Exam Tips

How to Become a Licensed CPA in Missouri

Missouri has some of the strictest sitting requirements out of any state. Not only are candidates required to be at least 21 years old, they also cannot sit for the exam more than 60 days before completing the educational requirements. Also, MO is among the 150-credit rules states that require at least a bachelor’s degree and 150 semester hours be met before applying for the exam. I know; it’s pretty rough.

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

Missouri CPA Exam Requirements

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

  • Must be at least 21 years old
  • Not Required to be a US citizen
  • Must be an MO resident
  • Valid Social Security Number required
  • MO does participate in the International Examination Program

Educational Requirements to Sit

Missouri is a strict 150-hour state that requires 150 semester hours including at least a bachelor’s degree be completed before you are eligible. Both accounting and business classes need to be taken as well. Here’s what you will need to do:

 

Bachelor’s Degree or higher (at least 150 semester hours) including:

  • 33 credit hours of upper level Accounting including:
    • 3 hours in Auditing
    • 30 hours in general accounting like financial, managerial, and taxation
  • 27 credit hours of General Business courses including: Management, Finance, Business Law

MO does also allow students who are within 60 days of graduating to sit for the exam as long as their full education is completed after taking their first exam. Many states allow student candidates to take the exam before they graduate. I think this a great opportunity for you to get one section out of the way before you land the first big job and life gets crazy. Take advantage of it!

Exam Fees

The total cost to take the CPA exam in Missouri is $861.08 including an initial one-time $132 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 try to get ahead of yourself and register for all four sections at once. 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 $71 and varied depending on how many you register for, so only sign up for the exams that you are ready to sit for in the next 6 months.

Registration Fees

Missouri’s registration fees are pretty reasonable compared with some other states, but you can still save yourself some money by not re-registering for exams. Keep this in mind when you are signing up. 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 $71.00
  • 2 sections $92.00
  • 3 sections $108.00
  • 4 sections $124.00

CPA License Requirements

The whole exam process can be kind of overwhelming when you first start looking into it. It’s okay! You can make it. Applying and registering for the test is just the first step in becoming a CPA in MO. Once you pass the exam, there are a few simple things you have to do before you can legally 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

The MO state board does not require you to take the AICPA Professional Ethics exam (found on the AICPA website), but you do have to take an approved exam. I would just stick with the AICPA one. It’s really the state standard.

Additional Education

Since MS requires that you complete 150 hours before you are eligible to take the exam; there are no more additional courses that you need to take.

Work Experience Requirements

Missouri has a pretty standard one-year work experience requirement for all CPA candidates. Here are the details.

1-year or 2,000 hours of general accounting and auditing skills in Public Accounting, Governmental Accounting, Private Industry or University setting supervised and verified by a CPA in good standing.

 

If you want to get licensed to perform attest services, sign reports, and supervise attest engagements, you will need to complete an additional one-year experience requirement performing attest services.

Note: Your work experience must be completed within a three-year period.

More Exam Resources and Information

I know gathering your paperwork to be mail to the state, the application process, and taking the exam can be pretty involved. It can be even worse if you transferred to multiple colleges during your undergraduate program. Yes, the Missouri state board needs proof of all of your education. This means so you’ll need to send in transcripts from every college you’ve attended. This can be a pain. I know.

This is why I think it’s always a good idea to contact the state board directly. You can find out what they already have on file and more importantly what they need to complete your application. Nothing is worse than finding out they need something after the fact.

 

For example, sometimes the state doesn’t receive your test scores from Prometrics. Unfortunately, most state boards rarely notify you that something is missing. Directly contacting the board is the fastest way to confirm that they have everything they need before you get too far along in the process.

Here is the contact info for the state board.

Missouri State Board of Accountancy

Missouri CPA Application Forms

    • P.O. Box 613
    • Jefferson City, MO 65102

 

  • Phone: 573-751-0012
  • Fax: 573-751-0890