Georgia - Become a CPA

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that demand for accountants will grow 10% between 2016 and 2026, which is faster than the national average for all careers. The rate of growth is much higher in Georgia specifically where it's projected at 23% between 2014 and 2024. By that time there will be 49,160 professionals employed in the state earning a median wage above the $68,990 estimated in 2016. Take advantage of growing job opportunities and salary expectations by learning how to become a CPA in Georgia.

Education Requirements

All CPAs must be licensed by the state of Georgia in order to practice legally. In order to earn a license, candidates must have minimum levels of education and expertise in particular accounting topics. Meeting certain education requirements is also a requirement of the Uniform CPA Exam, another important step towards licensure. One of the first steps to becoming a CPA is to earn an Associates in Accounting by attending an accelerated program for accounting degrees. Follow these steps to satisfy the state's requirements:

Select a college or university in Georgia that offers courses in accounting. The school must be accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency in order to be recognized by the Georgia State Board of Accountancy. Keep these other considerations in mind:

• • CPA review courses offered though accredited colleges and universities are acceptable as long as students receive college credit.

  • CPA review courses offered through commercial outlets are not acceptable.

  • Online and correspondence courses are acceptable as long as college credit is granted.

  • Accounting internships are acceptable but may only constitute two courses on a college transcript.

  • Upper-level accounting courses offered though two-year or junior college are acceptable as long as credit for those courses is recognized by a four-year college or university.

  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) courses are not recognized.

Earn at least 150 semester hours and be awarded a degree by a four-year college or university . Some of that credit must apply to specific topics:

• • 30 semester hours in accounting above the introductory level. Examples of upper-level subjects include taxation, corporate accounting, government and non-profit accounting, business law, and accounting ethics among many others.

  • 24 semester hours in business-related subjects. Examples include marketing, management, ethics, international business, economics, computer science, and many others.

Students who earned an accounting degree from an international institution must contact the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) to request an education evaluation. This determines whether foreign degrees/coursework meet the standards of accredited American institutions. If a degree is determined to be equivalent, the NASBA informs the CPA Examination Services that a candidate has met the education requirements in Georgia.

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Exam Requirements in Georgia

• • CPA candidates in Georgia must take and pass an exam designed to demonstrate basic competence and mastery of core concepts. In order to be eligible for the exam a candidate must have earned a Bachelor's degree with at least 20 semester hours of upper-level accounting coursework. Once eligible, follow these steps:

  • Download an official application form or register online with the CPA Examination Services (CPAES).

  • Collect the documents necessary to include with the official application:

  • An official college transcript – This may be submitted by the applicant rather than the college or university.

  • A foreign education evaluation from if applicable.

  • An ADA accommodation form, if applicable.

  • The application fees, payable by check, money order, or credit card to the CPAES.

  • Mail all relevant application documents to CPA Examination Services - GA, P.O. Box 198469, Nashville, TN 37219.

  • Look for a Notice to Schedule (NTS) to arrive via mail, fax, or email from the NASBA. This simply informs candidate they have met the requirements for testing and are allowed to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam.

  • Sign up for a time, date, and test-taking location on the Prometric website. Testing locations include:

  • Atlanta

  • Athens

  • Augusta

  • Columbus

  • Macon

  • Savannah

  • Smyrna

  • Valdosta

Prepare for the exam and arrive at the testing location on the correct date. The exam requires a significant personal and financial investment and it also essential for CPA licensure, which is why passing on the first time is a priority.

Wait to hear back about the exam results. Official results are sent through the mail, but scores are posted online 48 hours after the exam is administered.

Experience Requirements

All licensed CPAs in Georgia must acquire extensive on-the-job experience in order to learn real-world, hands-on skills. Candidates have several options for where, when, and how they acquire this experience.

Option 1 : Work for one year (2000 hours) at a public accounting firm in Georgia:

• • The experience must be supervised by a CPA with an active Georgia license.

