Statements on Standards for Accounting & Review Services (SSARS)

Key Takeaway

This page presents a focused selection of SSARS CPE courses designed to help CPAs and accounting professionals build expertise in preparing, compiling, and reviewing financial statements for nonpublic entities. It enables users to efficiently select, complete, and apply coursework that improves consistency, transparency, and reliability in financial reporting while meeting continuing education requirements.

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The Evolution and Importance of the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services

Accounting standards are essentially the foundation of trust and credibility in the profession. Public companies might have to get full-scale audits, but for most non-public entities, such as private companies, nonprofits, and small businesses, that’s often just too much. Still, regulatory bodies, lenders, and investors want the numbers on those organizations to mean something. That’s precisely where the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS for short) step in.

These standards form the rulebook for CPAs and other accounting professionals when they prepare, compile, or review unaudited financial statements for non-public entities. Every accountant knows that following SSARS keeps the process consistent and reliable, so everyone – business owners, members, and even board members – can actually trust the information.

If you want to really understand this area, learning about the framework and completing Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services CPE is just common sense.

A Short History of the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services

• The AICPA introduced SSARS No. 1 in 1978. For the first time, accountants had official guidelines for working on unaudited financial statements for non-public entities.
• In 2014, SSARS No. 21 significantly modernized the old statements and created a whole new service: the preparation of financial statements.
• In 2025, SSARS No. 26 was implemented to keep those standards aligned with broader professional rules. SSARS No. 27 soon followed, offering clarity on how the standards apply to CAS (Client Advisory Services).

The standards changed with the times, but their goal remains the same: make sure accountants deliver reliable, clear financial information, even when an audit isn’t happening.

SSARS At a Glance

• The AICPA’s Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) is in charge of setting these standards.
• The focus in simple: even when an audit isn’t required, companies still have financial information that accountants can stand behind.
• The framework mainly applies to non-public entities that don’t report to the SEC. Think small businesses, non-profit organizations, local associations, and similar groups.
• The standards live in the AR-C sections of the AICPA Professional Standards, so accountants can find what they need without fuss and make sure they’re in sync with other applicable standards.

Scope of the Statements

These apply to nonpublic entities – organizations that generally don’t need to file financial statements with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). These include:

• Privately held organizations
• Nonprofit organizations
• Small and medium-sized companies
• Partnerships and sole proprietorships

Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services CPE: What You’ll Learn

SSARS CPE will help you master the key AR-C sections. These are:

• AR-C Section 60

It provides guidance and establishes a framework for performing all SSARS engagements. Key aspects include preconditions for engagements, quality control, applicability of other AR-C sections, and ethical & professional standards. Other AR-C sections constitute specific guidelines for performing and reporting different engagements.

• AR-C Section 70

It offers guidance for preparing financial statement engagements. Accountants can prepare financial statements without issuing a compilation report. While disclosures to the statements aren’t required, a disclaimer without any assurance is required.

• AR-C Section 80

Aimed at compilation engagements, it helps accountants in preparing financial statements. A compilation report is necessary.

• AR-C Section 90

It has guidelines for review engagements. These help accountants prepare financial statements, perform analysis, and make inquiries. A full disclosure of the statements is required. Accountants need to issue a limited assurance report and a review report.

SSARS CPE: Key Practical Applications

Whether you complete SSARS CPE online or in-person, a strong understanding of the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services will typically be helpful in some scenarios. For a clear understanding, here are the use cases of each section.

• Preparation Engagements (AR-C 70)

These cost-effective engagements are for internal use and when entities need support for preparing tax returns.

• Compilation Engagements (AR-C 80)

When the management needs assistance with the presentation and reporting of financial statements. These add credibility to the organization by ensuring financial information is presented in compliance with accounting principles.

• Review Engagements (AR-C 90)

When investors or financial institutions need limited assurance about the financial statements of a non-public entity, these engagements become important. These strike a balance between assurance and cost, which makes them an ideal choice for organizations looking for external financing.

Importance of the Right SSARS CPE Courses

Whether you’re a CPA or other accounting professional, good CPE SSARS courses will help improve your professional competence by:

• Ensuring consistency when serving different types of entities.
• Maintaining transparency in each engagement you perform.
• Helping you make stakeholders and financial institutions confident in financial reporting.

In short, courses on SSARS for CPAs will empower you to ensure that financial statements are reliable, without the rigor and expenses of an audit.

