| Dear Exam Candidate or CPA Candidate:
Below are answers to frequently asked questions, we hope that this will respond fully to your inquiry, if it does not, please feel free to e-mail us with specific questions. The Board’s email address is boa@nh.gov.
The Uniform CPA exam is now offered in a computerized (CBT) format. For information and applications for the CBT please visit the website www.nasba.org.
The New Hampshire Board offers the CPA exam; however the Board has contracted with NASBA CPA Exam Services to approve and process the applications for the exam. During the application process you may email CPA Exam Services at cpaes-nh@nasba.org.
Searching for an answer? Please click on a link in the box.
What Are The Requirements To Sit For The Exam?
BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2005
In order to sit for the CPA exam in New Hampshire you need to have a Bachelor’s degree earned from an accredited university or college.
You must also have a minimum of 12 credits in accounting and 12 credits in business. If you do not have enough accounting or business within the degree/s you may earn the hours needed at an accredited university or college.
AFTER JANUARY 1, 2005
(b) After January 1, 2005, at least 120 semester hours of college education including a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, the total educational program to include an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by board rule to be appropriate; provided however, that candidates for a certificate may sit for the examination described in paragraph IV if they have at least 120 semester hours of college education including a baccalaureate degree conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, the total educational program to include an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by board rule to be appropriate.
>What this means for candidates applying for the AICPA CPA Computerized examination in the State of New Hampshire after January 1, 2005, is that they will have to meet the following conditions, of which number 2 is the only new requirement.
- A conferred bachelors degree from a recognized university or college that is accredited; and
- Either within the bachelors degree or earned outside the bachelors from a recognized university or college that is accredited, a candidate must have a minimum of 120 credit hours; and
- A minimum of 24 credits in business of which 12 must be in accounting earned either within the bachelor’s degree or earned outside the bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or college that is accredited.
If you are from a foreign country, you will need to have the degree evaluated by an evaluation company approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or you may contact one of the three below:
World Education Services website address www.wes.org
Or International Consultants of Delaware at www.icdel.com or
Josef Silny & Associates at www.jsilny.com
The evaluation must be a course by course evaluation.
If you are unsure if you meet the requirements, you may contact CPA Exam Services and they have a pre-evaluation service. This is not mandatory and is not required by the NH Board of Accountancy, but is a service offered by CPA Exam Services. The service has a minimal fee and they will pre-evaluate your education before the actual exam application process to ascertain if you qualify. The New Hampshire Board of Accountancy will not pre-evaluate your education.
The fee will not be applied to the exam cost.
If you have a foreign degree you must first have it evaluated by one of the acceptable evaluation companies, and have an original of the evaluation sent to CPA Exam Services.
What Courses Are Acceptable For The Accounting?
The basic courses that qualify for the accounting are those courses that contain accounting in the course
Samples: (These are only a few samples and this list is not all inclusive. There are many additional courses, but this should give you some guidance)
Accounting I & II
Intermediate Accounting I & II
Advanced Accounting
Analyzing of Financial Statements
Auditing
Corporate Financial Reporting
Cost Accounting
Financial Management
Managerial Accounting
Management Accounting
Financial Accounting
Cost Accounting
Accounting Systems
Governmental Accounting
Partnership and Corporate Accounting
Taxation courses including Federal Taxation
(Federal Taxation is not a requirement)
How Do I Apply For The Exam:
The exam is computerized and you may sit for the exam anytime the exam window is open and there is a seat available at the center you wish to use. You may apply through New Hampshire and sit anywhere in the United States that has an approved exam site.
In order to apply you must go to www.nasba.org and click onto “Exams” and then choose the exam you wish to apply for.
Choose the State of New Hampshire from the map or the drop down menu.
Then choose whether you are a first time candidate or a re-exam candidate, if you are not sure click on both and review the descriptions of both and you should be able to determine which application to file.
Either application will have instructions on how to apply and pay for the exam.
Please be aware that each time you apply you are required to pay an application fee.
How Will I Know If I Have Been Approved To Sit?
Once you have submitted your education, application and fees, your information will be reviewed by CPA Exam Services to ascertain if you meet the New Hampshire education requirements. Upon approval to sit, CPA Exam services will either mail or email you your “Notice to Schedule” (NTS). This document is extremely important and must be brought to the exam site with you or you will not be allowed to sit. Please read it and make sure your name is correct. If it is not then contact CPA Exam Services to obtain a new NTS.
How Do I Arrange To Sit?
Upon receipt of your NTS you will have six months from the date of issuance of the NTS to sit for the exam part or parts you have applied for. You will contact Prometric and arrange for a seat at the exam site of your choice through the Prometric web site.
If you do not sit within six months of the date on the NTS that NTS is invalid and cannot be used. If you have a hardship or medical situation that precluded you from sitting please contact CPA Exam Services immediately and request an extension. The extensions are given for hardship or medical reasons and are determined on a case by case basis and may require documentation.
We strongly recommend that you read the Candidate Bulletin and take the candidate tutorial both located on the NASBA website.
What Happens After I Sit?
After you have completed the exam part your exam is electronically submitted to the grading service. The grading service then transmits your grades to CPA Exam Services who will post them on the NASBA web site. Your score is also either mailed to you hard copy or emailed to you based on your request.
How Do I Pass The Computerized Exam?
