Utah CPA Ethics Exam Requirements [2023]

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Utah CPA Ethics Exam Requirements

To meet the Utah CPA ethics exam requirements and become a CPA, candidates will need to pass the Professional Ethics: The AICPA’s Comprehensive Course (For Licensure) with a score of 90% or higher. The course can be found on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) website and is self-study while the exam is an open book examination.

This article will help you to become a CPA in Utah and is a requirement for you to take the Utah CPA exam.

Summary of Utah CPA Requirements

Credit Hours to sit for the CPA Exam	120
Credit Hours in Upper-division Accounting courses to sit for the CPA Exam	24
Credit Hours in Non-accounting Business or related courses to sit for the CPA Exam	24
Credit Hours in Graduate or Upper-division Accounting and Business courses to sit for the CPA Exam	30
Bachelor’s Required to sit for the CPA Exam	Yes
Credit Hours to receive a CPA License	150
Ethics Exam	Yes
Work Experience	1 Year
Required CPE Hours Every Two Years	80

Education Requirements

To meet the Utah CPA education requirements, an applicant should hold a bachelor’s degree with 150-semester hour credits that comprise of specific subjects under the 24 semester hours in non-accounting business or related courses, 24 semester hours in upper-division accounting courses and 30 additional semester hours in graduate or upper-division accounting and business courses.

CPA Exam. In Utah CPA exam requirements, candidates are required to complete 120 semester hours to sit for the exam and must include the following:

24 semester hours upper division and graduate level accounting courses covering the following subjects:
- financial accounting,
- auditing,
- taxation, and
- management accounting; AND
24 semester hours in non-accounting business or related courses covering each of the following subjects:
- business law,
- computers,
- economics,
- business ethics,
- finance,
- business statistics and quantitative methods,
- written and oral business communications,
- business administration such as marketing, production, management, policy or organizational behavior;

Lower-division business courses are acceptable for the education requirement for the examination but may not be accepted for the education requirement for licensure.

CPA License. For potential Utah CPAs in the state, the board follows the 150-hour rule, which states that all candidates must finish 150 semester hours of college-level curriculum to qualify for a license. The 150 hours must contain one of the following:

Applicants holding a graduate degree in accounting or taxes from an AACSB- or ACBSP-accredited business school program will fulfill the Utah CPA requirements.
Applicants with an AACSB- or ACBSP-accredited Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree must have:
- At least 24 semester hours of upper-division or graduate-level accounting courses in financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
- As well as 15 semester hours of graduate-level accounting courses in the same subjects, or an equivalent combination of both graduate and upper-division accounting courses in these subjects.
Baccalaureate degree in business or accounting from an institution whose business education program is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), or the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and which includes no less than:
- 24 semester hours in upper division or graduate level accounting courses with at least one course in each of the following subjects: financial accounting, auditing, taxation and management accounting;
- 30 semester hours in upper division or graduate level business or accounting courses.
Baccalaureate or graduate degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting body with no less than:
- 24 semester hours in non-accounting business or related courses including each of the following subjects: business law, computers, economics, business ethics, finance, business statistics and quantitative methods, written and oral business communications, business administration such as marketing, production, management, policy or organizational behavior;
- 24 semester hours in graduate or upper division accounting courses with a minimum of 2 semester hours in each of the following subjects: auditing, financial accounting, managerial or cost accounting, systems, taxes; and
- 30 additional semester hours in graduate or upper division accounting and business courses.

Any clips, community college, online, or other non-traditional coursework may be accepted if the credits transfer to your accredited college or university.

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…

Utah CPA Exam Cost Breakdown

The Utah CPA exam cost consists of five main fees: the initial examination application of $145, the CPA exam registration fees which will depend on the number of sections taken, $238.15 per CPA exam section totaling $952.60 for all four sections, the CPA license application fee of $85, and the renewal fee of $50.

All first-time applicants are required to pay both an application fee and an examination fee upon submission of the first-time application. All re-examination candidates are required to pay both a registration fee and an examination fee at the time of registration.

Examination Application Fee	$145.00
Auditing and Attestation (AUD)	$238.15
Business Environment and Concepts (BEC)	$238.15
Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR)	$238.15
Regulation (REG)	$238.15
Registration Fees
4 Exam Sections	$110.00
3 Exam Sections	$95.00
2 Exam Sections	$80.00
1 Exam Section	$65.00
CPA License Application Fee	$85.00
Renewal Fee	$63.00

Utah CPA Experience Requirements

To meet the Utah CPA experience requirements, candidates need to have one year (2,000 hours) of accounting experience, obtained under the supervision of a licensed CPA. The experience should include providing any type of service that uses accounting, compilation, advisory, tax, or consulting.