Dear California CPA Candidates,
I’m reaching out to clear up any confusion surrounding the 2014 licensure changes in California. Though these licensure changes might affect you down the line when you’re applying for CPA Licensure, they do not impact your eligibility to sit for the CPA Exam. The California CPA Exam requirements (i.e. the requirements you need to actually sit for the CPA Exam) still remain a Bachelors degree of 120 semester units with 24 of those units in Accounting and 24 units in Business. This means that even in 2014 and thereafter, you can still sit for the exam with just the 120. My Advice? Don’t put off sitting for the CPA Exam if you meet these requirements. Not only do statistics show that the sooner you sit for the exam, the more likely you are to pass, but you could also potentially beat the 2014 licensure changes.
So what are these big bad licensure changes everybody’s talking about? Beginning January 1st, 2014, the CA requirements for CPA licensure will measure up to the 150 rule (150 semester units) that the majority of states require. These 150 semester units will include topics specified by the California State Board of Accountancy (CBA), and could range from additional Accounting topics to courses in Ethics. See our 2014 California Licensure Requirements page for details!
Just remember, the changes focus on Licensure, not the qualifications to sit for the CPA Exam.
Best of luck on your path to CPA,
Roger Philipp, CPA