How to Become a CPA in Maine 2024

To meet the Maine requirements to sit for the CPA exam, the Maine CPA education requirements must be attained first. For Maine applicants, you must have a bachelor’s degree or higher and have completed 15 semester hours in one or more of the topics on financial accounting and reporting for government and not-for-profit entities, auditing and attestation services, managerial or cost accounting, taxation, fraud examination, internal controls and risk assessment, financial statement analysis, accounting research and analysis, tax research and analysis, accounting information systems, and ethics relevant to the practice of public accounting. At least 3 semester hours must be earned in auditing and attestation services.

The first step to determining your eligibility is to register an account at CPA Central.

Then submit the necessary educational requirements to NASBA Advisory Evaluation at CPA Central and pay the $170 initial application fee.

You would need to have your college or university send your official transcripts through mail at:

CPA Examination Services – ME
PO Box 198469
Nashville, TN 37219

Or email it at etranscript@nasba.org

Once your educational requirements have been approved by NASBA advisory evaluation, NASBA will then send you an email notifying you that your payment coupon is ready for payment. You have 90 days to pay the fee.

Click here to see a breakdown of the Maine CPA exam costs.

Upon payment for the examination fees, you will receive a receipt of your NTS. Make sure that everything is correct as it will be used at the testing centers. If the names do not match, immediately contact the Board to request a correction. You will not be allowed to test if the name on the identification documents does not exactly match the name on the NTS.

With the NTS, then you can schedule your actual exam on the Prometric website at www.prometric.com.
You will have six months to apply and sit for your first portion of the CPA exam.

The CPA exam consists of the three core sections and candidates would need to select one of the three discipline to demonstrate deeper skills and knowledge, allowing candidates to choose a specialization. There is no set order in which the exam portions must be completed. You must pass each section with a score of 75 or higher within 18 months.

After passing the Uniform CPA Examination, you must complete the appropriate education requirements to become a licensed CPA, which totals 150 semester hours with a graduate degree.

You would need to have your college or university re-send your official transcripts to be re-evaluated through mail at:

CPA Examination Services – ME
PO Box 198469
Nashville, TN 37219

Or email it at etranscript@nasba.org

To meet the Maine CPA experience requirements, candidates must earn in the employment of a licensed public accounting firm with at least two years of experience under the supervision of a licensed CPA using accounting or auditing skills, including the issuance of reports on financial statements, and at least one of the following: the provision of management advisory, financial advisory or consulting services; the preparation of tax returns; the furnishing of advice on tax matters; or equivalent activities defined by the Board.

After you have completed your professional education, passed the exams, and retain the necessary work experience, you have fulfilled a majority of the CPA exam requirements. You can apply either online here or you can download the license application.

If you’ll be mailing your license application, you need to send it to 35 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0035 along with the total application fee of $56, which includes the criminal background check fee of $21. DO NOT SEND CASH. Either you pay by check (payable to Maine State Treasurer) or your credit card information (plus signature).

While most states require ethics before licensing, Maine candidates can become a CPA without it as there are no Maine CPA ethics exam requirements.

Now that you have completed all the necessary steps to be a Certified Public Accountant in Maine. You will be notified by the Maine State Board of Accountancy of any missing documents in your application. If the application is complete, you’ll be issued a license allowing you to practice. Your certificate will be sent to you through the mail.