Nevada CPA Exam and License Requirements

Publication Date :

15 May, 2023

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Table Of Contents

Nevada CPA Exam

Nevada CPA (Certified Public Accountant) License is the highest accounting credential awarded to professionals by the Nevada State Board of Accountancy. It enables them to practice the profession in the Silver State. However, Nevada applicants must satisfy the education, exam, experience, and other requirements to qualify for the CPA license.

Nevada observes the tier one licensing system. Under this arrangement, candidates need not apply for a CPA Certificate. Instead, they may directly obtain the license after fulfilling the necessary stipulations. Note that the Silver State also takes part in the International Examination Program.

Now, let’s navigate through the Nevada CPA exam and license requirements step-by-step.

Contents

Nevada CPA Exam Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
Fees
Required Documents

Nevada CPA License Requirements

Education Requirements
Exam Requirements
Experience Requirements
Moral Character References
Background Investigation
Ethics Requirements

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Nevada Exam Information & Resources

Nevada CPA Exam Requirements

Nevada exam applicants must pass the four-part computer-aided test with a minimum of 75 points in each. The exam undertakes to evaluate your potential and readiness to practice public accounting.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and Prometric are involved in the exam administration.

Ensure to complete the test within the rolling 18-month period, beginning from the date you pass the first section.

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

All CPA exam sections are four-hour-long with five testlets. Further, AUD, FAR, and REG feature multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and task-based simulations (TBSs). While BEC also includes written communication tasks (WCTs).

Eligibility Requirements

You must fulfill the below-mentioned eligibility requirements:

Particulars	Applicants with an accounting major	Applicants with a non-accounting major
Educational Requirement	Bachelor’s degree from an authorized institution	Bachelor’s degree from an approved institution
Total Semester Hours	120 semester hours	120 semester hours, including,
21 hours in accounting courses (above the introductory level) in the following subjects:
Financial Accounting (Intermediate I, II, III, or above)	9 credits
Cost Accounting	3 credits
Auditing	3 credits
Federal Income Tax	3 credits
Business Law	3 credits

Requirements of Nevada CPA Exam Education

Apply for the CPA exam through the state board with the required documents and application fees. Kindly visit the official portal for the complete procedure.

Fees

Candidates will receive a NASBA payment coupon once the state board accepts and forwards the application to NASBA. So, they must use it to submit the examination fees.

Particulars	Examination Fees (non-refundable)	First-time Applicant Fees	Re-examination Candidate Fees
Application Fee (non-refundable)	-	$100	-
Registration Fee (non-refundable)	-	-	$50
Exam sections	-	-	-
AUD	$238.15	-
BEC	$238.15	-
FAR	$238.15	-
REG	$238.15	$952.6	$952.6
Total Fees	$952.6	$1,052.6	$1,002.6

Please note that you can’t withdraw from the licensure test. Hence, ensure to take up the applied exam section(s) within six months of the Notice-to-Schedule (NTS) receipt date.

Required Documents

Submit the following documents to the Nevada State Board of Accountancy:

Documents	Submission
Official transcript(s)	College/University
Foreign Credential Evaluation Report (if applicable)	NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES)
Testing Accommodations Request Form (if applicable)	You

Nevada CPA License Requirements

Here is the checklist for Nevada CPA License:

Education – Bachelor’s degree with 150 semester hours
Examination – Score a minimum of 75 points in all four sections
Experience – 2 years in public accounting or 4 years in government/other industry (full-time)
Ethics – Pass the Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics) Exam
Background investigation – Complete two fingerprint cards to ensure no criminal history
Moral character references – Submit the verified Moral Character Reference form.
Personal identity – Obtain a valid Social Security Number (SSN)

There is no minimum age, citizenship, or residency requirement to be met. After passing the CPA exam and meeting all Nevada requirements, submit the license application, fees, a recent original 2x2 photo, and documents to the state board. Please note that photocopies of photographs are unacceptable.

