Learn The 7 Simple Steps to Qualifying To Become A Licensed CPA in Colorado:
- Meet The Education Requirements in Colorado
- Submit Your CPA Exam Application in Colorado
- Request Your College Transcripts in Colorado
- Pay Your NASBA CPA Schedule Fees in Colorado
- Schedule Your CPA Exam Sections At A Prometric Center in Colorado
- Find A CPA Exam Mentor To Help You Pass
- Find A CPA Review Course To Study
Colorado Requirements Overview:
Colorado's (CO) CPA exam requirements are possibly the most advantageous of all the states. It does not require 150 hours to sit. With no requirement to be a US Citizen, a resident of CO, or a certain age, it makes Colorado one of the easiest states to sit for the CPA exam and become licensed.
Be sure to follow each caption below to ensure that you are qualified to sit for the exam.
Disclosure: Please note that I do my best to keep these requirements up to date but seeing as there are more than 50 states and nations with individual requirements it is difficult for me to keep up with them all. Please verify each requirement with your state board of accountancy to ensure 100% accuracy!
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Education Requirements
What are the education requirements in Colorado?
150 Hours Requirement
CO does NOT require 150 semester hours to sit for the exam. Only a Bachelors degree is required to sit for the exam.
Effective July 1, 2015: Need 150 hours to be granted certificate, but do not need 150 hours to sit for exam.
Accounting Course Requirements
US Candidates:
CO requires 27 semester hours of accounting, 3 of which are required to cover auditing that covers US GAAS. These courses also cannot be duplicative.
International candidates:
New rules have been enacted to restrict the educational requirements in Colorado:
- The State Board is no longer accepting Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certificates as evidence of having met educational requirement.
- Chartered Accountant (CA) qualifications from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Mexico and New Zealand (part of the U.S. International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB) MRA agreement) is accepted; but those from other jurisdiction (e.g. India) is no longer accepted.
- International applicants also need to get 2 credit hours of CO Rules and Regulations CR&R ethics before applying for licensure. US applicants can get this done after applying but within 6 months of licensing.
For more information please visit the CO pre-evaluation service PDF.
Business Course Requirements
CO requires 21 semester hours excluding accounting hours in business related courses with no more than 6 hours for each subject.
Summary from CO Requirements PDF
Business Law Requirements
CO does not have a business law requirement
Ethics Exam
Required to take AICPA Ethics Exam
Age & Residency Requirements
What are the age and residency requirements in Colorado?
US Citizenship Requirement
You are NOT Required for Colorado to be US Citizen to sit for the CPA exam, and a SSN is NOT required for those working outside the US, but you will need to fill out a Social Security Affidavit form.
Residency Requirement
Colorado does NOT require you to be a resident, employee, OR have an office in the state for you to take the CPA exam.
Minimum Age to Sit for the CPA Exam
Colorado does not have a minimum age requirement to sit for the CPA exam
Colorado CPA Exam Fees
How much does it cost to take the CPA exam in Colorado?
Colorado has fairly standard exam fee rates. An advantage to Colorado is that there are no special fees related to retaking the exam.
Initial Application Fee: |
$150 |
Audit: |
$195.35 |
Financial: |
$195.35 |
Regulation: |
$176.25 |
Business: |
$176.25 |
Total: |
$893.20 |
Special Fees: |
NONE |
Already Passed The CPA Exam in Colorado? Here Are The CPA License Requirements
1) Get licenced by work experience:
-To obtain your CPA license CO requires at least 1 year of public accounting / private / governemental experience (1,800 hours)
-You have to meet this requirement within 5 years preceding the date of apply for your certificate
- Part time work is acceptable as long as you hit your 1,800 hours within 1-3 years
- Must be under supervision of an active CPA or Chartered Accountant from an IQAB MRA country in good standing
Colorado State Board Contact Info
Colorado State Board of Accountancy
1560 Broadway-Suite 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Web: http://www.dora.state.co.us/accountants/
Phone: 303-894-7800
Fax: 303-894-7692
Email: accountancy@dora.state.co.us, cpaes-co@nasba.org
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bryan Kesler, CPA is the founder of Kesler CPA Review & Ultimate CPA Exam Guide which earned him a spot on CPA Practice Advisor's Top 20 Under 40.
He has helped thousands of CPA candidates pass the CPA exam since 2013. You can contact him via email bryan@cpaexamguide.com
What's Next?
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