Exam Tips

How to Become a Licensed CPA in Indiana

Indiana requires you to have a bachelor’s degree as well as 150 credit hours to be completed before you can take the CPA exam. In this way, IN is very similar to Illinois’ qualifications to take the exam for the first time. Indiana also has a provision for candidates to sit for the exam 60 days before they graduate as long as all requirements are met.

Let’s take a look at what you need to do to take the exam and get licensed.

Indiana CPA Exam Requirements

In order to be eligible to sit for the exam in Indiana, candidates must meet the following personal qualifications and educational requirements.

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • Not required to be a US citizen
  • Not required to be an IN resident
  • Valid Social Security Number required
  • IN does participate in the International Examination Program

Educational Requirements to Sit

Indiana requires all candidates to complete 150 semester hours before they can site for the exam. This can be met by a couple different ways. You can get one of the following:

 

Bachelor’s Degree or Graduate Degree (at least 150 credit hours) including:

  • 24 credit hours in Accounting classes including financial accounting, auditing, and taxation.
  • 24 credit hours in Business Administrative courses like Management, Marketing, and Law. This may also include up to six hours of computer science classes.

Either one of these degrees are acceptable as long as the 150 credit hours threshold is met.

Students can also take the exam before they graduate as long as their final transcripts can be sent to the state board no later than 60 days after they sit for the exam. This is a great opportunity. Life gets busy after you graduate and get a job. Take advantage of a program like this and get one section out of the way!

Exam Fees

The total cost to take the CPA exam in Indiana is $879.08 including an initial one-time $150 application fee. The cost for each section is listed below.

 

AUD – Audit $192.03
FAR – Financial Accounting and Reporting $192.03
BEC – Business Environment and Concepts $172.51
REG – Regulation $172.51

 

The fees are typically based on the duration of the exam. That’s why the FAR and AUD exams cost the most.

IMPORTANT – Don’t get excited and register for all the sections at once. Your NIT or notice to sit is only valid for six months. This means it will expire and you will have to re-register. Unfortunately you will have to pay to register again. Re-registration application fees are $70 for one section and vary depending on how many your sign up for at once, so only sign up for the exams that you are ready to sit for in the next 6 months.

Registration Fees

Here is the breakdown for the registration fees you will have to pay. As you can see, registering more exams at once will save you some money.

  • 1 section $70.00
  • 2 sections $85.00
  • 3 sections $95.00
  • 4 sections $110.00

CPA License Requirements

You might be thinking that just taking the exam is a huge process. You’re right, but it’s only the first step in becoming a CPA in IN. After you pass the exam, there are a few administrative things you must do before you can truly call yourself a Certified Public Accountant. Here is the basic process.

Pass the Exam

You’ll have to pass all four sections of the exam with a score of at least 75 in an 18-month period.

Paperwork

Submit all the required paperwork to the state board usually includes transcripts, license application, and proof of work experience.

Fees

Pay the applicable license fees with your application.

Ethics Exam

No Ethics exam is required

Additional Education

There are no more additional education requirements after you pass the exam because it is all required beforehand.

Work Experience Requirements

Indiana has a pretty standard work experience requirement. Before you will be issued a license, you will have to complete the following:

2-year of general accounting experience in Public Accounting, Governmental Accounting, Private Industry, or Academia under the supervision of a current CPA

More Exam Resources and Information

The entire process of applying, taking the exam, and sending your paperwork can be quite an involved, especially if you attended more than one college. Since you have to show proof of your education, you’ll have to send in transcripts from every college you’ve attended. This can be a pain.

This whole process can be kind of confusing, especially because you rarely get feedback from the state board. Many times you don’t know if they even received any of your application information. I think it’s important to contact the state board directly to see what they already have on file and more importantly what they need to complete your application.

 

For example, sometimes the state doesn’t receive your test scores from Prometrics. They will rarely contact you and say something is missing. It’s a good idea to contact them directly to confirm they have everything they need.

Here is the contact info for the state board.

Indiana State Board of Accountancy

Indiana CPA Application Forms

    • Professional Licensing Agency Indiana Government Center S.
    • 402 West Washington St., Room W072
    • Indianapolis, IN 46204-2246

 

  • Phone: 317-234-3040
  • Fax: 317-233-5559