Particulars	Fees
Initial License	$240
Work Experience Evaluation Service	$1000

Education Requirements

Nevada CPA licensure applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree with 150 semester hours. These 150 hours include:

30 semester (45 quarter) hours of non-introductory accounting courses in the following subjects:
- Financial Accounting – 9 credits
- Cost Accounting – 3 credits
- Auditing – 3 credits
- Federal Income Tax – 3 credits
- Accounting Electives – 12 credits
3 semester (4.5 quarter) hours in Business Law,
24 semester (36 quarter) hours of undergraduate or graduate-level business courses (except accounting courses) in the following subjects:
- Behavior of Organizations
- Legal & Social Environment
- Business Finance
- Communication
- Business Law
- Statistics
- Computers
- Quantitative Applications in Business
- Data Processing
- Oral Communication
- Economics
- Ethics in Business
- Marketing Management

Moreover, foreign degree holders must submit a course-by-course listing to the Nevada State Board.

Exam Requirements

You must complete the Uniform CPA Exam within the rolling 18-month period. It comprises four sections with a passing score of 75 points in each on a scale of 0-99. For more details, refer to the Nevada Exam Requirements section.

Experience Requirements

Fulfill one of the following pre-requisites:

2 years of full-time public accounting experience in a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or LLC
4 years of full-time experience in a governmental or other industry position equivalent to public accounting
OR
A combination of public accounting or industry/governmental accounting experience

Ensure to compose, perform, manage, and review complex projects that demand fair judgment and intelligence. Check the Nevada State Board for the complete list of approved and unapproved tasks. Furthermore, the experience period in industry/government is calculated as twice the time of public experience.

Candidates must gain the required experience under the direct supervision of an active CPA. In addition, they are required to complete and submit the duly signed experience verification form to the state board.

Applicants with non-CPA supervised work experience may also request an individual evaluation service by the board.

Moral Character References

Nevada CPA aspirants must submit a moral character reference form to three individuals (not a relative) familiar with the aspirant’s moral attributes. The licensure applicants or individuals signing the form can send the form directly to the board.

Background Investigation

Nevada Board of Accountancy is authorized to investigate all licensure applicants for criminal history. Thus, you must:

Complete two fingerprint cards (printed or typed in black ink only)
Include personal details like sex, height, weight, SSN, etc.
Return both cards with your licensure application to the Nevada State Board

Candidates may submit electronic fingerprints through approved private fingerprint websites.

Ethics Requirements

Lastly, ensure to pass the board-approved Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics) exam within the past three years. You may also take the AICPA Professional Ethics for CPAs or PES Ethics & Professional Conduct exam.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

Nevada CPA titleholders must earn 80 CPE hours annually. The board accepts programs offered by NASBA National Registry Sponsors to obtain the required CPE hours.

Particulars	Requirements
License Renewal Date	December 31 (Annually)
CPE Reporting Period	January 1-December 31 (over a rolling 2-year period)
General CPE Requirement	80 hours (minimum 20 hours per year)
Ethics Requirement	4 hours
Other Subject Area Requirements	8 hours in accounting and auditing per year
Credit Limitations	Technical Reviewer (time spent reviewing CPE program materials)
Other State Policies	Applicant must demonstrate compliance with the resident state’s CPE Requirements or Nevada CPE Requirements (in case the resident state does not have CPE Requirements)
Credit Calculation	Instruction	Credit = Presentation + Preparation (maximum twice of presentation)
Partial Credit	Increments of less than 1 credit (for continuing education)
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

With all information on the requirements, you can set aside your inhibitions, prepare for the exam, and get the Nevada CPA license. With the license, you may kick-start your entrepreneurial journey or join any of the “Big 4” accounting firms in the Sagebrush State.

Moreover, accounting aspirants may choose to specialize in their preferred domain. Famous for its extensive gaming industry, Nevada is also a resourceful U.S. province for CPAs. So, be ready to pursue the CPA profession in a fun-filled state! Please refer to this article to learn more - CPEs for CPA