SUBCHAPTER 8F - REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATE APPLICANTS

North Carolina Accountancy Rules

References are to North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 21 - Occupational Licensing Boards, Chapter 08 - Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners, as amended through February 1, 2011.

subchapter 08F - REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATE APPLICANTS

section .0100 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

21 ncac 08f .0101 TIME AND PLACE OF CPA EXAMINATIONS

(a) The Board shall offer the CPA examination through the examination vendors(s), who have contracted with NASBA, at least eight months in a calendar year.

(b) The months the CPA Examination is administered are determined by the examination vendor(s).

(c) The examination vendor(s) shall provide examination applicants with computer access to the testing centers for the CPA examination.

21 NCAC 08F .0102 TYPE OF CPA EXAMINATION

The Uniform CPA Examination prepared by the AICPA shall be the CPA examination used by the Board.

21 NCAC 08F .0103 FILING OF EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS AND FEES

(a) All applications for CPA examinations shall be filed with the Board, accompanied by the examination fee. The Board sets the fee for each examination at the amount that enables the Board to recover its actual costs of examination services. If a check or credit card authorization fails to clear the bank, the application shall be deemed incomplete and returned.

(b) The initial application filed to take the examination shall include supporting documentation demonstrating that all legal requirements have been met, such as:

(1) minimum legal age;

(2) education;

(3) experience, if required in order to qualify for the examination; and

(4) good moral character.

(c) Any person born outside the United States shall furnish to the Board office evidence of citizenship; evidence of resident alien status; or

(1) other bona fide evidence that the applicant is legally allowed to remain in the United States for the purposes of becoming a U.S. citizen; or

(2) a notarized affidavit of intention to become a U.S. citizen; or

(3) evidence that the applicant is a citizen of a foreign jurisdiction which extends to citizens of this state like or similar privileges to be examined.

(d) Official transcripts (originals – not photocopies) signed by the college registrar and bearing the college seal are required to prove education and degree requirements. A letter from the college registrar of the school may be filed as documentation that the applicant has met the graduation requirements if the degree has not been awarded and posted to the transcript. However, no examination grades shall be released until an official transcript is filed confirming the information supplied in the college registrar's letter.

(e) In order to document good moral character as required by G.S. 93-12(5), three certificates of good moral character signed by persons not related by blood or marriage to the applicant shall accompany the application.

(f) No additional statements or affidavits regarding education are required for applications for re-examination.

(g) An applicant shall include as part of any application for the CPA examination a statement of explanation and a certified copy final disposition if the applicant has been arrested, charged, convicted or found guilty of, received a prayer for judgment continued or pleaded nolo contendere to any criminal offense.

(h) If an applicant has been denied any license by any state or federal agency, the applicant shall include as part of the application for the CPA examination a statement explaining such denial. An applicant shall include a statement of explanation and a certified copy of applicable license records if the applicant has been registered with or licensed by a state or federal agency and has been disciplined by that agency.

(i) Two identical photographs shall accompany the application for the CPA examination and the application for the CPA certificate. These photographs shall be of the applicant alone, 2x2 inches in size, front view, full face, taken in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses, printed on thin paper with a plain light background and taken within the last six months. Photographs may be in black and white or in color. Photographs retouched so that the applicant's appearance is changed are unacceptable. Applicants shall write their names on the back of their photos.

(j) If an applicant's name has legally changed and is different from the name on any transcript or other document supplied to the Board, the applicant shall furnish copies of the documents legally authorizing the name change.

(k) Candidates shall file initial and re-exam applications to sit for the CPA Examination on forms provided by the Board.

(l) Examination fees are valid for a six-month period from the date of the applicant's notice to schedule for the examination from the examination vendor.

21 NCAC 08F .0105 CONDITIONING REQUIREMENTS

(a) Passing Grades. A candidate must pass all sections of the examination with a grade of 75 or higher on each section.

(b) Military Service. A candidate who is on active military service shall not have the time on active military service counted against Subparagraph (c)(1) of this Rule unless the candidate applies to take the examination during the active military service in which case each month a candidate sits shall be counted toward Subparagraph (c)(1) of this Rule.

(1) A candidate shall obtain a passing grade on all sections of the examination within an 18-month period;

(2) A candidate may sit for any section of the examination individually;

(3) A candidate may sit for each section of the examination up to four times during a one-year period but not more than one time in a three-month testing window as defined by the examination vendors(s);

(4) Credit awarded by the Board for passage of a section of the examination is valid for an 18-month period beginning on the date the section is taken.

