Learn The 7 Simple Steps to Qualifying To Become A Licensed CPA in Pennsylvania:
- Meet The Education Requirements in Pennsylvania
- Submit Your CPA Exam Application in Pennsylvania
- Request Your College Transcripts in Pennsylvania
- Pay Your NASBA CPA Schedule Fees in Pennsylvania
- Schedule Your CPA Exam Sections At A Prometric Center in Pennsylvania
- Find A CPA Exam Mentor To Help You Pass
- Find A CPA Review Course To Study
If you would like a more detailed checklist to make this process even easier, please download your Free CPA Exam Application Checklist PDF below:
Pennsylvania Requirements Overview:
Pennsylvania's (PA) CPA exam requirements are very specific relating to accounting and business courses that are required to be taken prior to sitting for the exam.
Follow each caption below to ensure that you are qualified to sit for the exam.
Disclosure: Please note that I do my best to keep these requirements up to date but seeing as there are more than 50 states and nations with individual requirements it is difficult for me to keep up with them all. Please verify each requirement with your state board of accountancy to ensure 100% accuracy!
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Education Requirements
What are the education requirements in Pennsylvania?
150 Hours Requirement
PA does not require 150 hours to sit for the exam, but you will need 150 hours to become a licensed CPA.
NOTE: The PA State board refers to the CPA license as the “CPA certificate”. This is not to be confused with the CPA certificates available in two-tier states.
Accounting Course Requirements
PA requires 24 accounting credit hours with a bachelors degree. Required courses include accounting and auditing, business law, finance or tax subjects
Business Course Requirements
PA does not specify specific business courses required to sit.
Business Law Requirements
PA allows business law as part of your required accounting courses
Ethics Exam
No Ethics Exam Requirement
Age & Residency Requirements
What are the age and residency requirements in Pennsylvania?
US Citizenship Requirement
You are NOT Required for Pennsylvania to be US Citizen to sit for the CPA exam, but a SSN is required.
Residency Requirement
Pennsylvania does NOT require you to be a resident, employee, OR have an office in the state for you to take the CPA exam.
Minimum Age to Sit for the CPA Exam
Pennsylvania requires the applicant to be at least 18 prior to sitting for the CPA exam
Pennsylvania CPA Exam Fees
How much does it cost to take the CPA exam in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has fairly standard exam fee rates. If you need to re-take a part there is a $50.00 re-application fee that you will have to pay.
Initial Application Fee: |
$95 |
Audit: |
$195.35 |
Financial: |
$195.35 |
Regulation: |
$176.25 |
Business: |
$176.25 |
Total: |
$838.20 |
Special Fees: |
$50.00 Re-examination application fee |
Already Passed The CPA Exam in Pennsylvania? Here Are The CPA License Requirements
To obtain your CPA license PA requires:
Education:
- Obtain 150 credit hours from any regional accredited educational institution
-24 credit hours of accounting courses
-An additional 12 credit hours related to accounting, audit, or tax of a content satisfactory to the board.
Work Experience:
- 1 year of work experience related to your graduate or undergraduate degree
- 1 year of experience = 1,600 hours
- 400 hours must be related to audit activity in public or internal audit
- Your work must be supervised and verified by an Active CPA
Pennsylvania State Board Contact Info
Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy
2601 North Third St.
Harrisburg, PA
17110
Web: www.dos.state.pa.us/account
Phone: 717-783-1404
Fax: 717-705-5540
Email: ST-ACCOUNTANCY@state.pa.us
Email: cpaes-pa@nasba.org
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bryan Kesler, CPA is the founder of Kesler CPA Review & Ultimate CPA Exam Guide which earned him a spot on CPA Practice Advisor's Top 20 Under 40.
He has helped thousands of CPA candidates pass the CPA exam since 2013. You can contact him via email bryan@cpaexamguide.com
What's Next?
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