Do you believe that a CPA has committed a fault, an error or an omission in your file for which he or she may be professionally liable? Has this situation caused you monetary damages? If so, you can submit a claim online to the Fonds d’assurance de la responsabilité professionnelle des CPA du Québec. See how to submit a claim.
What you need to know before filling out the claim form
The CPA status comes with rights, but also imposes obligations to ensure that the public is protected. One of these obligations is participating in a professional liability insurance plan.
Mission of the Insurance Fund
The mission of the Fonds d’assurance de la responsabilité professionnelle des CPA du Québec administered by the Order is to provide participating CPAs with insurance coverage for the errors, faults and omissions they commit while practicing their profession and as members in good standing of the Order who are authorized to practice the CPA profession, while contributing to its mission of protecting the public.
To learn more about the general terms and conditions of the insurance coverage for CPA members, you can consult the current insurance policy.
Claims
If you believe that a CPA has made an error or an omission in your file, you may submit a claim to the Insurance Fund by filling out the form below with as much information and detail as possible. You have the burden of proving that your claim is founded and justified.
Steps in the claim process
Once it has received the online form and relevant documents, the Insurance Fund will forward your claim to the CPA concerned and request their version of the facts. The Insurance Fund will then review the file and contact you as soon as possible with its decision. If and only if the insured person is liable, the Insurance Fund will compensate you on their behalf, according to the terms and conditions of the applicable policy.
The periods of time in which legal proceedings must be initiated are set out by law. The Insurance Fund will reject any claim if it finds that the claim was filed after the applicable limitation period has expired.
Disciplinary law (applicable to professional ethics and conduct) and civil law (applicable to professional liability) are two very different types of law. Thus, when an offence is committed against the Code of Ethics of CPAs, the Insurance Fund does not automatically pay compensation.
Furthermore, any dispute concerning professional fees must be brought before the Order’s Office of the syndic, as the Insurance Fund is not responsible for these disputes; likewise, complaints about the misappropriation of funds entrusted to CPAs do not fall within the purview of the Order’s Insurance Fund.
You have an obligation to minimize the damage incurred. The Insurance Fund is not responsible for compensating for damage arising from errors, omissions or faults that can be corrected. You must take the necessary steps at your own expense to avoid the consequences, such as by filing an amendment or an amended return with the tax authorities.