  • Candidates must work as a staff accountant handling things like attestation, compilation, financial advisory, tax preparation, or consulting.

Option 2 : Work for one year (2000 hours) at a public accounting firm in Georgia:

• • The experience must be supervised by a CPA with an active Georgia license.

  • Candidates must work as a staff accountant handling things like attestation, compilation, financial advisory, tax preparation, or consulting.

Option 3 : Work for one year (2000 hours) at a business in Georgia:

• • The employment must be at a federal, state, or local agency that is supported by public funds and participates in accounting and auditing.

  • Anyone employed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must be a GS-11 or higher for the experience to count.

Option 4 : Work for one year (2000 hours) at a public accounting firm in Georgia:

• • Candidates must teach accounting at a four-year college or university.

  • At least two of the courses taught must be at an upper level.

  • Candidates must teach at least 24 semester hours within a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 36 months.

  • Courses must be directly related to accounting. Topics like finance, economics, or statistics are not considered applicable.

Document any professional experience using one of two options:

• • Complete the first page of the Certificate of Experience form found in the CPA certificate packet. The employer completes the second page and returns the entire document to the candidate in a sealed envelope.

  • Verify the professional experience online as part of the digital CPA application. Verification includes the Supervisor's name, CPA license number, issue date, and expiration date. If the licenses was awarded in another state it must be verified using the Employer’s Licensure Verification form in the application packet.

Licensure Requirements

After completing all of the requirements outlined above, candidates are ready to formally apply for a CPA license in Georgia:

• • Request a print or digital application packet from the NASBA. In addition to the complete application, candidates must submit the following documents:

  • A Certificate of Expertise completed by the candidate's supervisor and contained in a sealed envelope.

  • An official college transcript contained in a sealed envelope.

  • The Employer Verification Form if the supervisor's license was issued in another state.

  • A signed consent form authorizing the board to perform a background check.

  • Payment for all relevant fees. Payment should be made to NASBA Licensing Services in the form of certified check, money order, or credit card.

  • Send the application and all relevant supplemental documents to NASBA Licensing Services – GA, P.O. Box 198589, Nashville, TN 37219.

  • Wait to receive official notification from the NASBA that the license application has been reviewed and approved.

  • Candidates who have a CPA license in another state may be able to get a reciprocal license as long as they meet the conditions below. If so, the licensure application process is largely the same, but applicants must include an Authorization for International Exchange form permitting the state board to request information from another jurisdiction.

  • States that offer reciprocal licenses to Georgia CPAs.

  • Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are excluded.

  • Candidates who already meet Georgia's requirements for education, examination, and experience.

  • Candidates who establish residence as well as a primary or occasional place of business.

Candidates who have a CPA license in another country may also be able to get a reciprocal license. Georgia specifically recognizes licenses issued in Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Hong Kong, and New Zealand with some exceptions. Candidates who are able to provide a letter of good standing from the original licensing office are permitted to take the International Qualification Examination and expedite the application process.

Continuing Education Requirements

Georgia does not renew a CPA license until a candidate has satisfied particular requirements for continuing professional education (CPE):

CPAs must complete 80 hours CPE every 2 years while meeting certain conditions:

• • 16 hours of CPE must be dedicated to accounting and auditing specifically.

  • CPE is not required if a CPA license is less than one year old. If a license is less than two but more than one year old the CPA is required to complete 40 hours of CPE with 20% focused on accounting and auditing.

  • CPAs must earn at least 20 hours of CPE each year. Up to 15 hours may be carried over to the next two-year period.

  • CPAs over the age of 70 are exempt from the CPE requirement.

  • CPE hours must also meet certain conditions:

  • Approved subjects include accounting, auditing, taxation, computer sciences, mathematics, ethics, business management and most accounting-adjacent topics.

  • CPE must be offered through approved providers. These include colleges and universities, professional organizations, and independent study programs. The state board does not pre-approve CPE providers, but professional accounting organizations throughout Georgia do maintain lists of acceptable sources of CPE.