A candidate may sit for one part of the computerized exam at a time, or may choose to sit for two or three or four parts during a testing window, which is open every two months. If a candidate sits for the exam and passes a part/s then he or she has 18 months to complete the un-passed examination parts. The exam is open for two months, closes for one month, opens for two months, closes for one month, so on and so forth. If you find that it will take more than ten attempts to complete all sections of the exam, you will need to write the Board and request a waiver.
How Do I Prepare For The Exam?
This is a personal choice. There is no requirement for how you prepare for the exam. There are many different companies that offer preparatory courses and you will need to decide if you would benefit from taking one and which type of learning is best for you. If you are looking for preparatory courses you may want to use a search engine to obtain as many different choices as possible.
TRANSFERRING OF EXAMINATION GRADES
When ever you transfer examination grades from a state or jurisdiction other than New Hampshire, to New Hampshire, you must meet whatever the New Hampshire’s requirements were at the time you took the exam in the other state or jurisdiction. Please be aware that the passing requirements for the paper exam are different then the computerized exam.
For information on previous passing rules contact the Board.
CERTIFICATION
How Do I Obtain A Certificate To Practice As A Certified Public Accountant?
You may obtain an application on the website of the Board at www.nh.gov/accountancy.
You will need to choose an application:
If you sat for the exam through New Hampshire then choose the application for those that sat for the exam through New Hampshire. If you applied through New Hampshire but physically sat in another state because if was convenient for you to sit for the exam in another state you still fill out this one.
If you sat for the exam through another state and now want to apply for a certificate in New Hampshire, you will need to file the application for an individual that sat in a state other than New Hampshire.
If you are a currently licensed CPA in some state other than New Hampshire then you will choose the Reciprocity application.
New Hampshire does not have a residency requirement, and there is no requirement to have a social security number if you are not a citizen of the United States.
What Do I Submit And How?
When you download the instructions and the application, there are forms that need to be filed out and returned to this office. We prefer that everything be submitted as a complete package. If you receive transcripts from a college or university do not open the sealed envelope, send it to us sealed.
The components of the application are:
>The application itself, please type in the information. If you are using a business address as a mailing address, do not forget the name of the business in the address.
>The transcripts or foreign evaluation if you did not sit for the exam through New Hampshire. If you sat for the exam through New Hampshire this information will be in your exam file and you will not need to send it in, unless you have obtained a higher degree since your examination application and then we will need you to send us that transcript.
>Statement and transfer of grades if you sat for the examination through another state other than New Hampshire.
>The three reference letters. These letters must be from someone who has known you for three or more years, who are not related to you or who are your or have been your employers. You may use friends, religious leaders, fellow colleagues or fellow workers these are acceptable. This person is writing to us about your character, not your employment capabilities. The reference letters must be signed by the individual writing them.
>The experience letters. There are two components to this very important verification. You have the Employment Verification Letter and the Public Accounting Experience Letter. The verification letter must be on firm letterhead and signed by the same individual who signs the public accounting experience letter. You must show the exact dates you were employed, such as January 10, 1998 though September 16, 2003. The minimum requirement must be met and verified on these documents.
>Verification of Licensure. You must submit either a copy of the current license of the individual signing the experience letters or a copy of the on line lookup from the State Board that licensed that individual.
NEW HAMPSHIRE IS NOT A TWO TIER STATE.
What this means is that when you pass the CPA exam you do not get a certificate, you do not receive anything but your grades, and maybe verification that you have passed the CPA exam if requested.
In order to obtain a certificate and license, as they are one in the same, you need:
To have passed the Uniform CPA exam in accordance with New Hampshire Laws.
You need to have two full years of public accounting experience with a bachelor’s degree or one full year with a master’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance or taxation, working in a public accounting firm in public accounting under the direction of one of the following designations:
CPA from the United States; or
CPA from Australia; or
Chartered Accountant from Australia or Canada.
Chartered Accountant from Ireland
Contadores Publicos Certificado from Mexico
The individual who signs your experience letters must have been certified and licensed to practice for the period of time needed to certify you. For Example: you need two full years to be certified: The individual signing the experience letter must have been currently licensed to practice public accounting for a minimum of 2 years during the period you worked for them. If you have questions, please contact this office.
We do not accept or recognize designations from any other countries but the ones listed above.
The experience requirement combined with the two or one year requirement has an hourly requirement:
With a bachelors you must have a minimum of 3,000 in one or a combination of the following:
Audit, Review, Financial Statements or any Report Function
Management Advisory Services Financial Advisory Services Consulting Services
Preparation of Tax Returns
Furnishing Advice on Tax Returns Furnishing Advice on Tax Matters
With a Masters degree in business administration, finance, accounting or taxation you need 1,500 hours in one or a combination of the above.
If you have the required experience you must submit the two experience forms signed by one of the aforementioned and submitted with the following:
Application for certification
Three reference letters
One Picture
Fee
Experience Letters
And transcript or accepted evaluation and a statement of grades if you sat for the exam in another state.
These questions and answers are general in nature and are informational only. Each and every applicant for either exam or a certificate must meet in full all the laws and rules of the State of New Hampshire. This information is not intended nor is it intended to be all inclusive and you must apply for and be accepted to sit for the examination and must apply for and fulfill all the certification requirements in order to obtain a certificate to practice public accounting in the state of New Hampshire.
Go to top of page
|
