Exam Tips

How to Become a Licensed CPA in Louisiana

Unlike many states, Louisiana has adopted a residency requirement; so you will need to be or become a LA resident before you can site for the exam. In fact, you must maintain a residency at least 120 days before your exam application. There is no residency rule like this for your license, however. Louisiana also has incorporated the 150-credit rule and requires all applicants to complete these courses before they take the exam.

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

Louisiana CPA Exam Requirements

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

  • No minimum age
  • Must be a US citizen
  • Must be a LA resident
  • Valid Social Security Number required
  • LA does participate in the International Examination Program

Educational Requirements to Sit

Louisiana is one of the strict states that requires 150 semester hours be completed before you can take the test. Oddly enough, only an Associate’s Degree is required in order to sit. You do however have to finish a Bachelor’s Degree to obtain a license. Here what you need to sit.

Associates Degree or higher including:

 

  • 24 Undergraduate credit hours in Accounting courses

OR

  • 21 Graduate credit hours in Accounting courses

AND

  • 24 credit hours in General Business courses including Management, Marketing, and Finance. This must also include 3 hours of Commercial Law or Business Law.

Even though an Associate’s Degree is only required, people rarely do this because the full 150 hours usually add up to at least a Bachelor’s degree. I would just aim for a BA in accounting, business, or finance.

Exam Fees

The total cost to take the CPA exam in Louisiana is $859.08 including an initial one-time $130 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 crazy and register for all the sections immediately. Your notice to sit (NIT) will expire if you don’t take the exam in 6 months and you will have to re-register. The bummer is you will have to pay again in order to register. Re-registration application fees are $64 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 are the registration fees you will have to pay. As you can see, registering more exams at once will save you some money.

  • 1 section $65.00
  • 2 sections $80.00
  • 3 sections $95.00
  • 4 sections $110.00

CPA License Requirements

You might be a little overwhelmed by the CPA exam process. It’s okay! You can make it. Registering for the test is only the first step in becoming a CPA in LA. 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 license/certification fees with your application.

Ethics Exam

No Ethics exam is required.

Additional Education

Since you must have 150 credit hours to take the exam initially, you don’t have to take any additional classes as long as you have finished at least a bachelor’s degree.

Work Experience Requirements

Louisiana’s work experience rules are pretty standard. You must have:

1-year or 2,000 hours of general accounting experience in Public Accounting, Governmental Accounting, Private Industry under the supervision of a current CPA

 

All 2,000 hours must be completed within 4 years of passing the exam. Full time or part time positions can be used to reach the minimum limit.

More Exam Resources and Information

The application process, taking the exam, and organizing your paperwork to be sent in can be quite an involved, especially if you attended more than one college. Yes, the Louisiana state board will need proof of your education, so you’ll have to send in transcripts from every college you’ve attended. This can be a pain. I know.

I think it’s always a good idea 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. Unfortunately, most state boards rarely notify you that something is missing. It’s important to contact them directly and confirm they have everything they need before you get too far along in the process.

Here is the contact info for the state board.

Louisiana State Board of Accountancy

Louisiana CPA Application Forms

    • 601 Poydras Street Suite 70130
    • New Orleans, LA 70139

 

  • Phone: 504-566-1244
  • Fax: 504-566-1252