Learn The 7 Simple Steps to Qualifying To Become A Licensed CPA in California:
- Meet The Education Requirements in California
- Submit Your CPA Exam Application in California
- Request Your College Transcripts in California
- Pay Your NASBA CPA Schedule Fees in California
- Schedule Your CPA Exam Sections At A Prometric Center in California
- Find A CPA Exam Mentor To Help You Pass
- Find A CPA Review Course To Study
If you would like a more detailed checklist to make this process even easier, please download your Free CPA Exam Application Checklist PDF below:
California Requirements Overview:
California's (CA) CPA exam requirements have been updated effective 1/1/14:
The board of accountancy now requires 150 credit hours and an accounting concentration to become a licensed CPA in California. For international students, you will be required to provide a social security number (SSN) in order to become a licensed CPA. 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 California?
150 Hours Requirement
CA now requires:
* 150 hours to sit for the CPA exam
* 4 year bachelor degree or above
* You can sit for the CPA exam prior to graduation with approval
Accounting Course Requirements
CA requires 24 accounting credit hours (minimum grade of "C") for undergrad.
The following are qualifying courses:
* Accounting
* Auditing
* External or Internal Reporting
* Financial Reporting
* Financial Statement Analysis
* Taxation
Business Course Requirements
To sit for the CPA exam, CA requires at least 24 hours of business credit hours
The following are qualifying courses:
* Business Administration,
* Business Communications,
* Business Law
* Business Management
* Computer Science/Information Systems,
* Economics,
* Finance,
* Marketing
* Mathematics
* Statistics
* Business
Business Law Requirements
Refer to the Business Course Requirements above
Ethics Exam
California has special ethics requirements for CPA Candidates:
* California requires the Professional Ethics for CPAs (PETH) to be taken and it must be completed within 2 years after your submission of a license application.
Age & Residency Requirements
What are the age and residency requirements in California?
US Citizenship Requirement
You are NOT Required for California to be US Citizen to sit for the CPA exam, but require an Social Security Number (SSN) to become licensed.
Residency Requirement
California 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
California does not have a minimum age requirement to sit for the CPA exam
California CPA Exam Fees
How much does it cost to take the CPA exam in California?
California has fairly standard exam fee rates. If you need to re-take a part there is a $50.00 re-application fee that you will have to pay.
Initial Application Fee: |
$100.00 |
Audit: |
$195.35 |
Financial: |
$195.35 |
Regulation: |
$176.25 |
Business: |
$176.25 |
Total: |
$843.20 |
Special Fees: |
$50 first time fee |
Already Passed The CPA Exam in California? Here Are The CPA License Requirements
There are new requirements that went into effect on 1/1/2014
General requirements include:
* 1 year of accounting related experience (attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting)
* 500+ attest hours are needed if you want to sign attest reports
* Part time work is accepted and 170 hours is equivalent to one month of full-time employment
Public Accounting Experience Requirements include:
* Supervision by an "individual who holds an active license or comparable authority to practice public accountancy in any state or country."
Non-Public Accounting Experience Requirements include:
* Supervised and verified by a US CPA
* Second signature from direct report of your supervising US CPA
Out-of-State Experience Requirements include:
* The board of accountancy of the state where you worked must verify in written form that your supervisor held an active license during that time period and was eligible to practice public accounting.
California State Board Contact Info
California Board of Accountancy
2000 Evergreen Street, Suite 250
Sacramento, CA 95815-3832
Web: http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/
Phone: 916-263-3680
Fax: 916-263-3677
Email: examinfo@cba.ca.gov
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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