Montana CPA Exam and License Requirements

Publication Date :

16 May, 2023

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Table Of Contents

Montana CPA Exam

Montana Certified Public Accountant (CPA) License accredits a professional to pursue public accounting in the U.S. jurisdiction of Montana. For successful CPA licensure, you must fulfill the exam and license requirements specified by the Montana state board of accountancy.

Montana is a one-tier state. Therefore, there is no need to apply for the CPA Certificate. Instead, you may directly apply for the CPA license after fulfilling the CPA Exam and experience requirements. The Montana Board of Public Accountants issues the license to qualified candidates on meeting all the requirements.

Here's the outline of the license requirements in Montana.

Particulars	Requirements
Age	No minimum age
U.S. Citizenship	Not required
Residency	Not required
Social Security	Not required
Education requirement for CPA Exam	Upper-division course with • Minimum 24 semester hours of accounting courses • Minimum 24 semester hours of business courses
Education requirement for licensure	150 semester hours
Experience requirement for licensure	2000 hours of accounting or auditing service within 1 year
Ethics exam	AICPA Professional Ethics Exam

Please note that the state also participates in the International Examination Program. Now, let’s view Montana CPA Exam and License Requirements in detail.

Contents

Montana CPA Exam Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
Fees
Required Documents

Montana CPA License Requirements

Exam Requirements
Education Requirements
Experience Requirements
Ethics Requirements
Licensing Fees

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Credit Calculation

Montana Exam Information & Resources

Montana CPA Exam Requirements

CPA Exam is a computer-based series of tests (16-hour long) developed to evaluate your accounting knowledge and skills. The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) jointly administer the CPA Exam.

You must pass all four exam sections within the 18-month testing period. This timeline starts from the testing date of the first passed section and ends on the last day of the last month of the 18-month period. Ensure to score at least 75 points on a scale of 0-99 in each section.

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

All CPA Exam sections constitute five testlets with multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and task-based simulations (TBSs). Only BEC includes an additional segment, written communication tasks (WCTs).

Eligibility Requirements

CPA Exam applicants must complete an upper-division course with:

A minimum of 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of accounting courses in the following subjects:
- Financial accounting
- Auditing
- Taxation
- Management accounting

A minimum of 24 semester (36 quarter) hours in general business courses in the following subjects:
- Information systems
- Business law
- Finance
- Economics
- Marketing
- Ethics
- Organizational behavior
- Quantitative applications in business
- Communication skills

Please note that an upper-division course is usually an advanced course taken at the junior or senior level. It excludes introductory accounting courses.

You must apply for the exam online through CPA Examination Services (CPAES) with the required fee and educational transcripts. Also, ensure direct submission of your documents or foreign evaluations from the academic institute or the evaluation service.

Furthermore, applicants may utilize NASBA Advisory Evaluation Service to identify any academic inadequacies in the transcripts before the final submission. Kindly visit the NASBA’s website for the complete CPA application process.

Fees

First-time applicants

Particulars	Amount	Total Fees
Application Fee	-	$245
Examination Fees
AUD	$238.15
BEC	$238.15
FAR	$238.15
REG	$238.15	$952.6
Total Fees	-	$1,197.6

Re-exam candidates

Particulars	Amount	Total Fees
Application Fee	-	$100
Examination Fees
AUD	$238.15
BEC	$238.15
FAR	$238.15
REG	$238.15	$952.6
Total Fees	-	$1,052.6

Both application and examination fees are non-refundable. Also, you can’t withdraw from the examination or request a Notice-to-Schedule (NTS) extension. Hence, ensure to sit for the applied section(s) within six months (NTS validity period). Or else you will have to re-apply.

However, candidates may request an NTS extension or partial refund of the exam fees under extreme situations. They can submit the Exception to Policy form for the same.

Required Documents

The following table mentions the documents to be submitted to the CPAES:

Required documents	Submission
Official school transcripts	Your school
International Evaluation Summary (if applicable)	You or the evaluation agency
Testing Accommodations Request Form (if applicable)	You

You may also submit the official transcripts electronically.