Who Does This Page Help?

It’s designed to help:

• CPAs and other accountants who need a strong understanding of the evolution and purpose of the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services that guide their work in preparing, compiling, and reviewing financial statements.
• Professionals who want to understand the key AR-C sections, their purposes, and how they make financial statements consistent, credible, and transparent.
• Accounting professionals who are looking for a cost-effective yet efficient method to complete SSARS CPE.

This also helps stakeholders such as small or medium-sized business owners, nonprofit managers, investors, lenders, etc. understand the statements’ roles in ensuring reliability and clarity in unaudited financial reporting.

What Problems Does It Solve?

Without SSARS, accountants may apply inconsistent practices, which can trigger confusion regarding the reliability of financial statements. This page gives a clear view of the guidelines, addressing the problems of:

• Defining three primary engagement types: preparation, compilation, and review.
• Clarifying the level of assurance in each type.
• Finding the right method of CPE, whether it’s about SSARS for CPAs, SSARS for CFOs, or SSARS for accountants.

When Is This Page Relevant?

It becomes relevant whenever you’re engaged to prepare, compile, or review a nonpublic entity’s financial statements.

• AR-C 70 is relevant when management requires financial statements for informal reporting, internal use, or tax filings.
• AR-C 80 is applicable when external parties request financial statements.
• AR-C 90 becomes relevant when stakeholders want limited assurance without the expenses of a full audit.

You can use this page’s information when:

• Organizations need help with financial statements that they need to submit to financial institutions.
• Private investors in nonpublic entities want confidence in financial information.
• Private companies and nonprofits need reliable financial statements for board reporting.
• Organizations need structured financial statements to support tax return filings.

So, this page is relevant year-round, but especially during compliance reviews, funding requests, and financial reporting cycles.

Where Does the Information on This Page Apply?

The information applies in the United States because the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services are issued by the AICPA. These statements govern engagements performed by CPAs and other accountants for nonpublic entities across industries.

In practice, these guidelines apply:

• Within private companies that require structured financial statements.
• To CPAs, accountants, and accounting firms that serve small and medium-sized businesses.
• To nonprofit organizations that depend on reviews or compilations to maintain donor confidence.

Therefore, this page can be used by accountants whenever they need to provide clarity in unaudited financial reporting.

Why Should You Care?

You should care about SSARS because it directly impacts financial information’s credibility. For any business or organization, credibility is of utmost importance as regulators, investors, and lenders make decisions based on financial statements. If those statements are inconsistent or unclear, credibility erodes quickly.

These guidelines help in:

• Safeguarding professional integrity by defining responsibilities.
• Reducing liability by clarifying the exact scope of engagements.
• Enhancing client relationships through transparent communication.

These factors, in turn, help business owners and stakeholders:

• Maintain confidence in financial reporting.
• Get clarity about the level of assurance provided.
• Make better decisions based on reliable financial information.

How Can You Solve the Problems Using This Page?

No matter if you’re a CPA or other accounting professional, these simple methods will help you make the most out of this page and address the above problems.

• Complete Online Courses

Completing SSARS CPE online courses is the most efficient and cost-effective method to learn the standards at your own pace. All you need to do is complete the study materials, pass the final exams, and download the certificates of completion.

• Join A Credible Sponsor

If you want to master SSARS efficiently, you must join a CPE provider that offers courses created by adept authors. For example, at Cpethink.com, all our SSARS CPE courses are authored by an eminent CPA and MBA. This helps us ensure that all accountants learn the standards easily and effectively.

• Join A Provider That Offers a Variety of Courses

Besides credibility, the variety of courses offered by a sponsor is also important. Ultimately, this will help you avoid the hassle of researching multiple sponsors, keeping track of your CPE, and maintaining details of your CPE records.

As of this writing, Cpethink.com offers five different CPE SSARS courses for CPAs, auditors, financial reporting professionals, and accountants who need CPE to enhance knowledge and skills and to meet the Board’s requirements. And you get these courses within a price range of $35.95 to $145.95, letting you earn 4 to 24 credits.

By following these simple methods, you’ll learn the guidelines easily and deliver transparent, consistent, and credible financial statements, addressing the issue of unreliable unaudited reporting.

Conclusion

The Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services are essential for ensuring reliability and clarity in unaudited financial reporting. By using the information on this page, you’ll learn the framework easily and navigate the complexities of financial statements for nonpublic entities effectively.

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