1. Meet the Education Requirements to Sit for the CPA Exam
To meet the California requirements to sit for the CPA exam, the California CPA education requirements must be attained first. For California applicants, you need a bachelor’s degree, 24 credits in accounting subjects, and 24 credits in business-related subjects.
2. Apply for the CPA Exam
You’ll need to create an account on the California Board of Accountancy (CBA) website at www.cba.ca.gov/cbt_public. Then you’ll complete the CPA exam application, and then print, sign, and mail the form and your transcripts to the CBA.
3. Sign up for the CPA Exam
Once the CBA has approved your application and transcripts, you can select the CPA exam sections you want to sign up for, then you’ll submit your payment coupon from NASBA, you’ll then receive your “Notice to Schedule” or NTS, and then you can schedule your actual exam on the Prometric website at www.prometric.com. Candidates have nine months to sit for the selected section(s), or the section fees are forfeited.
The California CPA exam fees include a $100 initial application fee, $50 reapplication fee, $262.64 per CPA Exam section, $1,050.56 for all four sections.
Click here to see a breakdown of the California CPA exam costs.
The California CPA exam fees include a $100 initial application fee, $50 reapplication fee, $262.64 per CPA Exam section, $1,050.56 for all four sections.
Click here to see a breakdown of the California CPA exam costs.
4. Pass the CPA Exams
After you pass your first CPA exam section, exam credits earned beginning in January 2024 are valid for 30 months.
5. Complete the 150 Credit Hour Requirement
Applicants must complete a baccalaureate or higher degree, 150 semester units, 24 accounting units, 24 business-related units, 20 accounting study units, and 10 ethics study units.
6. Complete the Experience Requirement
To meet the California CPA experience requirements, California requires at least one year of general accounting experience for CPA licensure.
Experience may include accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills and may be earned in public accounting, private industry, government, or teaching. Applicants seeking attest authority must also complete at least 500 hours of attest experience.
Experience may include accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills and may be earned in public accounting, private industry, government, or teaching. Applicants seeking attest authority must also complete at least 500 hours of attest experience.
7. Pass the California Professional Ethics Exam (PETH)
After completing the previous requirements, candidates must also meet the California CPA ethics exam requirements before you apply for your actual CPA license, you’ll need to take the California PETH examination. You can order the PETH examination at www.calcpa.org/ethics-exam.
8. Apply for your California CPA License
Once you’ve met all the requirements, you can apply for your CPA license at https://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/applicants/cpa-application.shtml.
The California CPA licensing fees include a $250 initial CPA application fee, a $340 initial CPA license fee, a $49 hard-copy fingerprint processing fee for non-California residents, and a $340 biennial license renewal fee.
The California CPA licensing fees include a $250 initial CPA application fee, a $340 initial CPA license fee, a $49 hard-copy fingerprint processing fee for non-California residents, and a $340 biennial license renewal fee.
