Florida - Become a CPA

Becoming a Certified Public Accountant in Florida is simplified with our step-by-step guide to education, sitting for the CPA exam, work experience and continuing education.

Education Requirements

1. Enroll in an accredited university

The Florida Board of Accountancy accepts accounting degrees from schools that are accredited by select organizations. Confirm the institute you’re attending, or plan to attend, is accredited by one of the following:

• • Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges

  • North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

  • Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges

  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

  • Association of Independent Schools and Colleges regulated by the Commission of Independent Education

Academic accounting programs approved by the provincial educational body in Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and Australia are also acceptable.

If your educational institution is not accredited by one of the above organizations, you may still qualify to take the Uniform CPA Examination. In order to validate a non-accredited degree, you must complete the following:

• • Enroll in a graduate program at an accredited institution.

  • Complete 15 semester hours of graduate classes (must include nine hours of graduate-level accounting courses, three hours of graduate-level tax courses, and not duplicate any previously courses taken).

  • Have undergraduate (foreign) transcripts evaluated by a Board-approved service such as Foreign Academic Credential Evaluators, Inc. or Global Services Associates, Inc.

  • Submit the completed evaluation of foreign transcripts to the Florida Board of Accountancy.

2. Complete course requirements

CPA applicants must earn a bachelor's with a concentration in accounting and business. Learn more about the first goal in obtaining an undergraduate degree by getting your online associates in Accounting. The program must consist of at least 150 semester or 200 quarter hours and should include the following:

A minimum of 36 semester or 34 quarter hours of upper-division accounting courses

• • Taxation Accounting

  • Auditing

  • Financial Accounting

  • Cost and Managerial Accounting

  • Accounting Systems

  • Internship (maximum of three semester hours or four quarter hours)

At least 39 semester or 58 quarter hours of upper-division business education courses

• • Economics

  • Business Law (minimum of six semester or eight quarter hours)

  • Finance

  • Quantitative Application in Business

  • Management

  • Marketing

  • Real Estate

  • Insurance

  • Business Policies

  • Computers in Business (maximum of nine semester hours or 13 quarter hours)

  • Statistics (maximum of six semester hours or eight quarter hours)

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Exam Requirements

1. Complete course requirements

Applicants who intend to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination must complete at least 120 semester or 180 quarter hours. The program must include the following:

• • At least 24 semester or 34 quarter hours of upper-division accounting courses (taxation, auditing, cost/managerial, and financial)

  • At least 24 semester or 34 quarter hours of upper-division business education courses, including three (3) semester or four (4) quarter hours of business law courses

2. Apply to take the exam

You can apply to take the Uniform CPA Examination online or by downloading the application to send in the mail. Application requirements include:

• • $50 check made payable to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

  • Official school transcripts

  • Supporting legal documents (if applicable for background check purposes)

3. Pay your examination fee

You will need to wait for further instruction from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Once your application is approved, the Florida Board of Accountancy will notify the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as to which sections of the Unified CPA Examination you are eligible to take. The NASBA will then send you a payment coupon with instructions on how to pay your exam fees. Generally, you can pay by mailing a check, by credit card online, or by calling (866) MY-NASBA.

4. Schedule your exam date

Once your exam fee payment has been processed, you will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS). This should arrive within three to 10 days, depending on the method of contact you selected. Your NTS will list the sections of the examination you’re approved to take and will instruct you to schedule your exam date via Prometric. Be advised that Prometric does charge exam service fees.

A few exam scheduling tips:

• • Keep track of your NIT, as you’ll need it to enter testing centers.

  • Check the accuracy of your name.

  • Schedule early and have at least two backup dates per section.

  • Remember to bring two forms of identification, once of which must contain a recent photo.

  • If you require testing accommodations, schedule at least 10 days in advance.

While you should never apply for a section of the examination that you’re unprepared for, it’s important to remember that your NIT will expire. The Florida Board of Accountancy sets a time period (usually six months) during which testing must be completed. If you fail to complete your sections, you’ll receive no refund and reapplication will be necessary.

5. Wait for your results

Once you’ve completed the Unified CPA Examination, your responses are sent to AICPA for scoring. They are then forwarded to NASBA and the Florida Board of Accountancy. You’ll receive access to your scores within about 20 days.

Work experience requirements

1. Complete work experience requirements

To qualify for a CPA license in Florida, you are required to work professionally in a government, industry, academic, or public practice for at least one year. During this time, you should gain experience in accounting, attest, compilation, management advising, financial advising, tax, or consulting. A verifying CPA must confirm your work experience via a Certificate of Work Experience form.

