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If you move to a different state, you will probably have to pay fees to your new home state. Depending on the nature of your practice, at some point you may have to pay a state board a reciprocal CPA license fee or pay for a reinstatement of your CPA certification or license. In addition to paying international fees, students in countries other than the United States have to undergo the NASBA International Evaluation. Country-specific requirements are available on their website.

• These costs are typically arranged in a tiered fashion allowing you to save money by signing up for multiple sections at one time.
• In Accounting degree program can help develop your leadership and career skills while you master the technician and non-technical aspects of accounting.
• However, some additional costs have been introduced to make it possible for students outside of the US to take the US CPA exam.
• According to the California Board of Accountancy (CBA), you must complete 24 units of accounting classes, 24 units of business subjects, and 150 units of any other subjects.
• So, it would seem that there are considerable savings to be made by opting to take all four sections together.
• Unlike some states, the state of Florida offers the CPA license to international students as well and you don’t necessarily need to be a U.S.

Additionally, each state has its own rules and charges, so this could also result in a higher (or lower) total cost. You also have to remember that you may not pass on your first attempt. This could mean additional exam fees and registration charges. However, the total expenditure for passing the CPA exam is a small fraction of the financial gains that you can make as a member of one of the world’s most respected accounting bodies. Over 40 of the state boards now require applicants for CPA status to complete a special examination on ethics, which is effectively a fifth exam in terms of requirements to become a CPA.

California Exam Fees

After receiving your test scores, you must wait 24 hours to reapply for the same section. The CPA certification process can be lengthy and challenging. The difficulty of the CPA certification process depends on your accounting skills and exam prep. Pass rates in 2023 for the four exam sections range from 41-58%. Note that you must obtain passing scores on all four individual sections of the exam to qualify for CPA certification.

Some evaluation bodies that can help you with this process include the World Education Services (WES) and NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES). CPA review courses may be essential to passing the CPA exam. These courses are designed to help you accelerate your progress and pass the CPA exam on the first law firm bookkeeping try. Featuring interactive software, video courses, reading material, test simulations and more, CPA exam reviews are a great tool to help you prepare for the exam. Depending on where you live, you may have to travel to take the test. This could incur additional costs in terms of travel and accommodations.

CPA Exam Retake Fee

Twenty-six of these state boards use the AICPA’s Professional Ethics course to fulfill this requirement, and that course costs $149 for AICPA members and $189 for non-members. Most state boards require CPA candidates to have 120 credit hours of education in order to sit for the CPA Exam. If you need to take some additional accounting courses to meet this CPA education requirement, you’ll have to spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. When you apply to take the CPA Exam, you must pay an application fee and an examination fee.

• For those renewing their CPA license in 2023 this means all CPE hours must be completed beginning January 1, 2021 and ending December 31, 2022.
• These certifications each carry different costs to achieve and have different levels of prestige and career paths.
• Some universities offer a 5-year combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program, allowing a student to earn both degrees while receiving the 150 hours needed for exam eligibility.
• Their review course focuses on higher-order cognitive skills and following the AICPA blueprint as closely as possible for maximum success.

Passing the CPA exam involves completing 4 tests with a minimum score of 75 on each. These are the Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), and Regulation (REG) exams. California has strict education requirements for anyone interested in becoming a CPA.

#2: CPA Exam Application Fee

Instead, you must keep in mind that the CPA certification is well worth every penny you spend because it pays for itself with dividends for the duration of your career. Therefore, you should use this heads-up to develop a budget that accounts for all the CPA costs you may encounter. Because you’re an accountant, I’m sure you’ll be able to adequately prepare your funds once you learn all about the cost of the CPA. The application and registration fees are the fees that everyone must pay at least once. Many people are unable to pass one or more modules on their first attempt and must reapply to take the module over.

Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master’s in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses.

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Follow these steps to make sure your application process goes smoothly the first time. However, it is important to remember that your state may specify a different validity period for the NTS. Therefore, you should check this before you pay your registration fees. An individual who has a CPA license will be eligible for a wide range of jobs that require expertise in accounting.

CPA certificate
Once you’ve passed the exam and met the other requirements for certification, you’ll apply for a CPA certificate through the Minnesota Board of Accountancy. While you might not need an accounting specific degree, most states require you to have completed at least 150 credit hours of education (usually a Bachelor’s Degree is around 120 credit hours). Be sure to check your state’s specific requirements as you begin to formulate your plan. So, it would seem that there are considerable savings to be made by opting to take all four sections together. The Notice To Schedule (NTS) that you receive after paying your fees is valid only for six months. Consequently, if you don’t take all four sections in these six months, you will have to pay your exam fees and your registration fees once again.