Every government agency, business, or organization relies on the services of accountants to ensure that its records are in order, there’s no unnecessary waste, and all taxes are paid.
If you’re in Alaska, there’s a constant demand for qualified accountants to aid the state’s growth and development.
The first step of your journey towards becoming a CPA in Alaska is to check the state’s CPA requirements. Please familiarize yourself with its jurisdictional requirements to determine if you’re eligible to apply as a first-timer.
Alaska may allow CPA candidates to sit for the licensing exam before graduation, provided that they’re within 18 credit hours of completing their degree.
Non-accounting majors may also take the CPA exam provided they have one year of work experience in public accounting. Overall, Alaska provides some of the most flexible CPA licensing requirements.
Alaska CPA Exam Requirements
Contents
To qualify to sit for the CPA exam as a first-timer in Alaska, candidates must complete the following personal qualifications, educational requirements, and work experience requirements.
1. Personal Qualifications
All first-timers must:
- Be of exemplary moral character;
- Be 19 years old and above;
- Have a valid Social Security Number (SSN);
International programs and exams are required. Furthermore, you need not hold US Citizenship or an Alaska Residency to take the CPA exam in Alaska.
2. Educational Requirements
Alaska’s CPA educational requirements aren’t as stringent compared to some other states. They also give candidates who haven’t completed their full bachelor’s degree program a way to apply for the exam.
That doesn’t mean that the procedure will be quick or easy, however, it does mean that eager students can get head starts on their careers in accountancy with minimal fuss.
To be eligible, all applicants must meet any of the following CPA requirements below:
1) Degree and Accounting Concentration which includes:
- A completed bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent, conferred by an accredited university or college;
- Completion of twenty-four semester hours in Accounting;
- Completion of three credit hours in Economics;
- Completion of three credit hours in Business Law; and
- Three credits of college-level math or computer science.
2) Degree and Accounting Concentration which includes:
- A completed bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent, conferred by an accredited university or college;
- Completion of fifteen semester hours in Accounting.
3) Degree In-Progress and Accounting Concentration which includes:
- The candidate is within 18 credit hours of finishing their bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited university or college;
- Completion of fifteen semester hours in Accounting.
4) Degree and no Accounting Concentration which includes:
- A completed bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent, conferred by an accredited university or college;
- Completion of one year of public accounting experience under the close guardianship of a CPA.
To show your level of education, you’ll need to provide the original transcripts from every institution you attended. If you’re applying to take the exam with a bachelor’s degree in an accounting concentration, indicate to your universities or colleges that needs to be stated on the transcripts.
3. Work Experience Requirements
The educational requirements for aspiring CPAs are flexible, however, but candidates do have to complete more experience than other states. Real world experience is always preferred compared with academic experience because industry is typically on the cutting edge of changes as compared with academia.
CPA candidates must complete the following to fulfill their work experience program:
- Two years in a public accountancy organization, or
- Three years in a private accounting firm or governmental accounting agency.
Alaska CPA Exam Fees
All first-time applicants need to pay a one-time application fee and the examination fee when they apply for the first time. All candidates re-taking an exam section will need to pay a re-registration fee and an exam fee when they register to take the exam again.
You can apply for one or more sections of the exam at a time; however, if you plan to take the exam within the next six months, it is recommended that you only register for one section of the exam.
Applying for all four exam sections in Alaska costs $743 plus the initial application fee of $150, summing up to an overall cost of $893.
The registration fee for re-examination candidates ranges between $65 and $110, depending on the number of exam sections you’re registering for.
| Application Fee | $150 |
| Examination Fees | |
| Auditing and Attestation (AUD) | $193.35 |
| Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) | $176.25 |
| Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) | $195.35 |
| Regulation (REG) | $176.25 |
NOTE: Once an application is completed, you can’t request an extension for your current NTS (Notices of Schedule). Furthermore, application and/or exam fees are non-refundable.
It is possible to request an extension under severe circumstance, but you aren’t likely to get approved. Here is more info about NTS extension and specific circumstance requests
CPA License Requirements
Education: 150 hours (including B.A.)
To qualify to sit for the CPA Exam in Alaska, candidates must have 150 credit hours of postsecondary education, including the completion of a bachelor’s degree.
Pass All 4 Sections of the CPA Exam
You may take each section individually and in any order. However, you’re required to pass all four exam sections in an 18-month time period starting the date your pass your first exam section.
You must score 75 or higher to be deemed successful in each examination section attempted. Credit for any section passed is valid for 18 months from the date the exam sections were taken.
Keep in mind that if you don’t pass all of the exam sections in 18 months, your first passed exam credit will expire and you will be required to retake it.
Pass the CPA Ethics Exam
After passing the CPA Exam, the new CPA must pass the Professional Ethics Exam for initial licensure. This exam is administered by the AICPA and is available through their website. No CPA gets licensed in Alaska without passing the CPA ethics exam.
The Exam has an 11-hour self-study course which is often administered via a CD-ROM. This CPA prep course includes all relevant information and a MCQ quiz to help candidates prepare.
Though the exam isn’t considered difficult, it’s well detailed and every candidate must score at least 90 to be deemed successful.
Fees
Pay an overall fee of $690 – a $390 certification fee and a $300 license application fee.
Documentation
Submit all required documents to the state board. Requires paperwork typically includes transcripts, proof of work experience, and license application.
Please note that applicants who haven’t completed their 150 hours of college/university coursework must do so before they get licensed.
Additional Alaska CPA Exam Information
For more information, including a complete copy of the application, all relevant rules, regulations, and guidelines as well as the state board’s contact information, please visit the Great State of Alaska board’s website.