Florida CPA commission and referral fee rules under section 473.3205

Florida regulates CPA commissions and referral fees by statute: section 473.3205 restricts referral fees connected with certain public accounting services and requires written disclosure of commissions. A Florida CPA weighing a SourceX reward should read the current statute, check which services the firm provides the client, and disclose in writing before the client acts.

The short answer for Florida CPAs

It depends on what your firm does for the client and on whether you disclose in writing. Florida does not leave the question to a professional code alone. Chapter 473 of the Florida Statutes, the accountancy chapter, includes section 473.3205. It restricts accepting or paying a referral fee in connection with certain public accounting services and requires written disclosure of commissions (Florida Statutes 473.3205, 2017 text).

The linked page shows the 2017 version. Statutes get amended, so open the current text on the Florida Legislature's statutes site before you rely on any summary, including this one.

A SourceX referral reward has three features that matter here: SourceX pays it rather than the client, it is a share of SourceX's fee, and it is payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives that fee. Each one points to a different part of the statute.

What does section 473.3205 cover?

The section bundles three payment types into one place. Before deciding anything, work out which part a SourceX reward touches.

Part of the statute	The question to put to the current text	Why it matters for a SourceX reward
Contingent fees	How does the statute define a contingent fee, and does a success-based payment from a third party fall inside it?	The reward exists only if a licensing deal completes and is paid for, so it hangs on an outcome
Commissions	Does recommending another company's service to a client, and being paid by that company, count as a commission? What must the written disclosure contain?	You would be recommending SourceX's service to a client, and SourceX would pay you
Referral fees	Which public accounting services trigger the restriction, and do they include the services your firm provides this client?	The restriction is tied to certain public accounting services, so the client's engagement list decides a lot

Two facts help the analysis without settling it. The payer is SourceX, not your client, and the reward is never deducted from what the company receives. Neither removes the need to read the definitions.

Because the rule sits in statute, read it as part of your license obligations, alongside any Board of Accountancy rules on the same payments and, for AICPA members, the AICPA Code. Our explainer on whether a success-based reward is a contingent fee under 1.510 covers the AICPA layer.

How does it apply to common Florida engagements?

The client's service list usually decides the outcome, so start there.

Engagement	What to check in the statute	Outcome to confirm
Your firm audits or reviews the client's financial statements	Whether those services are among the ones the statute ties restrictions to; the AICPA Code if you are a member	Expect the strictest answer; confirm before you mention any reward
You prepare compiled statements the client hands to its bank	How the statute treats compilations a third party will use	Treat as attest-adjacent until counsel or the Board says otherwise
You prepare tax returns only	Whether tax work is covered; how the contingent fee language reads for returns	Written disclosure at minimum; confirm the classification first
Your client accounting services team closes the books monthly, with no reports issued	Whether any report goes to third parties; firm policy	Written commission disclosure before the client applies
A partner acts as outsourced CFO, with no attest work for the client	Firm policy on who receives third-party payments	Written disclosure; decide whether the firm or the individual is paid
The company is a former client or a contact you do not serve	Whether the statute still reaches the introduction	Disclose anyway; it costs nothing and protects the relationship

The firm-versus-individual question comes up often in multi-partner practices; whether CPA referral fee rules apply to the partner or the whole firm covers that split.

A Florida introduction checklist

Before you raise it with the client

Print the current section 473.3205 and any Board of Accountancy rules that address the same payments, and note the date you read them.
List every service your firm provides the company, from the engagement letters rather than memory.
Check whether any financial statements you prepare go to a lender, investor or surety.
Read your firm's policy on third-party payments and get the managing partner's sign-off.
Run an anonymous company fit check so you do not disclose a payment for a company that cannot qualify.

When you make the introduction

Hand the client the written disclosure before it applies.
Share basic fit facts only: peak full-time headcount, how long the company has operated and the main systems it runs.
Send the client your referral link, or submit the company through the referral form.
File a dated copy of the disclosure and the client's acknowledgment with the engagement records.

What should the written disclosure say?

The statute requires commission disclosure in writing; what else it must contain is in the current text, so check it. A disclosure covering these five points is easier to defend later:

Who pays: SourceX, out of its own platform fee on the deal.
How it is calculated: a share of SourceX's eligible platform fees, capped per referred company. The guide to calculating an illustrative referral commission from a platform fee shows the arithmetic without inventing figures.
When it is paid: only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee, which means it may never be paid.
Effect on the client: none; the reward is paid from SourceX's side of the deal, not the company's.
Your role: the introduction only. You will not handle, export or describe the company's records, and the company alone decides whether to sign.

Questions to take to the Board or your counsel

Under the current section 473.3205, is a payment that SourceX makes only after a completed deal a contingent fee, a commission, a referral fee or none of these?
Which public accounting services trigger the referral fee restriction, and do compilations for third-party use count?
What must a written commission disclosure contain, and must the client receive it before the recommendation?
If a partner receives the payment personally, does the firm also have to disclose it?
Do Board rules add conditions beyond the statute on this topic?

Rules elsewhere differ in structure as well as wording. If your firm also has a Pacific Northwest office, compare Washington's commission and referral fee rules before assuming one disclosure works in both states.

How rewards are paid

Partners earn 25% of the eligible platform fees SourceX actually collects from the referred company's licensing deals, capped at $100,000 per referred company. Rewards are payable only after the buyer pays and SourceX receives its fee; no reward is guaranteed.

The program terms set the remaining payment conditions, and your tax adviser can tell you how the income fits your firm.

This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm with your own counsel, tax adviser or professional body before acting.

Next step

If the checklist is clean and the client has acknowledged your disclosure, register as a partner and send your referral link. The partner page for accountants describes the client profiles that tend to qualify.

Step 1Share your linkSend your personal link to a company you know.
Step 2Company appliesThe company applies itself at /apply.
Step 3Buyer selects and paysThe buyer selects and pays for the data and SourceX receives its fee.
Step 4You get your rewardYour share of SourceX fees becomes payable.

Common questions

Does section 473.3205 apply to Florida CPAs who are not AICPA members?

The section is part of Florida's accountancy statute, so it is read as a licensing obligation rather than a membership one. AICPA membership adds the AICPA Code as a second layer. Check the statute's definitions to confirm whether it covers your credential, your firm and work done outside public practice, and ask the Board or your counsel if the answer is unclear.

Is the 2017 version of section 473.3205 still current?

Do not assume so. The copy that often appears in search results is the 2017 text, and statutes are amended over time. Read the current version on the Legislature's statutes site and check the history notes for later changes. Keep a dated copy of what you read in the engagement file, next to your written disclosure and the client's acknowledgment.

Does my written disclosure need a dollar amount?

Check what the current statute requires. Because no figure exists until a licensing deal is completed and paid for, a practical approach is to describe the basis instead: a share of SourceX's eligible platform fees, capped per referred company. If a reward is eventually paid, send the client a short note confirming the real figure.

My firm only prepares the company's tax returns. Does that change anything?

Possibly. The statute is a place where Florida addresses commissions and referral fees, and the source we reviewed also points to contingent fee questions, so read how the current text treats tax services and whether a success-based payment from a third party falls inside any restriction. Confirm the classification with the Board or your counsel before you mention any reward to the client.

Can a Florida firm make the introduction without taking a reward?

Yes. The owner can submit the application personally at sourcex.si/apply, with no referral code involved, and nothing is credited to the firm. That route suits a firm whose attest relationship or internal policy makes a payment impractical, and the client can still explore a one-time license payment for records it already keeps.

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By SourceX Partnerships Team · Published 2026-10-09 · Updated 2026-10-09

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