Table Of Contents
New York CPA Exam
New York CPA (Certified Public Accountant) License is an official accounting certification compulsory to work as a CPA in the U.S. province. New York renders the CPA License to professionals complying with its exam, education, and experience requirements. Being the U.S. financial hub, opportunities abound for licensed accounting professionals in the state.
The Empire State administers a one-tier licensing strategy. Therefore, you would be certified and licensed simultaneously after passing the CPA Exam and meeting other qualifications. Note that the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) is the sole authority for CPA licensing in the state.
The U.S. jurisdiction conducts the CPA Exam at international locations as well. Here is an outline of the New York CPA exam and license requirements.
Particulars | New York CPA Exam Requirements | New York CPA License Requirements |
Minimum Age | 21 | 21 |
U.S. Citizenship & Residency | Not Required | Not Required |
Social Security Number | Not Required | Not Required |
Education | 120 semester hours/150 semester hours/15 years public accounting experience | 150 semester hours |
Exam | Schedule and take all sections within 18 months | Pass all four exam sections with 75 points in each |
Experience | - | 1 or 2 years |
Ethics Exam | - | None |
Contents
New York CPA Exam Requirements
New York CPA License Requisites
New York CPA Exam Requirements
The Uniform CPA Examination is a multi-part computer-assisted test. It evaluates the candidate’s potential to pursue public accounting in the U.S. It is considered one of the most challenging professional exams.
It is developed and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in cooperation with the National Association of State Boards of Public Accountancy (NASBA).
The four CPA exam sections are Business Environment & Concepts (BEC Exam), Regulation (REG Exam), Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR exam), and Auditing & Attestation (AUD Exam). Each examination part is four-hour long. It encompasses five testlets featuring three question types.
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and task-based simulations (TBSs) are included in all sections. At the same time, written communication tasks (WCTs) are only covered in the BEC section.
Please note that you have a rolling 18-month window to pass all four sections successfully. Ensure to score at least 75 points on a scale of 0-99 in each part.
Particulars | Details | |
Exam Application Regulatory Body | CPAES | |
Passing Score | Minimum 75 points in each section | |
Exam Sections | 4 | |
Timeframe | 18-month rolling period | |
Exam Duration | 16-hour (4 hours per section) | |
Exam Regulators | AICPA, NASBA, & Prometric | |
Required Documents | Official School Transcript(s) | |
Foreign Evaluation Report with Foreign Documents | ||
NY State Registered Program Form | ||
Testing Accommodations Request Form | ||
Fees | Initial applicants | $952.6 |
Re-exam applicants | $1,037.6 approx. (as per the number of sections to re-take) | |
Eligibility Requirements | 120 semester hours | |
150 semester hours, or | ||
15-year public accounting experience |
Eligibility Requirements
New York CPA License candidates planning to sit for the exam must take one of the following requirement pathways:
- 120-semester hour pathway
- 150-semester hour pathway
- 15 years of public accounting experience pathway
The details are as follows:
Particulars | 120 Semester Hour Pathway | 150 Semester Hour Pathway | Public Accounting Experience Pathway | |
Conditions | Candidates who applied for CPA licensure or completed the required education before August 1, 2009, must satisfy one of the following options: | Candidates who did not apply for CPA licensure or who completed the required education after August 1, 2009, must fulfill each of the following prerequisites: | Candidates who applied for CPA licensure or completed the required education after August 1, 2009, with 150 semester hours, must meet one of the following: | Gain 15 years of state-board-approved public accounting experience. |
Option 1 | Complete the registered 120-hour program authorized by NYSED (reviewed by CPAES) |
| Complete the registered 150-hour program authorized by NYSED (reviewed by CPAES) | - |
Option 2 | Hold a bachelor’s degree with an accounting major from a college or university approved by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) | - | Hold a master’s degree with an accounting major from a college or university approved by the AACSB | - |
Option 3 | Hold at least a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 120 semester hours in the following areas: | - | Hold at least a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 150 semester hours (225 quarter hours) in college-level education, including | |
24 semester hours in accounting with:
| ||||
33 semester hours (49.5 quarter hours) in accounting with:
| ||||
21 semester hours in business and accounting,
| ||||
36 semester (54 quarter) hours in general business |
Note that you must also cover Communications and Ethics & Responsibilities subjects in either business or accounting. Also, the public accounting experience must meet the following requisites:
- A U.S. CPA or New York Public Accountant (PA) must directly supervise the experience.
