Michigan CPA Exam and License Requirements

Last Updated :

Blog Author :

Edited by :

Reviewed by :

Table Of Contents

Michigan CPA Exam

Michigan CPA (Certified Public Accountant) License is a professional permit that accredits accountants to offer public accounting services. With robust economic growth, Michigan yields umpteen opportunities for accountants to advance their careers. To capitalize on these possibilities, candidates must secure the Michigan CPA License by qualifying the CPA Exam and meeting other requirements.

Michigan Board of Accountancy (BOA) is the licensing body for CPAs in the state. It establishes rules, grants licenses, and regulates the profession. It targets to protect the public interest by ensuring the license holders demonstrate utmost integrity and competence in their professional conduct.

Michigan is a one-tier state. Therefore, candidates do not obtain a CPA certificate for passing the CPA Exam successfully. Alternately, successful candidates qualify for the CPA license only after satisfactorily meeting the compulsory education and experience criteria. Note that the state also partakes in the international administration of the CPA Exam.

Michigan has a business-friendly environment that ranks among the best in the country. Its geographic advantage and significant talent pool attract businesses to expand their operations here.

Moreover, with 17 Fortune 500 enterprises, Michigan is also ranked among the top 10 states for most Fortune 500 headquarters nationwide. With a low cost of living and growth-oriented business climate, it is the ultimate destination for aspiring CPAs.

Let’s brief you on everything about the Michigan CPA exam and license requirements without further ado.

Particulars	Details
Licensing Agency	Michigan Board of Public Accountancy
Licensing Pattern	1-tier
Age Requirement	No minimum age
Residency Requirement	Not required
Citizenship Requirement	Not required
Social Security Number	Required
Education Requirement	For Examination	120 semester hours with a bachelor’s degree
For License	150 semester hours with a bachelor’s degree
Examination Requirement	Pass the CPA Exam with at least 75 points on a scale of 0-99
Experience Requirement	2,000 hours of relevant experience
Ethics	Not Required

Contents

Michigan CPA Exam Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
Fees
Required Documents

Michigan CPA License Requirements

Education Requirements
Exam Requirements
Experience Requirements

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Michigan Exam Information & Resources

Michigan CPA Exam Requirements

The computerized CPA Exam covers four sections developed to test your awareness and caliber as a newly licensed CPA. The passing grade for each four-hour-long section is 75 points on a scale of 0-99.

Regulation (REG CPA Exam)
Auditing & Attestation (AUD CPA Exam)
Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR CPA Exam)
Business Environment & Concepts (BEC CPA Exam)

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and Prometric develop and supervise the examination.

Candidates have a rolling 18-month term for successful CPA exam completion, beginning from the testing date of the first passed section.

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must take one of the following pathways to be eligible to take the CPA Exam:

Particulars	Pathway 1	Pathway 2
Required Degree	Baccalaureate degree with an accounting major from a regionally authorized institute	Baccalaureate degree from a regionally authorized (or equivalent) institute
Total Required hours	Minimum 120 semester hours	Minimum 120 semester hours
Auditing	3 semester (4.5 quarter) hours	3 semester (4.5 quarter) hours
Accounting	21 semester hours (31.5 quarter hours) covering the following subjects: Managerial accounting, including cost accounting Financial Accounting & accounting Theory U.S. federal taxation Accounting systems & controls Governmental/fund accounting	21 semester hours (31.5 quarter hours) covering the following subjects: Managerial accounting, including cost accounting Financial Accounting & accounting Theory U.S. federal taxation Accounting systems & controls Governmental/fund accounting
General Business Subjects	24 semester (36 quarter) hours	24 semester (36 quarter) hours

Applicants currently enrolled in college must complete the educational requisites and confirm degree conferral within 60 days after attempting the first exam section.

Candidates must apply for the exam through CPA Examination Services (CPAES). While submitting the application, they must attach the required fees and documents. Please check the NASBA portal for more information.

NASBA Advisory Evaluation service is also available to identify any academic drawbacks in the documents before submitting the initial application.

Fees

Here is the Michigan exam fee structure for re-examination candidates.

CPA Exam Sections	Exam Fees (per section)	Total Exam Fees (all sections)	Registration Fees	Total Fees
4 Exam Sections	$238.15	$904.6	$85	$1001.6
3 Exam Sections	$238.15	$678.45	$85	$772.45
2 Exam Sections	$238.15	$452.3	$85	$543.3
1 Exam Sections	$238.15	$226.15	$85	$314.15

Michigan exam applicants can’t drop out from the test or request a Notice-to-Schedule (NTS) extension. Nonetheless, they may request to extend their NTS or a partial exam amount refund only in exceptional conditions.