21 NCAC 08F .0106 GRANTING EXAMINATION CREDIT FROM OTHER JURISDICTIONS

(a) The Board may grant candidates credit for passing parts of the AICPA Uniform CPA Examination in another jurisdiction or territory of the United States.

(b) To be considered for credit, the passing grades must meet the requirements of 21 NCAC 08F .0105. To transfer credit, the candidate must file an application with the Board on a form provided by the Board. Such application may be made simultaneously with the application to take the CPA examination.

21 NCAC 08F .0107 COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS OF CPA EXAMINATIONS

(a) The Board shall communicate to candidates in writing the result achieved in each of their examinations. Grades awarded to candidates shall not be released to third parties except by written consent of the candidate.

(b) In no event shall any information concerning answers of candidates be given to anyone other than the candidate.

21 ncac 08f .0111 INELIGIBILITY DUE TO VIOLATION OF ACCOUNTANCY ACT

(a) A person may not be eligible to take the CPA examination or receive the North Carolina certificate of qualification as a CPA if the Board determines that the person has engaged in conduct that would constitute a violation of G.S. 93 or the Rules of Professional Ethics and Conduct.

(b) Any individual found to have engaged in conduct which subverts, or attempts to subvert the CPA Examination process may have his or her scores on the examination withheld and declared invalid, be disqualified from holding the CPA certification and may be subject to the imposition of other appropriate sanctions.

(1) conduct which violates the standard of the test administration such as communicating with any other examinee during the administration of the examination;

(2) having in one's possession during the administration of the examination any books, notes, written or printed material, or data of any other kind, other than the distributed examination materials;

(3) failure to cooperate with testing officials;

(4) conduct which violates the credentialing process, such as falsifying or misrepresenting educational credentials or other information required for admission to the examination, impersonating an examinee, or having an impersonator take the examination on another's behalf;

(5) conduct which violates the nondisclosure prohibitions of the examination or aiding or abetting another in doing so; and

(6) retaking or attempting to retake an examination section by an individual holding a valid CPA certificate in this State or a candidate who has unexpired credit for having already passed the same examination section unless directed to do so by the Board.

21 ncac 08f .0113 CANDIDATE'S REQUEST TO REVIEW CPA EXAMINATION

The Board may allow a North Carolina candidate pursuant to G.S. 93B-(8) to review his or her CPA Examination within 60 days after the release of the grades in question.

SECTION .0300 ‑ EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMINATION

21 NCAC 08F .0302 EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED PRIOR TO CPA EXAM

(a) Applicants who intend to demonstrate their possession of sufficient education to become a CPA by showing that they possess a bachelor's degree shall submit official transcripts with their application to take the CPA examination. Official transcripts shall show the grades the applicant received on courses completed and shall also show degrees awarded. An official transcript bears the seal of the school and the signature of the registrar or assistant registrar.

(b) The Board may approve an application to take the CPA examination prior to the receipt of a bachelor's degree, if:

(1) the concentration in accounting which shall be included in or supplement the bachelor's degree is already complete or is reasonably expected to be completed by the end of the school term within which the examination falls; and

(2) an applicant reasonably expects to receive the bachelor's degree within 120 days after the application is received by the Board. However, if the applicant fails to receive the degree within the specified time, the CPA examination grades shall not be released and if the applicant wishes to retake the examination, the applicant shall reapply.

21 NCAC 08F .0303 SEMESTER HOUR EQUIVALENT

One quarter hour of undergraduate study shall equal two‑thirds of a semester hour.

section .0400 - EXPERIENCE

21 NCAC 08F .0401 WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED OF CANDIDATES FOR CPA CERTIFICATION

(a) G.S. 93-12(5)c sets forth work experience alternatives, one of which is required of candidates applying for CPA certification. In connection with those requirements, the following provisions apply:

(1) The work experience shall be acquired prior to the date a candidate applies for certification.

(2) All experience which is required to be under the direct supervision of a CPA shall be under the direct supervision of a CPA on active status.

(b) The following provisions apply to all candidates seeking to meet the work experience requirement of G.S. 93-12(5)c.3 by working in the field of accounting:

(1) One year of work experience is 52 weeks of full-time employment. The candidate is employed full-time when the candidate is expected by the employer to work for the employer at least 30 hours each week for an indefinite period or for a set period of at least one year. Any other work is working part-time.

(2) All weeks of actual full-time employment are added to all full-time equivalent weeks in order to calculate how much work experience a candidate has acquired. Dividing that number by 52 results in the years of work experience the candidate has acquired.