- It must involve the implementation of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Generally Accepted Accounting Standards (GAAS). Also, it must include the preparation of auditing & financial statements.
- The supervising CPA must submit the Verification of Experience Form to the NYSED.
On meeting all requisites, submit the online application, fees, and documents to CPA Examination Services (CPAES). For the complete process, kindly visit the NASBA portal.
NASBA Advisory Evaluation service is also available to determine any educational flaws in your documents before the final submission.
Fees
Initial exam candidates:
Particulars | Examination Fees | Total Fees |
Application Fee | - | $170 |
Registration Fee | - | - |
Exam sections | - | - |
AUD | $238.15 | - |
BEC | $238.15 | - |
FAR | $238.15 | - |
REG | $238.15 | $952.6 |
Total Fees | $952.6 | $1,122.6 |
Re-exam candidates:
CPA Exam Sections | Exam Fees (per section) | Total Exam Fees (all sections) | Application Fees | Total Fees |
4 exam sections | $238.15 | $899.96 | $85 | $984.96 |
3 exam sections | $238.15 | $674.97 | $85 | $759.97 |
2 exam sections | $238.15 | $449.98 | $85 | $534.98 |
1 exam sections | $238.15 | $224.99 | $85 | $309.99 |
New York CPA aspirants can’t withdraw from the licensure test or request to extend their Notice-to-Schedule (NTS). However, they may receive a partial examination fee reimbursement or request an NTS extension under drastic scenarios.
Both examination and application fees are non-refundable. So, only sign up for the section(s) that you can take up in the six-month NTS validity period.
Required Documents
Below-mentioned is the checklist for the required documents.
Please note that only original transcripts are official and acceptable.
New York CPA License Requisites
Now that we have elaborated on the exam requirements let's move on to the prerequisites for a New York CPA License. They are as follows:
- Prove good moral character
- Be a minimum of 21 years of age
- Complete 150 semester hours
- Pass each of the four CPA exam sections
- Obtain 1 or 2 years of relevant work experience
Please note that Social Security Number (SSN) is used, however not mandatory, for CPA applicants. Moreover, CPAES assigns a unique computer-generated number for applicants without SSNs.
Apply for the CPA License through NYSED along with the required forms. Please check the official website for the complete procedure.
Required Forms | Services |
Form 1 | Application for Licensure & Fees ($427) |
Form 2 | Certification of Professional Education |
Form 3 | Certification of Out-Of-State Licensure and Examination Grades |
Form 4B | Verification of Experience by Supervisor |
Know that the licensure fees are subject to change. Hence, check with the NYSED before the final submission.
Education Requirements
New York CPA aspirants can complete their education requisites through one of the two pathways:
#1 - 150 Semester Hour Pathway
The required hours must be obtained from one of these programs:
- NY State Licensure Qualifying Registered Programs - Complete an accounting program registered by the NYSED as licensure-qualifying.
- AACSB Programs - Complete a master’s degree in accounting from an AACSB institute accredited in business and accounting.
- All other Programs - Complete a postsecondary education regarded as substantially equivalent to the programs registered with the NYSED. It includes a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institute by NYSED-approved agencies.
Note that the 150 semester hours must include:
- 33 semester hours in accounting with at least one course in the first four listed subjects:
- Financial Accounting & Reporting
- Cost or Managerial Accounting
- Taxation
- Auditing & Attestation Services
- Fraud Examination
- Internal Controls & Risk Assessment
- Accounting Information Systems
- 36 semester hours in general business electives in any combination of the following subjects:
- Business Statistics
- Computer Science
- Finance
- Marketing
- Organizational Behavior
- Quantitative Methods
- Business Law
- Economics
- Management
- Operations Management
- Business Strategy
- Information Technology & Systems
The subjects must also incorporate business or accounting communications, accounting research, and ethics & professional responsibility as stand-alone or integrated courses.
#2 - 120 Semester Hour Pathway
The following candidates can apply through the 120-hour pathway:
- Candidates who are not licensed in another state and have applied for licensure by finishing their education before August 1, 2009. Such candidates have deemed grandparents into the 120-semester-hour pathway.
- Candidates who were licensed in another state before August 2009 but did not have four years of experience in the preceding ten years.
Candidates eligible for grandparenting may complete additional coursework and get their education re-evaluated to apply through the 150-semester-hour pathway.