Applying for your Florida CPA license

1. Verify you’ve met all requirements

In order to apply for a CPA license, you must meet the following requirements:

• • Successful completion of 150 semester hours or 200 quarter hours

  • Passing score on all four parts of the Unified CPA Examination (at least 75% within an 18 month rolling period)

  • One year of professional work experience, verified by a licensed CPA

2. Submit the initial CPA license application

You can apply for your initial CPA license by downloading the application and sending it to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation via mail. Application requirements include:

• • $50 check made payable to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

  • Official school transcripts

  • Completed Certification of Work Experience Form

Continuing Education Requirements

1. Complete CPE requirements

In order to maintain your CPA license in Florida, you need to meet the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations CPE requirements. Within each two-year renewal period, you must complete the following:

• • 80 CPE credits, including 20 hours in accounting and auditing and four hours of Board-approved ethics courses by June 30th of the renewal year

  • Pay a $105 license renewal fee

CPAs no longer need to submit proof of course completion, but should maintain documentation in case of a CPE audit. Failing to meet these requirements will put your license in delinquency.

If you are intending to end up being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), then it would be great to obtain the standard knowledge on what to anticipate from your first CPA qualification. Being a CPA is challenging and also there is a lot of hard work that requires to be done.

Coming to be a CPA needs many points as well as it's challenging for some. You need to have great presentation skills, the expertise regarding accounting and all the expertise in this field is highly specialized. You have to have enthusiasm for accounting and also this will certainly be shown by your efficiency as a CPA.

Coming to be a CPA is not that easy, yet the reward will certainly be well worth the effort. A CPA is among one of the most essential people in the accounting sector and they make certain that all the deals are correctly as well as accurately reported. They assist you pick how much money you can make with taxes and also other expenditures in your service.

As soon as you have actually ended up being a CPA, you need to make certain that you preserve an equilibrium in your finances as well as have the ability to stay away from debt. A CPA must have solid communication abilities as well as need to be able to analyze the information he/she has in order to come up with appropriate conclusions.

If you're running a small business and you still have a question regarding this, then you are required to search for the right devices that will help you obtain points organized and you'll have whatever that you require at your disposal. Because there are lots of skills needed for ending up being a CPA, you require to know how to choose the right one on your own.

Becoming a CPA does not simply mean you have to pass the CPA test or be licensed by the state. You will be a CPA when you get the appropriate training, correct accreditation and also proven methods that are based on the latest modern technology.

Currently, the demand for coming to be a CPA varies from one state to another, however in order to be a Certified Public Accountant in every state, you need to have specific qualities. Right here are some of the demands you require to know about:

First of all, there is a high expectation on certified public accountants in every state to recognize the accounting issues of the state. The CPA needs to prove to have in-depth knowledge of the process of accounting and also be in tune with all the rules as well as guidelines of the state. You have to show to be dependable, straightforward as well as confident, these are the qualities of a CPA.

Have an excellent character, you should be broad-minded as well as willing to learn. This will certainly assist you develop your abilities. If you are a really active professional, this skill will be extremely beneficial to you and also your family members.

As a CPA, you will certainly require to know the different methods as well as treatments of accounting and you will also need to recognize the procedures and regulations of the state. This indicates that you should have very good time management abilities and also have to have an excellent character to handle your clients.

In fact, you must reveal that you have great public connections and also communication abilities. When you have great communication abilities, you will certainly be able to connect well with your clients and companions as well as will have the ability to provide beneficial info as well as remedies to your clients and also various other participants of the industry.

Becoming a CPA can be an extremely rewarding experience since you can ultimately begin your occupation as a qualified professional accountant. So, just how do you tackle to end up being a CPA? Coming To Be a Certified Public Accountant is testing. It's hard to fulfill the numerous state demands, and passing the test is just one of the most challenging challenges you will certainly encounter. Said my previous associate: "It was the most awful experience of my life." I'm wrong below to inform you that becoming a CPA is straightforward.

Others just appear to have intellectual toughness in different other places. It's different for every person. Nonetheless if becoming a CPA stays in your future, you continue to be in best of luck. The economic benefits for a CPA are clear. CPAs usually make more cash for the precise same work than they would certainly if they did not hold the license, as well as it routinely enables them to safeguard work they would certainly not have the capacity to obtain without it. If you work in public book-keeping, you will definitely obtain useful therapy for being a CPA. If you select not to enter into public accounting, the advantages of being a CPA could be also greater.