Nebraska CPA Exam & License Requirements

Publication Date :

11 May, 2023

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Nebraska CPA Exam

Nebraska CPA (Certified Public Accountant) License is a credential issued by the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy (NBPA) to perform public accounting services. Like other states, Nebraska also has unique CPA exam, education, and other license requirements.

Nebraska is a two-tier state. It indicates that you are issued a CPA certificate immediately after passing the CPA Exam. However, you will get a CPA license only after acquiring the required work experience.

CPA certification is proof that you have fulfilled particular educational standards and passed the CPA Exam. At the same time, a CPA license is a permit to practice the profession actively. The U.S. jurisdiction also undertakes the international administration of the Uniform CPA Exam.

Please note that the finance sector is one of the major sources of employment in Nebraska. Being home to bigwigs like Berkshire Hathaway and TD Ameritrade and numerous community banks and financial institutions, candidates can safely invest in an accounting career in the state. Besides, the CPA certification ensures higher than average pay and lifelong job stability.

Therefore, let’s explore the Nebraska CPA exam and license requirements.

Particulars	Requirements
Age	None
U.S. citizenship	Not required
Nebraska residency	Required
Social Security Number (SSN)	Required
CPA Exam Education	150 semester hours
CPA Exam	Pass all sections with minimum 75 points in each
CPA License Education	150 semester hours
Experience	Public accounting	2 years
Accounting in private industry, government, or academia	3 years
Ethics exam	Pass AICPA Professional Ethics Exam

Contents

Nebraska CPA Exam Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
Fees
Required Documents

Nebraska CPA Certificate Requirements

Ethics Requirement

Nebraska CPA License Requirements

Education Requirements
Exam Requirements
Certification Requirements
Experience Requirements

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Nebraska Exam Information & Resources

Nebraska CPA Exam Requirements

Passing the four-part computerized examination is the first step toward Nebraska's CPA licensure. It determines the proficiency level required by CPAs to preserve the public interest.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of State Board of Accountancy (NASBA), and Prometric jointly handle the overall CPA examination process.

You must gain at least 75 points on a scale of 0-99 in each part to successfully pass the test. You have a rolling 18-month period to clear the remaining CPA exam sections starting from the date you sat for the first cleared exam sections. Note that each part is four-hour long.

CPA Exam Sections	Testlets	Question Types
Multiple-Choice Questions	Task-Based Simulations	Written Communication Tasks
Auditing & Attestation (AUD)	5	Yes	Yes	No
Business Environment & Concepts (BEC)	5	Yes	Yes	Yes
Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR)	5	Yes	Yes	No
Regulation (REG)	5	Yes	Yes	No

Eligibility Requirements

General Requirement

Be a Nebraska resident, regularly employed in Nebraska, or have a place of business in Nebraska.

Education Requirement

At least a baccalaureate degree from a four-year academic institution with a minimum of 150 semester hours (225 quarter hours) of postsecondary education, including:

30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) in non-introductory level accounting covering the following subjects:
- Financial Accounting Theory
- Cost/Managerial Accounting
- Auditing
- Taxation
- Accounting Information Systems
- Governmental/Not-for-profit Accounting
30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) in general business subjects like:
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- Marketing
- Business Law
- Finance
- Management
- Principles of Accounting
- Business Ethics

Nebraska CPA Exam Eligibility Requirements

Candidates currently enrolled in an academic institution may also apply for the CPA Exam. Here are the related deadlines.

Requirements	Deadline
Fulfill the educational requirement	Within 120 days from the examination date
Confirm baccalaureate degree conferral	Within 150 days from the examination date

The board accepts credits earned at a two-year institute only if it is transferred to a regionally authorized four-year institute and the credit is applied toward the degree.

Submit the exam application, related fees, and documents to CPA Examination Services (CPAES). CPAES is a division of NASBA that offers examination services to the NBPA. Please visit the NASBA portal for complete information.

Candidates may also utilize the NASBA Advisory Evaluation service to look for any academic inadequacies in their education before the final submission.

Fees

Let’s view the CPA Exam fee structure.

Particulars	Examination Fees	First-time Applicant Fees	Re-exam Applicant Fees
Application Fee	-	$185	-
Registration Fee	-	-	$85
Exam sections	-	-	-
AUD	$238.15	-	-
BEC	$238.15	-	-
FAR	$238.15	-	-
REG	$238.15	$952.6	$952.6
Total Fees	$952.6	$1,137.6	$1,037.6

Nebraska applicants can’t pull back from the exam or request to extend their Notice-to-Schedule (NTS). Nonetheless, critical conditions are an exception to requesting an NTS extension or a partial exam fee repayment.

Both examination and application fees are non-refundable. Furthermore, an eligible applicant has six months from the NTS issuance date to schedule and attempt the approved section(s).

Required Documents

Here is the list of required documents to be submitted to CPAES.

Documents	Requirement	Submission
Official transcript(s)	Mandatory	By each postsecondary academic institution attended
Foreign evaluation report with translated foreign transcripts	If applicable	By applicant or evaluation agency
Certificate of Enrollment (COE) form	If applicable	By applicant
Final official transcript to confirm degree conferral	Mandatory (if the applicant submits the COE Form)	By applicant
Testing Accommodations Request form	If applicable	By applicant

Note that the COE form must be submitted by candidates enrolled in college at the time of application. The authorized agencies for the evaluation of educational credentials are:

NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES), or
Any member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

Your academic institution can also submit the e-transcripts directly to CPAES. Know that only original and not photocopied transcripts are acceptable.

