Alabama - Become a CPA
Becoming a Certified Public Accountant is not an easy task. In fact, it is one of the most difficult professional certifications to achieve, and it is highly regulated. Each state has its own unique standards, including Alabama. The Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy sets the standards for your education, professional experience, and testing leading up to the full CPA designation. You will want to take special care with each step of your education and training so that you achieve your goals quickly.
Education Requirements
Education is the largest part of the journey for a CPA. Alabama has very specific educational requirements and you should structure your college career according to those needs. Students beginning their career as an accountant with an Associate's Degree In Accounting (AA) diploma will learn some core accounting skills and requirements that will be expanded upon in future education advancement. As you work towards your bachelor of science in accounting degree, make sure you satisfy the following requirements:
9 credit hours of Financial Accounting
6 hours each of Auditing and Taxation
3 hours of Management Accounting
3 hours of Government and Non-Profit Accounting
6 hours of Electives in Accounting
27 graduate or undergraduate hours in Business courses
If you are in an online MBA accounting program with the end-goal of becoming a CPA, make sure that you satisfy these requirements. Note that if your undergraduate work included a few, but not all, of these requirements, you can complete your transcripts with accounting work at the graduate level. You can always discuss your transcripts with an academic advisor, or contact the Board to determine what requirements you still need to satisfy.
1. Accreditation
For your undergraduate degree, make sure that your college or university has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities, or a regional equivalent. If you are entering the field from graduate school, your program should be accredited in either business or accounting by the AACSB. If the AACSB did not accredit your graduate program, an equivalent is acceptable. Please discuss any other accrediting body with the Alabama board prior to application for a CPA license.
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Taking the CPA Exam in Alabama
All candidates looking to sit for the CPA examination must formally apply by including a completed, signed and notarized application with a 2” by 2” photograph attached, the necessary fees, and an official transcript from each institution of higher education from which applicable credits were earned.
All applicants must pay both an application fee and an examination fee, and can sign up to take one, two, three or four sections of the exam. Your Notice to Schedule is valid for six months after it is issued. The application fee is $120 and is required regardless of how many sections you take, and each section has an associated examination fee of $208.40.
1. Passing the exam
The Board will mail test scores as soon as they are received. You may take the exam sections in any order, once per each three-month window. If you do not obtain a passing score of at least 75, you are eligible to retake the exam section you did not pass within a rolling 18-month period. If you do not pass all sections within this 18-month period, any passing scores will be lost and the section must be retaken.
2.Test availability
Testing is not available in March, June, September or December, but may be taken at any time January-February, April-May, July-August, October-November.
The Uniform CPA Examination is administered by Prometric, and may be taken at any licensed Prometric center after you have received a Notice to Schedule from the board.
You must bring two forms of government issued photo id and your Notice to Schedule to your test.
Experience Needed
Alabama is considered a two-tier state. That means that you must complete both academic requirements (including the exam) and experience requirements if you wish to practice as a CPA. Without the work requirement under your belt, you can hold a certificate as a CPA, but not a state license. Though you may be able to do the work of a CPA, you will need a licensed professional to sign off on your work.
When you are in the field to become a CPA, you must work under a licensed CPA and complete a minimum of 30 hours per week. The state does not accept averages. The board does not require that your supervisor be licensed in Alabama, but they must be in good standing with whichever state issued their credentials.
1. Public Accounting
If you wish to become a public accountant, you will need one year of experience working in public accountancy. You must complete your 30 hours/week under the supervision of a CPA licensed in the field of public accounting. During this year, make sure you account for all of your experience. Log all hours spent performing tax services, consulting, and audits.
2. Industry or Business Experience
This specialty requires that you work for two solid years as a staff accountant for a private firm or supervisor qualified in industry or business accounting. During your tenure, you must be involved in the following:
Audits
Financial accounting
Installing internal control systems
Providing financial or management advice
Tax or other regulatory compliance
3. Government Experience
To qualify as a government accountant, you will need to work in a government agency responsible for auditing and other accountancy functions. A few examples include:
Internal Revenue Service
Alabama Office of the State Auditor
Defense Contracting Audit Agency
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Before you embark on experience towards licensure, make sure that your hiring agency, and supervisor, meets the requirements of the Alabama board.
4. Academic Experience
If your desire is to teach college or university level accounting as a licensed CPA, you must first teach with a CPA certificate. In order to satisfy Alabama's requirements, your experience should be for institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or a regional equivalent. If you are unsure whether your employer meets the requirements, consult with the Alabama board to ensure that your experience will count towards licensure in the state.
5. Documentation
You will need to account for your time working in the field before you qualify for licensure. Thus, as you accrue experience, you will want to be diligent in recording all of your duties. In this process, make sure that you delineate what time was spent in each area of accounting – auditing, consulting, tax accounting, installing controls, etc.
