New Jersey CPA Exam & License Requirements

New Jersey CPA candidates are allowed to sit for the exam with 120 credit hours, however,  you will have to accumulate 150 credit hours to earn your CPA license. International candidates should note that a social security number is required for a New Jersey CPA license.

To be eligible to sit for the CPA exam students must first fulfill these qualifications and requirements:

1. Minimum age: 18
2. U.S. Residency NOT required
3. State Residency Required

Education Requirements

Candidates should fulfill at least 120 credit hours including:

1. 60 semester hours selected from courses in English, history, foreign languages, mathematics, general psychology, philosophy, biological sciences, physical sciences, economics, sociology, religion, government, political science, geography, fine arts and music; and
2.  Minimum of 60 semester hours in professional courses including:

• Accounting including municipal and government accounting: 24 hours
• Business law: 6 hours
• Finance: 6 hours
• Economics: 6 hours
• Related business subjects: 18 hours

• Note: you will still need to complete what is required below (i.e. 150 credit hours ) to obtain the license.

NJ CPA License Requirements

Education

• 150 credit hours plus ONE of the following:

1. Graduate degree in accounting from schools accredited by AACSB or ACBSP

• Automatically qualified

2. Graduate degree in business from schools accredited by AACSB or ACBSP:

• 24 hours (undergrad level) or 15 hours (graduate level) of accounting
• An equivalent combination of undergrad/grad coursework can be done based upon a 3:2 ratio
• Should include financial accounting, auditing, taxation and management accounting

3. Undergrad degree in accounting or business from schools accredited by AACSB or ACBSP:

• 24 hours in accounting courses including financial accounting, auditing, taxation and management accounting
• 24 hours in business courses

4. Undergrad degree in general:

• 30 hours in accounting courses including financial accounting, auditing, taxation and management accounting
• 24 hours in business courses

Work Experience

•  The experience can be in public or non-public accounting. Your supervisor should normally be a US CPA but CPA/CA from other countries may be accepted by the Board. Please contact Ohio State Board for details.
• Experience earned in the past may be counted toward the experience requirement. The law does not differentiate between “recent” experience and any other experience.
• Please refer to the Ohio CPA Work Experience code for more details.

Ethics Exam

• Passing of the Ohio professional standards and responsibilities course

New Jersey CPA Exam Fees

The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in New Jersey is $743 plus the initial $225 application fee.  The re-examination application fees vary depending on the number of sections you are retaking.

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**Important Note: You should not apply and pay for exam sections that will not be taken within six months because your Notice to Schedule (NTS) in New Jersey expires 6 months after issuance.

Additional CPA License Requirements

1. Pass all 4 sections of the CPA exam with a score of 75% or higher
2. Complete verified accounting work experience
3. Pass the Ethics course
4. Fill out and submit all required CPA license application paperwork
5. Pay the CPA license application fee

NJ Exam Information and Resources

• New Jersey CPA Application Process
  
• NJ CPA Exam Information
  
• NJ CPA Education Requirements
  
• NJ CPA Exam FAQ
  

For more details, please contact:

• New Jersey State Board of Accountancy
  

124 Halsey Street, 6th Floor
PO Box 45000
Newark, NJ 07101

What’s Next?

Now that you have started the CPA exam application process, your next step is to find a CPA review course that 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!