The information in this paper will give you a general idea of what it takes to be a licensed CPA in Colorado and California. Included in this paper are all current education requirements for Colorado and California. The current experience requirements, examination information, locations to take the tests and the cost of the tests are explained below.
Education
To begin with, Colorado requires you to have a baccalaureate degree and to have completed the following education requirements before July 2015: * At least 27 semester hours in Accounting subjects of which at least three hours must be in Auditing and the hours in Auditing must have addressed the GAAS * At least 21 semester hours must be in upper-division Accounting courses * At least 21 semester hours in related courses in other areas of Business
In Colorado, you can choose education in lieu of experience, additional education requirements include: * 30 additional semester hours in Non-duplicative study or a Master’s degree * 45 semester hours in Accounting subjects * 36 semester hours in Business-related subjects
Currently, in California, if you are planning to become licensed before January, 2014, you must have a baccalaureate degree and should have completed the following education requirements:
* At least 24 semester hours in Accounting subjects * At least 24 semester hours in Business-related subjects
Experience
If you would rather have experience in lieu of education, the requirements in Colorado are: * 1800 verifiable qualifying work hours
Currently, in California, you don’t have the choice of choosing education instead of experience. Experience requirements are as follows: * Two years General Accounting experience, which must include a minimum of 500 attest hours that must be authorized and signed.
National Examination Fees As of 2013, the fees for each part of the exam are as follows: * Examination Fee $150 * Auditing and Attestation Exam $190.35 * Business Environment and Concepts Exam $171.25 * Financial Accounting and Reporting Exam $190.35 * Regulation Exam $171.25 *
