CPA Requirements California

The CPA exam requirements are mandated on a state level by your Board of Accountancy.  The general requirements do not differ drastically throughout the United States and US territories, but there are some differences so it is important to get the specific CPA requirements for your state.  The requirements below are the requirements set forth by the state of California in order to take the CPA exam.  Licensure may require additional or other steps to be taken, but the below outline is what is required in order to sit for the CPA exam.

Education

For the CPA requirements California, it is not required to prove US Citizenship or be a resident in the state in which you are applying.  You are also not required to have the typical 150 credit hours of school, but are required to have a Bachelor’s degree, in which at least 24 credit hours were obtained in accounting and 24 credit hours were obtained in business related courses.

There are 2 pathways to obtain CPA licensure in the state of California.  Pathway 1 requires 150 semester hours, and pathway 2, as stated above, only requires a Bachelor’s degree and the specific credit hours as mentioned above.

Experience

The CPA requirements California offer 2 routes or “pathways” to obtaining CPA licensure.  Pathway 1 requires 2 years of general experience, and pathway 2 requires 1 year of general experience.  The experience must be approved by your Board of Accountancy and you must be working under a licensed CPA in order for the experience to be relevant.  This is much like an apprenticeship.

Exam Fees in California

Exam fees also differ from state to state.  The CPA requirements California exam fees are as follows:

Initial Application Fee is $100.00 for any exam.

Audit: $207.15

Financial: $207.15

Regulation: $185.10

Business: $185.10

The re-examination application fee is $50.00.

For a general overview of CPA requirements please search the site.

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