Section 3. Auditing and Related Professional Practice Standards (Amended)

Rule 3500T. Interim Ethics and Independence Standards

This version of the rule will be effective on December 15, 2025. The current version of the rule can be found here. 

           (a)          A registered public accounting firm and its associated persons shall comply with ethics standards, as described in EI 1000 and, to the extent not superseded or amended by the Board, the ethics rulings associated with the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct Rule 102 as in existence on April 16, 2003 (AICPA Professional Standards, ET §191 (AICPA 2002)).

           (b)          In connection with the preparation or issuance of any audit report, a registered public accounting firm, and its associated persons, shall comply with independence standards –

                        (1)          as described in the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct Rule 101, and interpretations and rulings thereunder, as in existence on April 16, 2003 (AICPA Professional Standards, ET §§ 101 and 191 (AICPA 2002)), to the extent not superseded or amended by the Board; and

                        (2)         Standards Nos. 2 and 3, and Interpretation 99-1 of the Independence Standards Board, to the extent not superseded or amended by the Board.

Note: The Board's Interim Independence Standards do not supersede the Commission's auditor independence rules. See Rule 2-01 of Reg. S-X, 17 C.F.R.§ 210.2-01. Therefore, to the extent that a provision of the Commission's rule is more restrictive – or less restrictive – than the Board's Interim Independence Standards, a registered public accounting firm must comply with the more restrictive rule.

[Effective pursuant to SEC Release Nos 33-8223 & 34-47746 (April 25, 2003); SEC Release No. 34-49624, File No. PCAOB-2003-11 (April 28, 2004); SEC Release No. 34-72087, File No. PCAOB-2013-03 (May 2, 2014); and SEC Release No. 34-100968, File No. PCAOB-2024-02 (September 9, 2024)]