Once you have your time accounted for, and you have completed a full year of public accountancy, or two years in the other specialty areas, you should prepare a letter to the board. This letter should be addressed to the Executive Director of the Alabama State Board of Accountancy, dated, and include the following, on company letterhead:
Your full name
CPA number
Dates of employment
Job title
Job description
Contact information for the person signing off on your experience – phone and email address
Signature of supervisor or HR personnel, if your supervisor is not available
6. Residency
One of the core requirements for Alabama CPAs is residency. The State Board requires that you have residency in the state, hold a valid social security number, and be over the age of 19. If you move to Alabama, you will need to prove that you are a legal resident of the United States. Incoming CPAs also need to provide transcripts, test scores, and pay all applicable licensing fees to the Board.
Licensure Requirements
In order to attain full licensure in Alabama, you will need to satisfy certain requirements.
1. Transcripts
You must account for your education with full, official transcripts from every school you have attended. Your academic record should reflect 24 hours of accounting instruction above the introductory level, 9 hours in financial accounting, 6 hours studying tax accounting, 3 hours of auditing, 3 hours of management accounting, 3 hours of government or nonprofit accounting, and 3 hours of business law that concentrates on the Uniform Commercial Code.
Whether you are applying with an undergraduate or graduate degree, your college or university must be fully accredited. Your undergrad degree should carry an accreditation from a regional accreditation board and your graduate program should meet the standards for either business or accounting from the AACSB or its equivalent, as deemed by Alabama's board of accountancy.
2. Experience
Your practical experience should be accounted for in a letter to the Executive Director of Alabama's accountancy board. Remember that for a public accountancy, you will need one full year of experience at a minimum of 30 hours per week. If you wish to practice in industry, government, or the academic environment, you will need to complete two full years, at a 30hrs/week minimum. All experience must be under the supervision of a CPA licensed by a state board, not necessarily Alabama's.
3. Examination
The uniform CPA Examination is the ultimate test of your knowledge and accounting abilities. The test is provided by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA). It is comprised of four sections, each of which are alotted four hours:
Auditing and Attestation
Business Environment and Concepts
Financial Accounting and Reporting
Regulation
In order to sit for the CPA exam(s), Alabama requires that you first complete the education requirements.
4. Ethics Exam
Alabama is a state that requires all of its CPAs pass an ethics exam. You can take your time with this portion of your licensure application as you will have 2 years to pass with a score of 90. The test is also administered by the AICPA, who provides an 11-hour online preparation course that includes a practice test of 40 multiple-choice questions.
Continuing Education
To maintain your CPA licensure, you must continue learning and updating your knowledge of accounting. Alabama requires that CPAs complete a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education credit per year, every year, ending on September 30. At least eight of those hours must be in the field of accounting and auditing. The board limits behavioral coursework to eight hours.
There are associations, such as the Alabama Society of CPAs (ASCPA) who provide educational opportunities via in-person seminars, webinars, and self-study programs. Seminars are held at various conferences and stand-alone seminar sessions across the state year-around. You can also take courses through other associations or at a local college or university. You may even take courses online at universities in other parts of the nation.
If you decide to conduct independent study and writing, the Alabama board will recognize your time in completing published articles or books towards your CPE requirement. These materials must directly apply to the field of accounting and the board will determine how much credit is given. You can use published materials to count for up to one quarter of the total required CPE credits. Thus, any time you spend over 10 hours writing and researching a publication may not be counted.
Steps to Becoming a CPA, have gotten easier. As the passing of time progresses, we are also increasing the number of CPA exam questions and examinations, so the requirements for all of them become greater. Just like with every other area of the profession, there is no set qualification or standardized requirement for these examinations. There are tons of ways that you can learn how to become a CPA, one of which is to do a CPA certification program, which includes an introduction to the CPA exam, courses on accounting principles, accounting course materials and practice books. The online course is also popular among the people who want to work as Certified Public Accountants.
Even though most people believe that having a CPA license is the thing needed for working in the accounting field, you need not have it just because you are an accountant. In fact, you can already practice accountancy without the license. The requirements of CPA include the regularity of the education and training you've undergone, and if you've done your homework, you'll find the basic knowledge of all the accounts used in the industry. However, in case you are looking for an accredited path to becoming a CPA, you need to get a certificate from the CPA licensing board.
The public accounting certification is useful for the people who wish to work as CPA in the United States. It offers a good step for them to study accounting, to become familiar with the legal part of the business and learn how to read audited financial statements. With the certified public accountant, it's quite easy to move into business for yourself. A certification is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to becoming a CPA, so be sure to choose the CPA certification course that best suits your requirements and goal.
When you do your research for your CPA training, you will find the number of people who practice the accounting field has increased dramatically in recent years. Getting a certification can give you a boost and help you gain more clients, so you can do the necessary things and get more job opportunities. Any person wishing to do a degree or diploma program for getting Certified Public Accountant should ensure that the organization or training center they join has been accredited by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). There are also non-accredited programs available that might suit the needs of some individuals.
Always keep in mind that there are so many options available to you, so don't be afraid to look for one that fits your qualifications and goals. While you are studying for your CPA exam, be sure to do your homework and get as much information about the necessary things for accounting and the things that will be given to you on the examination. The better prepared you are, the more chances you have of getting the correct answers on the examination. This way, you can concentrate more on learning everything you need to know about accounting for becoming a CPA.