CPAs must maintain detailed records of all CPE hours earned going back a minimum of five years. Records must include the following information:

• • The name of the sponsoring institution, firm, or program

  • The location of the program

  • The title of the program and a description of the content

  • An outline of the program

  • The dates attended

  • The number of CPE hours earned

  • •of of program completion.

Individuals question why I should become a CPA? Not every person is suitable for accounting, and also there are numerous job paths that will certainly attract those who are.

Most cities have local public accounting firms that do the hiring. If you intend to operate in one of these places, you will certainly have to have some fundamental accounting training. The most effective method to get started is to enroll in an accounting program at an area university.

Once you do that, your next action is to decide if you wish to be a CPA. There are three ways to go about this, and these are:

Accountant colleges- While not all accounting schools are alike, a lot are respectable. The training is generally needed to be in good standing, and the hours you spend on training is an important part of getting a job. This can set you back a little bit of money, yet the overall effect will certainly pay off. Accountants normally make around $44K a year, that makes it rather an excellent living.

Internships- Among the various other methods to get a job is to be an intern, either for yourself or for somebody else. This is much less usual than trainees obtaining tasks, but there are some businesses that are looking for trainees, so look for these organizations if you wish to obtain a teaching fellowship.

One of the most usual methods of coming to be a certified public accountant is to take the CPA examination. The excellent aspect of this is that once you pass the examination, you are right away accredited. Currently you need to make a decision how long you intend to take to come to be certified public accountants. Normally this would have to do with 4 years to a little over a year.

You will start with info on the fundamentals, such as just how to run your economic documents. Once you have been via all the basic procedures, you will certainly move onto the technical evaluation. The next step is the location in which you will certainly start to cover a wide variety of monetary records. This consists of such points as tax as well as banking.

As a small company proprietor, you will be responsible for tax obligation administration, in addition to account keeping. You will also need to monitor financial resources for the firm, which will be very beneficial to the company. There are also various non-profit organizations that will certainly hire certified public accountants. These organizations typically do not have the money, yet will take care of all their books.

Bear in mind, the reason you want to end up being a CPA is because you want to help people as well as provide information for the community. Accounting is an easy occupation course, as well as you can do it by taking classes at school.

All Certified public accountants are accounting experts, yet not all accountants are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). The key differences between accounting experts as well as Certified public accountants are education, experience, along with opportunity. Becoming a CPA is a challenging goal, nevertheless one exceptionally much within your reach. In order to wind up being a Certified Public Accountant, there are education and learning and experience demands you'll call for to satisfy, in addition to an Attire Certified Public Accountant Examination that you ought to pass.

Certified public accountants are numerous factors. They are key financial officers for Fortune 500 organisation as well as advisors to little location companies. They benefit public bookkeeping firms, both small along with significant. They are well-respected strategic organisation advisors in addition to decision-makers. They function as experts on lots of concerns, containing tax responsibilities as well as book-keeping. A Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, is a counted on financial expert that aids people, businesses, along with various other companies prepare as well as reach their economic purposes.

It's an exceptionally tough expert track, yet the reward is that Certified public accountants are thought about among the most trusted experts in service. Together with completing solutions and also audit programs in college and also passing an extensive across the country test, Certified public accountants continue to keep as well as update their skills as part of their dedication to a definitely vibrant profession.

As soon as you have really gotten your Certified Public Accountant allowed to exercise, you will definitely require to take proceeding expert education and learning courses every year to maintain your permit. To equivalent brand-new growths in service along with modern technology, a bulk of states call for 150 credit rating hours of education and also discovery at an approved university or college as a prerequisite to CPA credentials.

You do not need to go into public audit when you obtain your Certified Public Accountant permit. Even if you do not intend to profit from the Huge 4 or go the general public course does not indicate your authorization isn't useful almost all over as well as anywhere else! Numerous companies from different markets still call for experienced economic employees to handle their account( s), as well as additionally are much more prepared to employ Certified public accountants.