Firms purchasing a .cpa domain prior to the General Availability phase (which begins January 15, 2021) are being asked to comply with basic activation requirements. This policy has been put in place to discourage the 'parking' of domains by firms (i.e., purchasing domains just to prevent other firms from acquiring them). To comply with basic activation requirements firms simply need to do the following:
- Activate your .cpa domain:
- Within one month of being issued your .cpa domain, redirect it to your current .com website. This requirement doesn't apply if you have no website.
- Within one year of being issued your .cpa domain, use it as an active firm branded website. You do not need to make it your primary website (you can, but it is not required). You can set it up as a microsite or landing page (with your firm logo and name prominently displayed). If you purchased multiple domains, you only need to activate one (the others may simply redirect).
- If your .cpa domain is replacing an existing .com website, we recommend you redirect the .com domain to your new .cpa website and maintain this for an ongoing period of time.
- Link your .cpa domain to your email platform:
- Within one year of being issued your .cpa domain, add it to your firm's email platform.
- After linking your .cpa domain to you firm's email platform, we recommend you continue to keep your prior email address active, indefinitely.
If your firm needs additional time to meet any of these activation requirements or has questions regarding the process, we encourage you to contact a CPA.com representative to discuss. Our intent is to work with firms to help make this transition as seamless and successful as possible.
Note: Activation requirements do not apply: (1) for domains generally associated with trademarks your firm has registered and (2) for any domains purchased during the General Availability phase.