Education & Experience Requirements
Gov. Edward Rendell signed Senate Bill 838 into law on July 10, 2008, amending the Pennsylvania CPA Law. The hallmark of this legislation, now Act 73 of 2008, is increased CPA mobility to practice across state lines. To achieve this, the law brings Pennsylvania up to the national education standard of 150 credit hours and one year public accounting experience – in addition to the successful completion of the CPA Exam – before granting a CPA license. The education and experience changes will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.
Current Requirements in Pennsylvania (Up to Dec. 31, 2011)
New Requirements in Pennsylvania (Effective Jan. 1, 2012)
Successful CPA Candidates
IMPORTANT: If you graduate before 2012 – |
Current Education Requirements (Up to Dec. 31, 2011)
Candidates must have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited college or university approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (SBOA), and completed at least 24 semester credit hours in accounting subjects. These subjects include accounting and auditing, business law, finance, or tax subjects sanctioned by the SBOA.
Candidates who have completed an optional 150 semester-credits must have 24 semester credits in the accounting subjects noted above, plus an additional 12 semester-credits in accounting, auditing, and tax subjects. Those who choose this option will have a shorter experience requirement to be come certified (see below).
Current Experience Requirements (Up to Dec. 31, 2011)
In addition to passing the CPA Exam, CPA candidates need to satisfy work experience requirements before becoming licensed.
Work experience must be in the following areas:
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In public accounting, or as an internal auditor if the internal audit function reports to an independent board or similar body, or an auditor with a unit of federal, state, or local government; and
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Supervised by an individual who is currently licensed to practice public accounting as a CPA in Pennsylvania or another state.
Until Dec. 31, 2011, CPA candidates who passed the exam have two options to meet the experience requirement. An individual with a bachelor’s degree must complete two years (3,200 hours) of experience, including 800 hours of attest activity. An individual with 150 hours of education needs one year (1,600 hours) of experience, including 400 hours of attest activity.
The amount of education completed at the time of application for the certificate is directly related to the amount of work experience necessary to obtain licensure. The number of credit hours must be submitted with your first examination application.
Individuals taking the CPA Exam for the first time before Dec. 31, 2011, must complete their work experience within 10 years (120 months) of application for the CPA certificate.
Current Requirements to Sit for the CPA Exam (Up to Dec. 31, 2011)
Before applying to sit for the CPA Exam, candidates must have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree and completed at least 24 semester credits in accounting subjects. These subjects include accounting and auditing, business law, finance, or tax subjects acceptable to the SBOA. Candidates have 18 months to pass all four parts, beginning when first section is passed. Individuals who pass one or more parts of the CPA Exam prior to Jan. 1, 2012, can be licensed with 120-hour education requirement and two years public accounting experience if they successfully pass all four parts of the exam within the 18-month eligibility window.
New Education Requirements (Effective Jan. 1, 2012)
On Jan. 1, 2012, candidates will need to have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree and completed at least 150 credit hours, with 36 semester-credits in accounting subjects. These subjects include accounting and auditing, business law, finance, and tax subjects acceptable to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (SBOA). Accounting-related credits can be accomplished through undergraduate, graduate, or a combination of both levels of study.
New Experience Requirements (Effective Jan. 1, 2012)
On Jan. 1, 2012, in addition to passing the CPA Exam, CPA candidates need to satisfy work experience requirements to become licensed. Candidates will have to complete one year (1,600 hours) of experience, including 400 hours of attest activity, to qualify for the CPA certificate. CPA candidates must complete their one year of work experience requirement within five years (60 months) of the date of application.
Work experience must be:
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In public accounting, or as an internal auditor if the internal audit function reports to an independent board or similar body, or an auditor with a unit of federal, state, or local government; and,
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Supervised by an individual who is currently licensed to practice public accounting as a CPA in Pennsylvania or another state.
New Requirements to Sit for the Exam (Effective Jan. 1, 2012)
Candidates may sit for the CPA Exam after they have completed 120 hours of education, including 24 semester credit hours in accounting subjects approved by SBOA. Candidates, however, will be required to obtain 150 credit hours of education, including 36 semester credit hours in accounting subjects before a license is granted.
Congratulations Successful CPA Candidates
Once you have passed the Uniform CPA Exam and met the education and experience requirements you may apply to the SBOA for a CPA certificate and license.
The new 150-hour requirement will not apply to any individual who has successfully completed one or more parts of the CPA Exam prior to Jan. 1, 2012. Successful candidates who received their license prior to Jan. 1, 2012, having completed 120 credit hours, will still be recognized as CPAs and will not need to acquire additional credit hours of education for certification.
The new legislation has no impact on the biennial continuing education requirements for CPAs currently licensed in Pennsylvania.