How to Become a CPA in New York 2024, 10 Critical Steps

To meet the New York requirements to sit for the CPA exam, the New York CPA education requirements must be attained first. For New York applicants, you can sit for the CPA exam with 120 credits, as long as you’ve taken at least one class each in upper-division financial accounting, upper-division audit & attestation, taxation, and cost or management accounting.

After meeting the education requirements, you will register with NASBA to apply for the CPA exam. Have all your official transcripts sent directly from your college or university to CPA Examination Services (CPAES) at CPA Examination Services-NY, PO Box 198469, Nashville, TN 37219-8469. If your school offers official electronic transcripts, they may be emailed to etranscript@nasba.org.

Pay all fees at the time of application to NASBA. First-time applicants are required to pay both the education evaluation application fee $90 and an examination fee per exam of $344.80.

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

Wait for your application to be approved and once accepted, NASBA will email or mail you the Notice to Schedule (NTS). Upon receiving the NTS, schedule your exam online through Prometric. You are able to apply for one or more sections of the examination at a time. The NTS is valid for one testing event or six months and must be presented for entry at the testing center.

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 CPA exams, you need to acquire sufficient work experience in order to apply for and become a licensed CPA. The New York CPA experience requirement is one-year of full-time work experience in any of the following service areas: accounting, attestation, compilations, management advisory, financial advisory, taxation, and consulting. Experience must be documented and also supervised by a U.S. certified public accountant who is properly licensed in their jurisdiction. Both applicant and supervisor must fill out a Verification of Experience form and have the supervisor forward it to the New York board.

After fulfilling the experience requirement, apply for a CPA license through New York’s website. Fill out the questions on the site and attach the necessary documents. A license fee of $427 must be paid upon submitting your application for licensure.

New York CPAs will have to renew their license every three years. Licensees are required to accomplish both a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and an Ethics Requirement.

From January 1st through December 31st of each calendar-year, complete either 24 or 40 contact hours of acceptable formal continuing education. Twenty-four (24) if concentrated in one of the recognized subject areas or forty (40) in any combination of recognized subject areas. See approved list of CPE providers here.

While most states require ethics before licensing, New York candidates can become a CPA without it as there are no New York CPA ethics exam requirements. However, part of the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirement is to attend 4 hours of acceptable professional ethics completed every three calendar years. These credits may be counted toward your 24 or 40 CPE credits in the calendar year that you actually completed the ethics course. The course must focus on professional ethics and only an ethics course that is approved by NYSED is acceptable.

It is the licensee’s responsibility to maintain all CPE records they have completed. These documentations and records must be kept by the CPA for at least 5 years.

New York CPA Licensees must renew through the state board’s website every three years. Attach all documents supporting your completion of the CPE and Ethics requirements. Access more application information here.