New York CPA Exam and License Requirements

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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.

New York CPA Exam & License Requirements

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. 

ParticularsNew York CPA Exam RequirementsNew York CPA License Requirements
Minimum Age2121
U.S. Citizenship & ResidencyNot RequiredNot Required
Social Security NumberNot RequiredNot Required
Education120 semester hours/150 semester hours/15 years public accounting experience150 semester hours
ExamSchedule and take all sections within 18 monthsPass 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

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

New York Exam Information & Resources

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.

ParticularsDetails
Exam Application Regulatory BodyCPAES
Passing ScoreMinimum 75 points in each section
Exam Sections4
Timeframe18-month rolling period
Exam Duration16-hour (4 hours per section)
Exam RegulatorsAICPA, NASBA, & Prometric
Required DocumentsOfficial School Transcript(s)
Foreign Evaluation Report with Foreign Documents
NY State Registered Program Form
Testing Accommodations Request Form
FeesInitial applicants$952.6
Re-exam applicants$1,037.6 approx. (as per the number of sections to re-take)
Eligibility Requirements120 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:

Particulars120 Semester Hour Pathway  150 Semester Hour Pathway  Public Accounting Experience Pathway
ConditionsCandidates 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 1Complete the registered 120-hour program authorized by NYSED (reviewed by CPAES)
  • 120 semester hours of college-level education, &
  • A course covering Cost or Management Accounting, Non-introductory level Financial Accounting, Taxation, & upper-division level Auditing & Attestation
 
Complete the registered 150-hour program authorized by NYSED (reviewed by CPAES)-
Option 2Hold 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 3Hold 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:
  • Non-introductory level financial accounting
  • Cost accounting
  • Taxation
  • Upper-division level Audit and attestation
33 semester hours (49.5 quarter hours) in accounting with:
  • Cost or Management Accounting
  • Non-introductory level Financial Accounting
  • Taxation
  • Upper-division level Auditing & Attestation
  • Accounting Research
21 semester hours in business and accounting,
  • 6 semester hours (or 4 semester hours at the graduate level) in business law
  • 6 semester hours in finance
  • 3 semester hours in statistics
  • 6 semester hours in economic
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.
New York CPA Exam & Education Requirements

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:

ParticularsExamination FeesTotal 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 SectionsExam Fees (per section)Total Exam Fees (all sections)Application FeesTotal 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. 

Documents of New York CPA Exam Required

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 FormsServices
Form 1Application for Licensure & Fees ($427)
Form 2Certification of Professional Education
Form 3Certification of Out-Of-State Licensure and Examination Grades
Form 4BVerification 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. 

New York CPA Experience Requirements

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. 

ParticularsDetails
Date for Renewing LicenseTriennial based on the issuance date (current) & birth month (before January 1, 1993)
Reporting Period for CPEJanuary 1-December 31 (Annually)
General CPE RequirementRecognized subject areasAccounting
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 areasMinimum 40 contact hours
Hours in one recognized subject areaMinimum 24 contact hours
Ethics RequirementProfessional Ethics4 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 YorkState-approved Ethics course
If the Principal Place of business is New YorkRegulatory Ethics earned from the NASBA, respective state board, or NY State Board-approved provider
Other Subject Area RequirementsAudit, Accounting, &/or AttestMinimum 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 LimitationsInstructionMaximum 50% of total hours
Published MaterialsMaximum 50% of total hours
Other State PoliciesCourse Provider    Courses taken in New YorkSponsored by entities registered with NY State Board or with NASBA
Courses taken outside New YorkSponsored by entities registered with NY State Board, with NASBA, or the respective State Board
Self-Study CoursesSponsored 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