(3) Full-time-equivalent weeks are determined by the number of actual part-time hours the candidate has worked. Actual part-time hours do not include hours paid for sick leave, vacation leave, attending continuing education courses or other time not spent directly performing accounting services. For each calendar week during which the candidate worked actual part-time hours of 30 hours or more, the candidate receives one full-time-equivalent week. The actual part-time hours worked in the remaining calendar weeks are added together and divided by 30. The resulting number is the additional number of full-time-equivalent weeks to which the candidate is entitled.

(4) The candidate shall submit experience affidavits on a form provided by the Board from all of the relevant employers; provided that when such experience was not acquired while employed with a CPA firm, the candidate shall also submit details of the work experience and supervision on a form provided by the Board. Experience affidavits for part-time work shall contain a record of the actual part-time hours the candidate has worked for each week of part-time employment. Both the experience affidavit and the form for additional detail shall be certified by the employer's office supervisor or an owner of the firm who is a certificate holder.

21 NCAC 08F .0409 SATISFACTION OF EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT BY TEACHING

(a) Teaching Experience. The requirement of "four years experience teaching accounting," G.S. 93-12(5), means teaching accounting full-time for four years.

(1) Full-time teaching as described by the rules of the educational institution where the applicant taught will be accepted by the Board to be full-time teaching. However, in no case will less than 12 semester hours, or the equivalent, be accepted by the Board as full-time teaching.

(2) If the applicant has not taught accounting full-time for four years, credit will be allowed by the Board for teaching accounting less than full-time on a pro rata basis based upon the number of semester hours required for full-time teaching at the educational institution where the applicant taught. However, in no case can an applicant receive credit for a full-time teaching year for teaching done in less than one academic year or more credit than one full-time teaching year for teaching done within one calendar year.

(3) Courses outside the field of accounting will not be counted toward full-time teaching. Such courses include, but are not limited to: business law, finance, computer applications, personnel management, economics and statistics.

(4) Of the four years of full-time teaching experience, teaching accounting principles (below intermediate accounting) cannot be counted toward the educational requirement for more than the equivalent of two full-time years. The remaining two full-time teaching years must be taught in at least two different areas of advanced accounting such as auditing, income tax, intermediate financial accounting or advanced managerial accounting, and the applicant must have taught at least nine semester hours, or the equivalent, in at least two of the different areas.

The purpose of this Subparagraph is to render unacceptable as meaningful experience both the continuous teaching of the elementary accounting course and the continuous teaching of the advanced courses in only one area of accounting.

(b) Required Information. Applicants must submit with their application a letter from each institution where they taught, certified by the applicant's dean or department head at that institution. The letter must state:

(1) the number of credit hours which the applicant taught each year;

(2) the names and academic level of the courses taught; and

(3) the number of hours set by the rules of the institution as full-time teaching for each relevant year.

(c) Burden of Proof. An applicant having taught in an accredited community college or technical institute has the burden of proving that the credits earned by students taking those courses which the applicant taught would transfer to a four-year accredited college or university.

21 NCAC 08F .0410 EDUCATION REQUIRED OF CANDIDATES FOR CPA CERTIFICATION

(a) G.S. 93-12(5)a sets forth the education required of candidates applying for CPA certification. The 150 semester hours required include a concentration in accounting, as defined by 21 NCAC 08A .0309, and 24 semester hours of coursework which include one three semester hour course from at least eight of the following 10 fields of study:

(1) communications;

(2) computer technology;

(3) economics;

(4) ethics;

(5) finance;

(6) humanities/social science;

(7) international environment;

(8) law;

(9) management; or

(10) statistics.

(b) Anyone applying for CPA certification who holds a Master's or more advanced degree in accounting, tax law, economics, finance, business administration, or a law degree from an accredited college or university or the equivalent thereof is in compliance with Paragraph (a) of this Rule.

SECTION .0500 ‑ APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES

21 NCAC 08F .0502 APPLICATION FOR CPA CERTIFICATE

(a) A person applying for a certificate of qualification must file with the Board an application and an experience affidavit on forms provided by the Board and such other evidence as the Board may require in order to determine that the applicant has met the statutory and regulatory requirements.

(b) Three certificates of good moral character signed by CPAs shall be submitted with the application for a CPA certificate.

21 ncac 08f .0504 CANDIDATES' ACCOUNTANCY LAW COURSE REQUIREMENT

(a) Within one year prior to applying for certification, all candidates for original or reciprocal certification must pass an open book examination on the North Carolina Accountancy Statutes and Rules, including the Rules of Professional Ethics and Conduct contained therein.

(b) In lieu of taking the examination, a candidate may complete an eight-hour CPE course on the subject of the examination within one year prior to applying for the CPA certificate. Such course or examination must meet the requirements of 21 NCAC 08G .0404(a). This course may count toward the candidate's annual CPE requirement.