Nebraska CPA Certificate Requirements

Before applying for the Nebraska CPA Certificate, candidates must:

Be a Nebraska resident with a place of business or regular employment
Have at least a baccalaureate degree with 150 semester hours
Pass the CPA Exam
Complete the NBPA Ethics Exam
Take the AICPA’s self-study ethics course and exam

Ethics Requirement

NBPA Ethics Exam

The application form for the NBPA Ethics Exam is available on the state board website. The exam consists of MCQs. While attempting the MCQs, you must access Title 288, Chapter 5 of NBPA Rules and Regulations.

You are subject to the following ethical rules as per the engagement context and nature of the provided services.

NBPA Rules & Regulations (Chapter 5)
AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
Rules for Regulatory Agencies, like Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Circular 230, Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board, etc.

AICPA Ethics Exam

Besides the NBPA Ethics Exam, Nebraska candidates must also take AICPA’s self-study course, “Professional Ethics: The AICPA’s Comprehensive Course (For Licensure)” and the ethics exam at the end of it. For licensure, you must score at least 90%. For more details, please refer to the AICPA website.

Particulars	Details
Exam Format	Online
MCQs
Current Pricing	AICPA Members	$180
Non-members	$245
Course Validity	1 year after the purchase
Passing Score	90%
When to take up the Exam?	After passing the Uniform CPA Exam
Key Topics	Conceptual Framework
Ethics
AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
Independence
Activities that disgrace the CPA profession
Ethics Requirements from other regulators

On completing the ethics exam, AICPA sends the Certificate of Completion to the NBPA. In addition, candidates must fill the CPA Certificate Issuance form and apply it to the state board. On satisfying all the requisites, the board issues the CPA certificate.

Note that the CPA certificate doesn’t provide practicing rights to the holders. So, candidates must fulfill the experience requirement after passing the ethics exams to receive the Nebraska CPA License.

Nebraska CPA License Requirements

Being a two-tier state, Nebraska certificate holders have to satisfy the following requisites for licensure:

Attain Nebraska residency
Get Social Security Number (SSN)
Earn 150 semester hours of education
Score a minimum of 75 points in each of the four CPA Exam sections
Receive the CPA Certificate
Obtain 2-3 years of work experience

Here is the licensure process.

On meeting the experience requirements, candidates can contact the NBPA office for the licensure application. Ensure to submit the Certificate of Public Accounting Experience form along with it. Now let's dig deeper to learn more about the licensure requisites.

Education Requirements

You must hold a baccalaureate degree from a four-year academic institution. In addition, ensure to complete 150 semester hours of post-secondary education. The education requirement for licensure and CPA exams are the same. Further details are specified in the Eligibility Criteria section.

Exam Requirements

Nebraska licensure applicants must score a minimum of 75 points in each exam section. In addition, they have a rolling 18-month period to conclude the licensure test successfully. Refer to the Nebraska Exam Requirements section for detailed information.

Certification Requirement

Pass both the NBPA and AICPA ethics exams and acquire the CPA certificate. Please refer to the Nebraska Certificate Requirement section above for additional information.

Experience Requirements

Candidates must gain the necessary experience under the direct supervision of an active CPA. Ensure to obtain the required employment in a licensed and registered CPA Firm.

Type of Experience	Required Hours	Required Documents for Licensure
Public Accounting Experience	4,000 hours of experience gained in at least 2 years	Certificate of Public Accounting Experience Form
Nebraska Department of Revenue & Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts Experience	4,000 hours of experience earned in at least 2 years	NAPA & NDR Experience Form
Official job descriptions
Letter of recommendation (from supervising CPA)
Business, Government, and Academia Experience	6,000 hours earned in at least 3 years	Business, Government, and Academia Experience Form
Official job descriptions
Letter of recommendation (from supervising CPA)

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Candidates must renew their Nebraska CPA License biennially after reporting 80 CPE credit hours. You must earn the CPE hours only through approved sponsors. The National Registry CPE sponsors are usually acceptable.

Here lies all the information.

Particulars	Details
License Renewal Date	June 30 (Biennially)
Odd or even year based on birth year
CPE Reporting Period	January 1-December 31 (Biennially)
Odd or even year based on birth year
General CPE Requirement	80 hours every two years
Ethics Requirement	4 hours
Credit Limitations	Committee Meetings	Maximum 16 hours
Firm Meetings	Acceptable only if the program constitutes a minimum of 50 minutes of continuous instruction
Instruction	Maximum 50% of total hours
Peer Review	Maximum 50% of total hours
Personal Development/Communications	Maximum 16 hours
Published Materials	Maximum 16 hours
Self-Study	Maximum 50% of total hours
University/College	Maximum 50% of total hours
Nano Learning Programs	Maximum 40 hours
Credit Calculations	Instruction	Credit = Presentation plus Preparation.
Partial Credit	Half credits after first full hour accepted
University/College	Credit courses	1 semester hour = 15 CPE hours
1 quarter hour = 8 CPE hours
Non-credit courses	1 classroom hour = 1 qualifying hour
Other State Policies	Course Approval	Pre-approval of CPE Courses is encouraged through the use of the Board’s “Program Qualification Form”

The Cornhusker State offers flexible education and experience requirements for aspiring CPAs. Also, you don’t have to attain a minimum age or U.S. citizenship to gain the title. All of this makes for a comfortable journey to CPA licensure.

So, begin with checking your eligibility to apply for the CPA exam through Nebraska and fulfill the additional license requirements. To obtain further licensure details, you can refer to the NBPA, AICPA, or NASBA websites. You may also get a membership and secure discounts on exam prep courses. Learn more about CPEs for CPA.