07 Jan Arizona CPA Exam & License Requirements
In Arizona a non-CPA supervisor is allowed to endorse a CPA license application. CPA candidates may sit for the exam before they graduate as long as they are within 18 semester hours of graduating and meeting the 150 semester hour requirement.
To be eligible to sit for the cpa exam students must first fulfill these qualifications and education requirements:
- At least 18 years old
- US citizenship NOT required
- State residency NOT required
Education Requirements
- need 150 hours to be granted certificate but do not need 150 to sit for exam
- bachelor’s degree or higher
- must complete 24 accounting semester hours
- 12 hours in intermediate or advanced accounting and 18 semester hours of related courses
- to be granted certification, minimum of 36 semester hours in accounting courses, of which at least 30 are upper level and at least 30 semester hours are related courses
Arizona Exam Fees
The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in Arizona is $743 plus the initial $100 application fee. The re-examination application fee is only $50 plus the exam fees.
| Auditing and Attestation (AUD) | $195.35 |
| Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) | $176.25 |
| Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) | $195.35 |
| Regulation (REG) | $176.25 |
| Application Fee: | $100 |
*Important Note: You should not apply and pay for exam sections that will not be taken within six months because Alabama’s “Notice to Schedule” expires six months after issuance.
AZ CPA License Requirements
- One year of experience in the office of a CPA or public accountant within government or industry.
- If your supervisor is not a certified CPA in Arizona, a Supervisor Verification Form needs to be sent to their licensing state, and returned to ASBA. See the FAQ link below.
- If your supervisor is not a licensed CPA, they must attach a resume and a job description to verify they have the education and experience to oversee a potential CPA candidate. One way of establishing competency for verifying CPAs not certified in Arizona is to provide signed and dated letters form 3 clients.
Additional CPA License Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, there are a few more in order to obtain a CPA license:
- Pass all 4 sections of the CPA exam with a score of 75 or higher
- Pass the CPA ethics exam administered by the AICPA
- Pay the $100 certification fee
- Submit all required paperwork
For more information please visit:
Contact:
Arizona State Board of Accountancy
100 N. 15th Avenue, Room 165
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-364-0804
Fax:602-364-0903
What’s Next?
Now that you have started the CPA exam application process, your next step is to find the right CPA review course that best fits your budget, learning style and schedule.
It can take several weeks for your application to be processed so don’t waste that valuable time waiting to hear back from your state board. If you start studying now you will get a nice jump start on the material and will be better prepared to pass your first CPA exam!
DL Andrews
Posted at 1 November, 2017 11:19 AMI have a question about my eligibility to take the CPA exam. I received an MBA in accounting & finance this year, and works in the accounts payable department for my employer. Am I not eligible until I go work for a year specifically under a CPA? Thank you in advance!
Bryce Welker, CPA
Posted at 2 November, 2017 14:18 PMHi Damon, Arizona "requires that candidates have had at least two thousand hours of paid or unpaid experience either before or after passing all sections of the exam." So you are eligible to take all 4 sections of the exam before completing your experience requirements, however before you can get your license you will need to work under a CPA somewhere. Cheers, Bryce