by the 28^th February to allow for the timely renewal of authorisations. 

Please ensure that the information submitted is an accurate representation of your firm’s activities in the previous year. In particular,  care should be exercised when entering client numbers and details. For example, the number of audit clients entered across the various categories should reflect the number of audit reports issued in the previous year.

Please see below explanatory information for the completion of your firm’s annual return.

Anti-Money Laundering Return

CPA Ireland is a competent authority under S.60 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, as amended” and is responsible for the supervision of its Members and Firms who are considered to be designated persons under the Act.

As part of its functions as a competent authority CPA Ireland must apply a risk based approach to the exercise of it supervisory functions. To that end an annual AML return is required to be completed by all regulated firms to enhance CPA Ireland’s risk assessment process.

The return requires the provision of information regarding the firms services in particular areas such as Trust and Company Services, Payroll etc. The return also requires the identification of clients with higher risk business activities or geographical location. You will also be asked whether your firm has made any Suspicious Transaction Reports to the FIU within the last 12 months. Full details of the required information can be found here which may assist with the final online completion.

Data Protection

CPA Ireland will use and retain the information provided during the annual renewal process together with any other information otherwise furnished by you for the purposes of the performance of CPA Ireland of its regulatory, supervisory and statutory functions. Information furnished may be shared with third parties such as the CRO, IAASA, Central Bank and ICCL.

Individuals have the right to request a copy of any "personal data" held by CPA Ireland about them and to have inaccuracies in that information corrected.
 

Revised Definition of "Public Interest Entity"

A public interest entity as defined in Part 27 (Sec. 1461) – Companies Act 2014.

(a) entities governed by the law of a Member State whose transferable securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any Member State within the meaning of point 14 of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on markets in financial instruments amending Council Directives 85/611/EEC and Directive 2000/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 93/22/EC,

(b) credit institutions as defined in point 1 of Article 3(1) of Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC (but excluding credit institutions referred to in Article 2 of Directive 2013/36/EU),

(c) insurance undertakings within the meaning of Article 2(1) of Directive 91/674/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of insurance undertakings.

(d) are undertakings that are otherwise designated, by or under any other enactment, to be entities referred to in point (d) of Article 2(13) of the Audit Directive;
 

If you have any audit clients of such a nature further details will be requested in a follow up return.
 

Audit Services Provided to Private Limited Companies

Fees invoiced to clients in the previous year which are defined under S.350 of the Companies Act 2014 as being;

• Small
• Medium
• Large

Audit Services Provided to Designated Activity Companies

Fees invoiced to clients in the previous year which are designated activity companies as provided for in Part 18 of the Companies Act 2014 and are classified for size purposes defined S.350 of the Companies Act 2014 as being;

• Small
• Medium
• Large

Audit services provided to companies limited by guarantee

• Small
• Medium
• Large

Audit services provided to public limited companies - as provided for in part 17 of the Companies Act 2014.

Audit services provided to private unlimited companies (ULC) - as provided for in part 19 of the Companies Act 2014.

Audit services provided to public unlimited companies (PUC) - as provided for in part 19 of the Companies Act 2014.

Audit services provided to public unlimited companies without share capital (PULC) - as provided for in part 19 of the Companies Act 2014.

Accountant’s Report for a solicitor client in accordance with the Solicitor Accounts Regulations 2014.

Accountant’s Report to the Property Services Regulatory Authority for clients such as an auctioneer/estate agent, letting agent and management agent
Reports from accountants pursuant to Regulation 12 of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011 (Client Moneys) Regulations 2012.

Reports for unincorporated investment intermediaries
Reports from auditors pursuant to S.33 of the Investment Intermediaries Act 1995 on unincorporated entities.