The CPA exam requirements in the US are confusing! Unlike most other professional qualifications, CPA licenses are granted by individual states rather than a centralized agency.
In this article, I’ll give an overview of CPA exam requirements by state and how you can pick a state board that works to your advantage.
CPA Exam Requirements by State: An Overview
There are 55 states and jurisdictions in the United States. Each of them has a state board of accounting, which sets the accounting rules and regulations on its own. Because of this, the CPA exam and licensing requirements are often quite different, and this can cause a lot of confusion to candidates.
The AICPA and NASBA have been working hard to bring the rules in line. The vast majority of states now follow the “3E”s:
- Education: 4-year bachelor degree and above + 150 credit hours of general education
- Exam: The 4-part Uniform CPA Exam
- Experience: at least 1 year of relevant experience supervised and verified by CPA or equivalent
Do You Qualify?
It largely depends on your educational background. Here is a video discussing 4 different scenarios and what you should do accordingly:
Please continue if you prefer to read the text.
Are You a “Conventional” Candidate?
That is, are you:
- A US citizen;
- In Accounting concentration;
- Studying in a US accredited college;
- Working towards a 150-credit hour degree program or a Master degree in accounting, taxation or business administration;
- You will be 21 or over by the time you sit for your CPA Exam; and
- You plan to work in public accounting (i.e. working in an accounting firm) after graduation.
Yes to all? Then you should register in the state where you plan to work as a public accountant. You can now go directly to your state for details:
What If the Answer is No…
No worries, as there are lots of ways to work around it. See if any of the following applies.
How to Pick a State based on CPA Exam Requirements
1. I Don’t have 150 Credit Hours
A typical 4-year bachelor degree gives 120 credit hours. Therefore, it is common that candidates find themselves short of the required 150 credit hours.
There used to be some states (California, Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire) that allow 120 credit hour holders to get the license, but they have all switched to the 150-hour rule.
Guam is a choice if you are an accounting major (without master’s) and don’t mind getting the inactive license. You can find out the pros and cons of getting the inactive license from the link.
A Better Option…
Making up for the 30 credit hours is the “proper” way to fulfill the CPA exam requirements.
Candidates need to understand that 150 hour is the standard for all accounting students graduated from the US, and therefore, the state board is simply asking you to match that standard.
The process is simpler than most of us realize — all you need is ad hoc, non-degree courses from any accredited educational institutions. This means that it is possible to take a Japanese culture class or even a golf 101 class from community colleges to get it done.
Here are ways to get extra credits for the CPA requirements
2. Non-Accounting Major
There are still states (e.g. Alaska, Maine) that require 15 credit hours or less of accounting classes to sit for the exam, but the experience requirement is often tough. Here is an article written for non-Accounting majors on this topic.
Similar to the situation above, I believe the best and proper way to approach this is to make it up with non-degree accounting classes in accredited educational institutions.
How to find accounting, business or taxation courses
3. Issues in Gaining Relevant Working Experience
Experience requirements vary from state to state, but state boards generally look for 1 year of relevant experience that is supervised and verified by a US CPA.
If you have…
(i) No Plans to Work in Public Accounting
This means that you have never worked, and don’t plan to work as an auditor.
Most states nowadays are fine with general accounting work from private industries, government and even teaching positions in academia. Non-audit career plan shouldn’t be an issue when choosing a state.
(ii) No Plans to Work Under a US CPA
This could be the case if you work in private industries where CPAs are less common; or you work outside of the US and your supervisor is not licensed in the United States.
Possible solutions:
Illinois and Virginia recognize experience that is supervised by a non-CPA. As long as you work in relevant field, you can get the license.
Montana and Washington allow your experience to be verified by someone other than your boss. This provides some flexibility as well.
There are also states that do not require working experience if you don’t mind the restricted licenses:
The options above may have restrictions on how you hold yourself as CPA.
Here is a list of state boards with more flexible working experience requirements
(iii) No Plans to Work / Can’t Work in the US
If you have a big family commitment (e.g. stay at home mom) or that you are not allowed to work in the US (e.g. H4 visa holders), you need to be more creative in fulfilling the experience requirement.
The best way is to get your previous experience verified, likely in the more “flexible” states mentioned in (ii) above. You can also explore whether volunteer experience is accepted by the state board.
(iv) You Can Only Work Part-Time
About half of the state boards allow part-time work. It is hard to list them all, but once you narrow down the choices, you might want to double check by emailing the short-listed state boards directly.
4. Non-US Citizens / Residents
Many states welcome international candidates. There are a few exceptions:
States granting license to…
(i) US citizens only: Alabama, North Carolina
(ii) State residents only: Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Rhode Island
(iii) Certain restrictions: Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands.
Other states don’t have citizenship or residency restrictions.
More Questions on the Application Process
For quick questions and comments on CPA exam requirements by state, you can always drop me a note below or my Facebook page.
If you are getting serious in getting the CPA qualification, I have two mini-courses designed for candidates with different background:
(Those with US degrees, or
graduate/live/work in the US)
(Those who study abroad, or
graduate/live/work outside of the US)
Read US CPA Exam Requirements by State: Awesome Step-by-Step Guide on I Pass the CPA Exam!!