Indiana - Become a CPA

Are you ready to begin your career as a licensed CPA, but aren’t quite sure what you’ll need to do to make it happen? Here are the steps you’ll have to take before you’re able to get your certified public accounting licensure in Indiana.

Education Prerequisites

Prior to taking your CPA exam, you’ll need to satisfy the education requirements set by the Indiana Board of Accountancy. Before sitting for the test, potential candidates must obtain an Associate's Degree In Accounting and then a Bachelor’s degree (at minimum). Students must also complete 150 semester hours at a college or university accredited by one of the following organizations:

• • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools--Commission on Colleges

  • Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools--Higher Learning Commission

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges--Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges--Commission for Senior Colleges

Indiana requires CPA candidates to obtain their credit requirements in one of two ways.

Hold a graduate/master's degree with the following requirements met:

24 semester hours logged in undergraduate accounting courses OR 15 semester hours in a graduate accounting courses, including:

• • Taxation

  • Financial accounting

  • Consulting

  • Managerial accounting

24 semester hours logged in an undergraduate or graduate business or economics program, including:

• • 6 semester hours or fewer in business and tax law

  • 6 semester hours or fewer in computer science

Hold a bachelor’s degree with the following requirements met:

24 semester hours logged in undergraduate or graduate accounting courses, including:

• • Taxation

  • Financial accounting

  • Consulting

  • Managerial accounting

24 semester hours logged in undergraduate or graduate accounting courses, including:

• • 6 semester hours or fewer in business and tax law

  • 6 semester hours or fewer in computer science

For the second option, credits obtained in a two year programs, online courses, and correspondence courses are acceptable as long as they come from an accredited college or university.

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Sitting For Your CPA Exam

After you’ve completed your education requirements, the next steps will depend on each candidate’s individual situation.

Download an exam application or register online on the CPA Examination Services (CPAES) website.

If you’re still enrolled in college:

• • Request a copy of your transcript for submission to the Board, including the completion of a bachelor’s degree and 150 semester hours

  • Ask for a Certificate of Enrollment from the registrar’s office, fill out the top section, and return to university personnel to complete and send to the Board

  • Submit the $150 application fee

  • Submit an ADA Accommodation Form if you require any special disability accommodations

If you’re no longer enrolled in college:

• • Request a copy of your transcript for submission to the Board

  • Submit the $150 application fee

  • Submit an ADA Accommodation Form if you require any special disability accommodations

All correspondence, including applications and supplemental documents, should be sent to: CPA Examination Services, Indiana Coordinator, P.O. Box 198469, Nashville, TN 37219-8469.

Wait to receive your Notice to Schedule to arrive. Once you have that, you may schedule your exam date.

Use the Prometric website to schedule your test. You can take the exam in one of the following locations:

• • Evansville

  • Merrillville

  • Mishawaka

  • Terre Haute

  • Lafayette

  • Indianapolis

Be sure to arrive at your exam location at the scheduled time, prepared and punctual. You can expect to receive your scores within a few weeks of testing.

Required Work Experience

Before you can be licensed, you must first gain working experience as a CPA. Acceptable experience must include the following:

Complete two years of full-time work experience. This can be done in one of the following staff positions:

• • Accounting staff member or intern at a public accounting firm

  • Accounting or financial staff member for a government, industry, or nonprofit group

  • Consultant or advisor for operational, accounting, or financial matters

  • Staff instructor at a university or high school, either public or private

Multiple types of valid experience may be combined for a total of 24 months, with the exception of clerical positions held in an accounting or financial office. Any part-time employment must be converted into full-time hours for the sake of accurately calculating experience.

Your supervising CPA must complete the Verification of Experience form, which must be notarized and submitted to the Board. Give your manager a stamped envelope addressed to: Indiana Board of Accountancy, Professional Licensing Agency, 402 West Washington Street, Room W072, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Getting Your CPA Licensure

Once you’ve completed the education, examination, and experience pieces of the process, you can go ahead and apply for your Indiana CPA license.

Make sure all of the following have been completed before you begin your application:

• • Completed 150 semester hours and a bachelor’s degree (at minimum)

  • Submitted an official transcript to CPAES

  • Taken and passed the CPA exam

  • Completed two years of relevant employment (verified by a supervising CPA)

Fill out parts I and II of the Indiana State Accountancy Application after confirming that your transcript and employment verification have been submitted.

Send your application, supplemental documents, and application fees to: Indiana Board of Accountancy, Professional Licensing Agency, 402 West Washington Street, Room W072, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Maintaining Your CPA License

With evolving regulations and practices, it’s vital for CPAs to keep their knowledge up to date with continued professional education (CPE). You’ll need to complete the following to remain eligible for license renewal.