Since both application and examination fees are non-refundable, applicants must schedule and sit for the applied section(s) within six months of the NTS issuance date. Or else they would lose the fees.

Required Documents

Let’s view the required documents.

The e-transcripts must be sent by the candidate’s college or university directly to CPAES. Moreover, candidates with Canadian educational credentials may directly submit the documents along with the exam application. However, candidates must not submit photocopies of transcripts as they are considered unofficial and unacceptable.

Michigan CPA License Requirements

Here is a quick checklist for Michigan CPA licensure requirements.

The Great Lake State does not have a minimum age, U.S. citizenship, or state residency requirements. Candidates must submit the CPA licensure application, fees, and required documents to the Michigan state board. Please refer to the official website for more details.

Let’s view the applicable fees.

Particulars	Fees
Application Processing Fees
Firm or Individual	$100
Individual Reciprocity	$100
Temporary Permit	$100
Annual License Fees
Firm	$100
Individual	$100
Other Fees
Verification of License	$15

Education Requirements

CPA aspirants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an authorized college or university with an accounting major. It involves earning a minimum of 150 semester hours along with:

3 semester hours in auditing
24 semester hours in general business subjects (except accounting) like:
- Business communications
- Business ethics
- Economics
- Business law
- Management
- Finance
- Information systems or technology
- Marketing
- Statistics
- Quantitative methods
- Other state board-approved subjects
21 semester hours in accounting principles covering the following areas:
- Managerial accounting, including cost accounting
- Financial accounting & accounting theory
- Taxation
- Accounting systems & controls
- Governmental/fund accounting

In the case of two duplicative courses, the first course hours are counted toward the semester-hour requirement.

Exam Requirements

Michigan CPA licensure applicants must score a minimum of 75 points in each of the four CPA exam sections. They have a rolling 18-month period to receive the passing grades. Kindly visit the Michigan Exam Requirements section for further information.

Experience Requirements

Candidates must obtain at least 2000 hours of relevant work experience within 1-5 years before applying for the license. The work experience has to be verified by an active CPA to be acceptable. The qualifying employment fields include government, industry, public practice, or academia.

Experience gained during a college or university internship is acceptable, including the internships count toward the educational requirement. In addition, applicants with a minimum of four semester hours of an academic appointment in accounting at a state-board-recognized institute may include instruction as qualifying experience.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Michigan requires CPAs to renew their license every two years after earning 80 CPE credit hours. CPE keeps them updated about the current changes in the CPA profession. They must complete the required hours from state-board-approved CPE sponsors. The Michigan board accepts credits from programs provided by NASBA's National Registry Sponsors.

Check out all the details here.

Particulars	Details
License Renewal Date	July 31 (Biennially)
CPE Reporting Period	July 1-June 30 (Biennially)
Renewal Fee	$200
Paid by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express credit or debit card, or E-check
Total CPE hours required	80 hours (minimum 40 hours annually)
Ethics Requirement	4 hours (minimum 2 hours annually)
1 hour of Michigan Statutes & Administrative Rules applicable to Public Accountancy
Other Requirements	Accounting & Auditing	8 hours annually
Credit Calculation	Instruction	Credit = Presentation + Preparation (Repeat instruction within the same year does not qualify for credit)
University/College	Credit Courses	1 semester hour = 15 CPE hours
1 quarter hour = 10 CPE hours
Non-credit Courses	1 classroom hour = 1 qualifying hour
Credit Limitations	Blended Learning	Acceptable if the credit amount is within the current rounding rules
Instruction	Maximum 50% (20 hours) annually
Self-Study	Maximum 50% (20 hours) annually
Other State Policies	Carryover	Maximum 40 hours gained beyond the annual 40-hour requirement
Accounting & Auditing	Maximum 8 hours
Ethics Maximum	2 hours per year
Exemption	The Licensee’s principal place of business has CPE requirements	Meet state-specific CPE requirements
The Licensee’s principal place of business does not have CPE requirements	Meet Michigan CPE requirements

Michigan is a state with high employment prospects for CPAs. It offers them a yearly average base pay of $58,789. From large corporations to small start-ups, all hunt for qualified CPAs to boost their market presence.

The state’s awe-inspiring economic growth is a motivation for CPA aspirants. So, don’t wait anymore! Start prepping up for the Michigan CPA licensure as soon as you graduate. Take some valuable insights from former CPAs. Also, ensure to browse through the Michigan board website for updates on the CPA exam and license requirements. Learn more about CPEs for CPA.