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Indiana CPA Ethics Exam Requirements
While most states require ethics before licensing, Indiana candidates can become a CPA without it as there are no Indiana CPA ethics exam requirements. However, part of the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirement is to attend 4 hours of ethics every three years.
This article will help you to become a CPA in Indiana and is a requirement for you to take the Indiana CPA exam.
Summary of Indiana CPA Requirements
| Credit hours to sit for the CPA exam | 150 |
| Bachelor’s required to sit for the CPA exam | Yes |
| Credit hours in accounting subjects to sit for the CPA exam | 24 |
| Credit hours in business subjects to sit for the CPA exam | 24 |
| Total credit hours to receive a CPA license | 150 |
| Work experience required to receive a CPA license | 2 Years |
| Ethics exam required to get a CPA license | No |
| U.S. Social Security Number | Yes |
Indiana Education Requirements
If an applicant is interested in sitting for the CPA exam in Indiana, the Indiana CPA education requirements should be met. Some states allow students to sit for the CPA exam with 120 credit hours; in Indiana, students are not eligible to sit for the CPA exam until they’ve met the 150 semester hours requirement.
It is required that ALL CPA exam candidates have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university or institution. The candidate must meet ONE of the following requirements.
- Applicant must earn 150 semester hours in general education, which includes a graduate degree from college or university or institution that is accredited by the accrediting organization recognized by the Board, and completed:
- At least 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or 15 semester hours in accounting courses at the graduate level or an equivalent combination thereof which must include courses covering the following subjects:
- Financial accounting
- Auditing
- Taxation
- Managerial accounting courses and
- At least 24 semester hours in business administration and economics courses; aside from taking accounting courses at the undergraduate or graduate level, which are composed of the following:
- Six semester hours of business and tax law courses
- Six semester hours of computer science courses
- At least 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or 15 semester hours in accounting courses at the graduate level or an equivalent combination thereof which must include courses covering the following subjects:
- Applicant must earn 150 semester hours in general education, which must include a baccalaureate degree from college or university or institution that is accredited by the accrediting organization recognized by the Board, and completed:
- At least 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or graduate level, which must include the following subjects:
- Financial accounting
- Auditing
- Taxation
- Managerial accounting courses
- At least 24 semester hours in business administration and economics courses; aside from taking accounting at the undergraduate or graduate level, which are composed of the following:
- Six semester hours of business and tax law courses
- Six semester hours of computer science courses
- At least 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or graduate level, which must include the following subjects:
Transcripts
If an applicant completed the educational requirements at the time of application:
- Submit an official transcript from each school that you attended. Transfer credits are not acceptable. You must submit a transcript from each institution.
- The degree you earned must be posted on your official transcript.
- The official transcripts should be submitted directly from the institution.
- Electronically transfer of transcripts is acceptable provided that they are official.
- If the courses have been completed outside the U.S. for a school located on the U.S. campus, transcripts must be issued by the registrar from the U.S. campus. Transcripts from the campus located outside the U.S. will not be accepted.
If the applicant is currently enrolled in college or university at the time of application, you should:
- Submit a completed Indiana Certificate of Enrollment (COE) form and an official transcript from each school you attended.
- The Dean or Registrar should be the signatory of the COE.
- The COE and official transcript/s must be received directly from the academic institution.
- If the courses have been completed outside the U.S. for a school located on the U.S. campus, transcripts must be issued by the registrar from the U.S. campus. Transcripts from the campus located outside the U.S. will not be accepted.
If the applicant completed educational requirements at institutions outside the U.S., you are required to:
- Have your credentials evaluated by EITHER of the following services:
- Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
- Foreign Academic Credentials Service, Inc.
- Josef Silny & Associates, Inc., International Education Consultants
- NASBA International Evaluation Services
Transcripts must be sent directly from your school to CPA Examination Services. Transfer credits are not acceptable. Your application is incomplete until all transcripts have been received.
Coursework completed as part of a Chartered Accountant or similar program is considered professional training. Therefore, it will not be accepted toward the education requirements for the U.S. Uniform CPA Examination.
