Fees
New England Peer Review, Inc. (NEPR) is not a membership
organization, but is a non-profit corporation that exists solely for the
purpose of administering the AICPA Peer Review Program for the four
state CPA societies of Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The Executive Committee, which consists of two representatives from each
of the four NEPR states, sets the fee structure.
NEPR has two separate fee structures. Please click
on the link that describes your firm for current fees:
At least
one partner in my firm is a member of the AICPA or the state
society where our firm is located
We
have no AICPA or state society members
Why do we have to pay fees to NEPR?
NEPR is mandated, by the four owner state
societies, to operate within a balanced budget and does not receive
subsidies of any kind. We continually explore cost containment methods,
however, even with our best efforts, there are many things that are
beyond our control that directly affect the cost of doing business. Each
year at budget time, the committee reviews and re-evaluates the NEPR fee
structure. We also compare our fees to those of administering entities
across the country (some of whom are subsidized by state society dues)
and find that we are proportionately in line.
Why is my small firm paying almost as
much as a large firm?
While we recognize the disparity regarding
number of professionals, there are minimum fixed costs that need to be
dealt with. Administration of small firms approximates the same amount
of time and energy as larger firms – in fact, smaller firms often
require much more support. We believe that the fee structure
addresses this consideration and assures that neither size firm
subsidizes the other.
Administration focuses on practice units as
opposed to the number of practitioners. Approximately 46% of the NEPR
firms consist of sole practitioners and another 39% make up the 2 – 5
professional range. The remaining 8% of firms consists of six or more
professionals and approximately only 7% of firms with over ten
professionals.
What are the fees and what are they
used for?
Annual fees are billed for the fiscal year of May through
April and cover costs associated with the administration of the program
over a three-year cycle. The scheduling and evaluation fee is assessed
only in the year of the review and is used, in part, to pay technical
reviewer and Report Acceptance Body expenses. All firms share in paying
for costs of the program as a whole.
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