Exam Requirements
NY CPA aspirants must score 75 points or more in each of the four CPA Exam sections. Please note that you have a rolling 18-month period to conclude the licensure test. Refer to the New York Exam Requirements section for more details.
Experience Requirements
The following are the experience requisites:
- 120-semester hour pathway applicants - Gain at least two years of part-time or full-time work experience.
- 150-semester hour pathway applicants - Obtain one year of part-time or full-time work experience.
An active CPA from the same organization must supervise your employment and submit the Verification of Experience Form.
The required experience may be full-time or part-time:
- Full-time employment - Minimum 35 hours per week (5-day work week)
- Part-time work experience - 20 hours per week (Two part-time weeks constitute one full-time week)
A candidate who takes the 15 years of experience pathway to meet the education requirements need not get any other experience for licensure after passing the examination.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
New York State CPAs must earn the required CPE credit hours annually. Courses taken inside the state must be sponsored by firms registered with NASBA or the NY state board.
On the other hand, courses taken outside the state must be sponsored by firms registered with the NY state board, NASBA, or the state board in which the course was taken.
Here is everything you must know about the CPE requirements.
Particulars | Details | ||
Date for Renewing License | Triennial based on the issuance date (current) & birth month (before January 1, 1993) | ||
Reporting Period for CPE | January 1-December 31 (Annually) | ||
General CPE Requirement | Recognized subject areas | Accounting | |
Attest | |||
Auditing | |||
Taxation | |||
Advisory Services | |||
Specialized knowledge & applications associated with specialized industries | |||
Areas adequately associated with the accounting practice | |||
Hours in any of the recognized subject areas | Minimum 40 contact hours | ||
Hours in one recognized subject area | Minimum 24 contact hours | ||
Ethics Requirement | Professional Ethics | 4 hours during the 3 calendar years before the licensure expiration date | |
4 hours are acceptable toward the annual contact hour requirement in the calendar year that they are taken | |||
If the Principal Place of business is New York | State-approved Ethics course | ||
If the Principal Place of business is New York | Regulatory Ethics earned from the NASBA, respective state board, or NY State Board-approved provider | ||
Other Subject Area Requirements | Audit, Accounting, &/or Attest | Minimum 40 contact hours during the 3 years immediately before performing audit/attest services | |
It may be counted toward the annual contact hour requisite in the calendar year that they are earned | |||
Credit Limitations | Instruction | Maximum 50% of total hours | |
Published Materials | Maximum 50% of total hours | ||
Other State Policies | Course Provider | Courses taken in New York | Sponsored by entities registered with NY State Board or with NASBA |
Courses taken outside New York | Sponsored by entities registered with NY State Board, with NASBA, or the respective State Board | ||
Self-Study Courses | Sponsored by entities registered with NY State Board or with NASBA (irrespective of physical location) | ||
Professional development programs & technical sessions of local, national, & state firms & organizations in board-approved public accounting practice | |||
Other organized technical & educational programs relevant to the board-approved public accounting practice |
As per NYSED, there are a total of 44,190 CPAs in the state. New York City itself houses almost 7000 CPAs. Also, there are over 2500 CPA licenses issued annually in the province within the past four calendar years (2016-2020).
When it comes to New York and CPA, you simply can’t deny the relevance of Wall Street. The home of the New York State Exchange is a haven for several accountants. So, in a city that never sleeps, CPAs can thrive like never before.
Hence, gear up to earn this coveted title in one of the most lively and diverse places across the continent! Keep yourself updated with all the CPA exam and license requirements through the authorized websites of AICPA, NASBA, and the New York state board. Learn more about CPEs for CPA
New York Exam & Information Resources
1. New York State Department of Education (http://www.nysed.gov/)
New York State Education Building
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
2. New York State Society of CPA (https://www.nysscpa.org/)
14 Wall Street
19th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Phone: 800-537-3635
Fax: 866-495-1354
3. NASBA (https://nasba.org/)
150 Fourth Ave. North
Suite 700
Nashville, TN 37219-2417
Tel: 615-880-4200
Fax: 615-880-4290
CPAES
800-272-3926
International: 615-880-4250
cpaexam@nasba.org
4. AICPA (https://www.aicpa.org/)
1345 Avenue of the Americas, 27th Floor
New York, NY 10105
P: +1.212.596.6200
F: +1.212.596.6213
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