Pennsylvania CPA Exam & License Requirements

Updated: May 23, 2023 You’re our #1 priority.
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Pennsylvania does not require 150 semester hours to sit for the CPA exam, however the full 150 hours are needed to obtain a CPA license.

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

  1. Minimum age: 18
  2. Bachelor’s degree or higher;  24 semester hours of accounting courses

PA CPA License Requirements

Education

  1. 150 semester units from an accredited university or educational institution
  2. 24 semester credits of accounting and auditing, business law, finance or tax subjects of a content satisfactory to the board
  3. additional 12 semester credits in accounting, auditing and tax subjects of a content satisfactory to the board, not necessarily as part of the individual’s undergraduate or graduate work

Work Experience

  1. 1 year of related work experience
  2. The experience can be in public or non-public accounting but has to be supervised and verified by an active US CPA

Ethics Exam

  1. Not Required

Pennsylvania CPA Exam Fees

The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in Pennsylvania is $743 plus the initial $95 application fee. The re-examination application fee is $95 as well.


**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 Pennsylvania 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. Fill out and submit all required CPA license application paperwork
  4. Pay the CPA license application fee

PA Exam Information and Resources

For more information, please contact:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 717-783-1404
Fax: 717-705-5540

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!