Client accounting services (CAS) have been one of the fastest-growing areas in the accounting profession for years, and with good reason: As businesses of all sizes look for more flexible, scalable financial support, CPA firms have stepped in to fill the gap, offering everything from outsourced bookkeeping to high-level advisory services.

But with that growth comes complexity.

One of the biggest — and often overlooked — questions facing firms today is this: What professional standards still apply when you’re providing CAS? Especially when those services fall outside traditional attest engagements, the answers aren’t always clear. And when firms offer both CAS and attest services, the lines can blur quickly, creating risk around independence, compliance, and liability.

In a recent episode of the MACPA’s “Future-Proof” podcast, host Bill Sheridan sat down with Mike Manspeaker to unpack these issues. Mike is a past chair of the MACPA’s Board of Directors, a member of the AICPA’s Auditing Standards Board, and the CPA on staff for Coastal Peer Review, which administers reviews for North Carolina and Maryland firms. He brings deep expertise in audit, peer review, and professional standards, and he offers a practical roadmap for firms trying to navigate this evolving landscape.

Our conversation explores where firms get into trouble, how to structure CAS engagements effectively, and why ethics, documentation, and communication remain foundational, even when formal standards don’t strictly apply.

If your firm is offering — or considering — client accounting services, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.