As part of a CPA certification, the training can be done online. But if you prefer a classroom setting, you can choose the ones that are offered by state colleges and universities. No matter what your choices, you can always get the Certified Public Accountant, which is quite hard to find these days because many people have stopped doing accounting jobs because of the recent economy. You can now also consider becoming one of them, and by doing this, you will have a chance to start up your own small business as a CPA.
The California Board of Accountancy states that all licensed public accounting professionals should contend at least a bachelor's degree level and 150 term units of education and learning as noted below. b. If you are still attending school or have actually just graduated, ensure that the California Board of Book-keeping will accept your university debts.
Coming to be a CPA requires a major investment and also cautious planning. Moreover, CPA candidates must meet specific education demands and likewise record any audit job experience. Thus, you need to recognize what is checked on the Certified Public Accountant exam and exactly how the examination is carried out through test centers. Utilize these ideas to earn a Certified Public Accountant permit and also kick-start a highly rewarding career! The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) determines what is checked on the CPA exam and also employs industry specialists as well as academics to compose examination inquiries.
You obtain your certificate by meeting the needs of your State Board of Accountancy; the website This Way to CPA discusses the demands for each and every state. Most states are moving towards a 150-hour Master's degree in accounting requirement to come to be a Certified Public Accountant. Each state provides the variety of bookkeeping courses you have to take and the kinds of courses.
Steps to Becoming a CPA, have actually obtained simpler. As the death of time proceeds, we are likewise raising the variety of CPA test concerns and also exams, so the demands for all of them end up being greater. Much like with every other area of the career, there is no set certification or standardized need for these exams. There are lots of ways that you can discover exactly how to become a CPA, one of which is to do a CPA certification program, which includes an introduction to the CPA test, programs on accounting concepts, accounting program products as well as technique books. The online program is additionally preferred among individuals who wish to work as Certified Public Accountants.
Although most people think that having a CPA permit is needed for operating in the accounting area, you need not have it just because you are an accountant. As a matter of fact, you can already exercise book-keeping without the license. The needs of CPA consist of the uniformity of the instructional as well as training you've undertaken, and also if you've done your research, you'll locate the basic understanding of all the accounts made use of in the sector. Nonetheless, in case you are searching for a recognized course to end up being a CPA, you need to obtain a certification from the CPA licensing board.
The general public accounting certification serves for individuals who want to work as CPA in the United States. It offers a good action for them to study accounting, to become accustomed to the legal part of the business and find out exactly how to check out audited financial statements. With the certified public accountant, it's rather easy to relocate right into the company for yourself. An accreditation is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to ending up being a CPA, so make certain to choose the CPA qualification training course that best suits your demands and objectives.
When you do your study for your CPA training, you will certainly discover the variety of individuals that exercise the accounting field has enhanced dramatically in the last few years. Obtaining a qualification can provide you a boost and aid you gain more clients, so you can do the needed points and also get even more job opportunities. Anyone wishing to do a degree or diploma program for getting Certified Public Accountant must make sure that the organization or training center they join has actually been recognized by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). There are additionally non-accredited programs readily available that might match the demands of some individuals.
Constantly keep in mind that there are so many choices readily available to you, so don't hesitate to try to find one that fits your qualifications and also objectives. While you are researching for your CPA exam, be sure to do your research and also obtain as much information about the required things for accounting and also the important things that will certainly be given to you on the evaluation. The better prepared you are, the more opportunities you have of getting the proper solutions on the evaluation. By doing this, you can concentrate extra on finding out every little thing you require to learn about accounting for becoming a CPA.
As part of a CPA certification, the training can be done online. But if you choose a class setup, you can choose the ones that are used by state schools. No matter what your choices, you can always get the Certified Public Accountant, which is fairly hard to discover these days since lots of people have actually quit doing accounting work because of the current economic situation. You can now also take into consideration becoming one of them, and also by doing this, you will have a possibility to start up your very own small business as a CPA.
The California Board of Book-keeping states that all accredited public accounting professionals need to complete at the very least a bachelor's degree level as well as 150 term systems of education as well as understanding as noted listed here. b. If you are still attending an institution or have actually simply finished, guarantee that the California Board of Book-keeping will certainly accept your university financial debts.
Becoming a CPA requires a major investment as well as additional mindful planning. Moreover, CPA candidates must meet specific education demands and also likewise tape-record any type of audit work experience. Thus, you are required to identify what is examined on the Certified Public Accountant test as well as exactly how the exam is accomplished through examination centers. Use these ideas to make a Certified Public Accountant license and likewise kick-start an extremely satisfying career! The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) identifies what is examined by the CPA exam as well as Likewise employs sector specialists along with academics to compose exam questions.
You acquire your certificate by satisfying the needs of your State Board of Book-keeping; the site This Way to CPA talks about the demands for each and every state. The majority of states are relocating towards a 150-hour Master's level in accounting need to come to be a Certified Public Accountant. Each state offers the selection of bookkeeping courses you need to take as well as the type of programs.