Every three years, CPAs must complete 120 hours of CPE under the following parameters:

• • Each year, you must complete at least 20 hours of CPE

  • 10 percent of your total hours must be from accounting or auditing classes

  • Four CPE hours must be in an accounting ethics class

  • One hour of CPE is the equivalent of 50 minutes of class time

  • No more than 50 percent of your CPE hours can be obtained through self-study

You can accumulate CPE hours by holding discussions or lectures, self-study (with verification of completion), or attending graduate school courses.

Make sure to document and keep records of the hours you’re eligible to receive for credit. Keep track of the following:

• • Dates of course attendance

  • Class locations and sponsorship

  • Hours spent on class materials

  • Certificate of course completion

It may be worthwhile to consider joining the Indiana CPA Society. You’ll stay in the loop when new rules and regulations hit the accounting and finance industries, and do plenty of networking along the way.

If you've decided to end up being a certified public accountant, you are starting a very long trip. To totally value the nature of the qualification, we need to take a brief scenic tour via the program of ending up being a CPA. For lots of people, what is required to end up being a CPA is simply obtaining a level in accounting or taking and also an exam. What's a lot more difficult is really recognizing just how to get your CPA certificate.

The procedure of obtaining a CPA license can be considered intimidating for some because it is so challenging to discover and also it's additionally tough to understand what you are actually doing. However, as you find out more concerning just how to get your CPA certificate, you will certainly begin to comprehend the processes that are involved. This is why you will locate all the info on the web relating to just how to obtain your CPA license has been assembled.

Allow's beginning with a consideration of what is needed for each and every action in the process. The first step is to obtain your accounting degree. To obtain your degree, you will certainly be needed to take the CPA exam, which is primarily a two-day test given by the National Commission on Public Certification (NCPAA). If you do not already have an accounting level, there are programs available that can help you finish the level at your own pace. As soon as you have actually finished your education, you will certainly be ready to take the CPA examination.

Step 2 is to take the examination. The exam includes forty multiple-choice concerns, and also these questions can be integrated to develop multiple-choice concerns, making for a challenging test. By passing the examination, you will obtain a certification of completion. If you do not pass the test, then you will certainly need to continue to take the exam until you accomplish a passing rating.

Tip three is to pass the test. You can obtain your certificate of completion if you pass the test, but you will still require to pass the NCPA assessment. However, the NCPA examination will not get on the same topic as the CPA test.

Tip four is to pass the NCPA evaluation. You will certainly require to take the National Chartered Accountants Examination, which can be taken from any one of the participant states, or you can take it online. The online test is the same as the actual test, except the inquiries will differ based upon the concerns made use of on the test.

Step 5 is to come to be a certified public accountant. In order to become a CPA, you need to take the 4 steps above, plus you should after that pass the four-step exam. The test contains 10 multiple-choice concerns, as well as they need to be addressed properly in order to come to be a CPA. Since this is an extremely extensive and detailed test, lots of people find it essential to obtain professional aid in the process of finding out just how to obtain your CPA license.

It's actually just a matter of hours before you are able to pass the test and also be able to take it, as well as getting this far is only a matter of time. There is a lot of info available, it's worth keeping all the information you can find, which can take you a few days to prepare.

This has to do with the moment when lots of people begin to consider their next major occupation activity. This post will certainly highlight 5 alternative career paths for Cpas to think about when they start to check out other opportunities. Originally, it may seem like company lending institutions and accounting specialists have very different personality kinds.

Nevertheless, this is in fact a substantial oversimplification that should not be a consideration for anybody considering a career modification. The technological skills you created as an accountant at a public accountancy firm are very valued in the financial market. Business lenders need to assess the credit report rating top quality of potential consumers. This asks for a solid understanding of monetary affirmations as well as likewise basic market problems.

This requires solid technological knowledge in addition to strong writing along with verbal persuasion skills. Public accounting specialists have all the technological skills to be reliable in this role. In addition, the prospect of establishing new capabilities in a different ambiance may be a wonderful approach to re-energize your profession if you actually seem like you're just experiencing the activities in your existing role.

If you are picked for a meeting, you will certainly require to supply considerable paperwork as well as additionally select a history check. Nonetheless, if you have the patience to undergo the testing treatment, you'll discover your abilities will definitely be very valued. After spending a couple of years in public accounting along with holding up against the extra human resources required during the tax obligation period, you may be planning for a feature that needs less hours as well as likewise a lot less tension.

As a public accountant, you have a distinct advantage for making this change because of the fact that you most likely presently acknowledge a series of companies that you have actually formerly dealt with as your customers. The substantial decision makers at those firms most likely currently recognize you and additionally have a convenience degree with your capacities.