Montana CPA License Requirements

Here are the pre-requisites for a Montana CPA License:

Education - Bachelor’s degree with 150 semester hours
Exam - Pass the Uniform CPA Exam with at least 75 points
Experience - 1 year (at least 2000 hours) in accounting and/or auditing
Ethics - Pass the AICPA Professional Ethics course with at least 90%

Note that there is no minimum age, residency, social security, or citizenship requirement to be met.

Education Requirements

You must earn 150 semester hours, including

a baccalaureate degree with an accounting major or its equivalent from a nationally or regionally accredited institution
at least 24 semester hours of accounting courses
at least 24 semester hours of business-related courses

Exam Requirements

Candidates must pass all four CPA Exam sections within the rolling 18-month testing period. As specified above, they are required to score at least 75 points in each section. Please check out the Exam Requirements section for detailed information.

Experience Requirements

CPA Licensure candidates must gain one year (at least 2000 hours) of accounting and/or auditing experience. Here are more details.

Particulars	Details
Qualified areas	Public Accounting, Industry, Government, and/or Academia
Required hours/time	A minimum of 2000 hours (one year)
Experience acquired	Within three years immediately before the license application date
Experience verification	By an active U.S. CPA Permit/License holder, or By a professional licensed with an accounting body having a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with NASBA/AICPA

Ethics Requirements

Lastly, ensure to pass the AICPA-developed Professional Ethics for CPAs course with at least 90%. The details are outlined in the table below.


Particulars	Details
What to Study	Professional Ethics: AICPA’s Comprehensive Course
Type	Self-study course
Mode	Online and text version
Price	• AICPA members – $179 • Non-members –$189
Topics covered	• AICPA Code of Professional Conduct • Conceptual framework • Principles of ethics and independence • Regulatory rulesImportance & organization process of the AICPA Code
How to Study	• Take the course • Purchase the online or text version of the course • Go through the learning material • Attend the exam
Minimum passing mark	90%

Licensing Fees

Submit your licensure application with the required fees to the Montana State Board.

Particulars	Fees
Initial license	$150
Reciprocal license	$200
Transfer of grades from a substantially equivalent state for licensure	$200

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Montana CPA License holders must earn 120 CPA CPE credit hours every three years. They should earn credits through only the programs offered by the NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors.

Go through this brief checklist to know everything.

Particulars	Details
License Renewal Date	December 31 (Annually)
CPE Reporting Period	January 1 – December 31 (Triennial Rolling)
CPE Requirements	120 CPE hours (3 years)
Ethics Requirement	2 hours (AICPA’s Professional Ethics Course)
Other Requirements	60 hours in technical fields (You may include the Ethics Requirement)
Credit Limitations	Instruction	Maximum 60 hours
	Published Materials	Maximum 30 hours
	Reviewer	Maximum 16 hours
	Technical Reviewer	Maximum 60 hours

Credit Calculation

Programs	CPE Hours
Instruction	1 Credit hour = Presentation + Preparation (maximum 2 times of presentation)
Must be claimed once per course triennially
University/College Credit	1 Semester Hour = 15 CPE Hours (Credit courses)
1 Classroom Hour = 1 Qualifying Hour (Non-credit courses)
Self-Study	CE Credits = Amount granted by the sponsor (for NASBA-recognized Sponsors)
CE Credits = Half of the amount granted by the sponsor (for other Sponsors)
Partial Credit	Group programs & blended learning programs	At least 1 hour & then in 0.5 or 0.2 increments
Self-study	At least half credit initially & then in 0.5 of 0.2 increments
Nano learning	At 1/5th credit hour

Now that you know how to become a CPA in Montana start prepping up ASAP! First, devise an intelligent study schedule and equip yourself with suitable prep material. Then, take the CPA Exam and meet other state-specific requirements of Montana before applying for the license.

Remember to keep a tab on AICPA, NASBA, and the State Board website for updated information. Contact the concerned department in case of any queries. Once you attain the license, ensure its renewal and keep enjoying the rewards of being a CPA!