Pass the Uniform CPA Examination
The “Uniform CPA Examination”, which is a 4-part exam, is developed by the AICPA – the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and administered by NASBA – the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
The Four CPA Exam Sections are:
Auditing and Attestation (AUD)
The Auditing and Attestation (AUD) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) tests the essential knowledge and skills a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate when performing audit engagements, attestation engagements or accounting and review service engagements.
Newly licensed CPAs are required to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills related to professional responsibilities, including ethics, independence and professional skepticism. Professional skepticism reflects an iterative process that includes a questioning mind and a critical assessment of audit evidence.
- Understand the entity including its operations, information systems (including the use of third-party systems) and its underlying business processes, risks and related internal controls.
- Understand the flow of transactions and underlying data through a business process and its related information systems.
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)
The Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) tests knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate when performing:
- Audit, attest, accounting and review services
- Financial reporting
- Tax preparation
- Other professional services
The content areas tested under the BEC section of the Exam encompass five diverse subject areas. These content areas are enterprise risk management, internal controls and business processes, economics, financial management, information technology and operations management.
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)
The Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) assesses the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate in the financial accounting and reporting frameworks used by business entities (public and nonpublic), not-for-profit entities and state and local government entities.
The financial accounting and reporting frameworks that are eligible for assessment within the FAR section of the Exam include the standards and regulations issued by the:
- Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (U.S. SEC)
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
Regulation (REG)
The Regulation (REG) section of the Uniform CPA Examination (the Exam) tests the knowledge and skills that a newly licensed CPA must demonstrate with respect to:
- U.S. federal taxation
- U.S. ethics and professional responsibilities related to tax practice
- U.S. business law
Tips for Passing the CPA Exam
The CPA exam covers so many topics that you will need to study specifically for each section, usually for 6-8 weeks per section. Even a master’s degree in accounting doesn’t adequately prepare you to just walk in and pass the 4 CPA exams.
You will need a full review course such as Becker, Wiley CPA, Gleim, Roger, etc, and you will need to dedicate several hours a day over the course of months to even have a chance at getting passing scores.
How to Save Yourself MONTHS of Time and Frustration
Keep in mind that the CPA exam is the one part of getting your CPA license that you can control how long it takes. The education and experience requirements take as long as they take, but the CPA exams can take you as little as 6 months, or as long as multiple years… depending on how effective your study process is from the beginning.
Learn how to study strategically so you can save yourself tons of time and retake fees with this free training…
Indiana CPA Exam Cost Breakdown
The Indiana CPA exam cost consists of six main fees: an initial exam application fee of $170, a registration fee of $85, the $238.15 per CPA exam section totaling $952.60 for all four sections, a $75 fee on the license application, and lastly the license renewal fee of $50.
| Initial Exam Application Fee | $170.00 |
| Registration Fee | $85.00 |
| Auditing and Attestation (AUD) | $238.15 |
| Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) | $238.15 |
| Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) | $238.15 |
| Regulation (REG) | $238.15 |
| Total for all 4 CPA Exam Sections | $952.60 |
| CPA License Application Fee (Not for first-time applicants) | $75.00 |
| CPA License Renewal Fee (3 Years) | $50.00 |
Indiana CPA Experience Requirements
To meet the Indiana CPA experience requirements, candidates are required 24 months or two years of experience in government, academia, or public practice verified by an active CPA license holder.
Indiana CPA License Requirements
Once you complete the experience requirements, you are now ready to apply for that license. Please refer to the list of requirements to obtain an Indiana CPA license:
- Complete the application form. It must be submitted at MyLicense.IN.gov or mailed to the office.
- Application fee. No fee is required during submission of Application for first time applicants. For all others, the application fee is $75.00.
- Positive Response Documentation
- CPA Verification of Experience
- CPA exam grades from the state the exam/s were taken.
- Original Copy of Transcripts
- Verification of Licensure
- Issuance Fee
How to Save Yourself MONTHS of Time and Frustration
Keep in mind that the CPA exam is the one part of getting your CPA license that you can control how long it takes. The education and experience requirements take as long as they take, but the CPA exams can take you as little as 6 months, or as long as multiple years… depending on how effective your study process is from the beginning.
Learn how to study strategically so you can save yourself tons of time and retake fees with this free training…
