The American Institute of CPAs and its technology arm, CPA.com, extended the .cpa web domain across the border to Canada, allowing CPAs and CPA firms in Canada to apply for .cpa web addresses to strengthen their brand.
The restricted web domain officially launched in Canada Tuesday morning. To be eligible, Canadian CPAs and CPA firms need to be licensed. The AICPA said the preferred names of the sites would be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
The .cpa domain is part of a new set of specialty top-level domains. The AICPA was awarded ownership and oversight of .cpa in 2019 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that oversees the internet’s naming system. CPA.com is responsible for managing the service globally.
The AICPA originally launched the .cpa domain in the U.S. last September, and thousands of U.S. CPAs and firms have registered .cpa domains to date.
“Restricted domains are more secure, promote greater trust and credibility with clients and the general public, and enable stronger branding opportunities,” said CPA.com president and CEO Erik Asgeirsson in a statement. “We’ve seen great interest from the profession in this service offering and we’re excited to bring this important capability to CPAs in Canada now and to more countries in 2022.”
CPA Canada, the main credential provider in Canada, does not appear to be involved in the rollout.
The specialty domain gives CPAs and their firms a way to market their credentials and stand out in the market. “We all worked hard to obtain our CPA licenses — that’s not a trophy everyone receives,” said Ryan King, a partner at Michigan-based King & King, in a statement. “The .cpa domain directly communicates that distinction, which is one reason we were so excited to put it to work for our firm.”
For more information about .cpa or to apply for the new service, visit
