CPA Day success: also: qualifying experience reviewed.

AuthorTindel, Jeannie
PositionCapitolBeat

More than 130 enthusiastic CPAs and students gathered in Sacramento Jan. 20 to make sure California legislators understood the issues important to the CPA profession.

Participants met with legislators and their staffs to thank them for supporting GalCPA's legislative agenda last year, promote GalCPA's financial literacy campaign and share observations that should be considered if there is a move to impose some kind of sales tax on accounting services.

Cash-strapped California is considering-expanding the sales tax base to include specific services as one option to increase the state's tax revenue.

CPA Day attendees heard from Assembly members and CPAs Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) and Roger Niello (R-Sacramento), who both carried critical pieces of GalCPA's legislative agenda last year. These legislators complimented CPA Day participants on their dedication and participation in the process.

California Board of Accountancy Reviews Qualifying Experience

The CBA's Qualifications Committee is reviewing the qualifying experience required to become a California CPA.

When California's licensing standards were last updated in 2000, candidates could enter the profession by using experience gained while working in industry, public practice or government under the supervision of a CPA with an active license.

General experience includes providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory financial advisory, tax or consulting skills.

To qualify for licensure, the experience must meet applicable professional standards. This provision is generally consistent with the Uniform Accountancy Act provisions adopted by most other states. The CBA refers to CPAs licensed in this manner as "G" licensees. However, CBA laws and rules break with the UAA in that G licensees are not allowed to sign audits and reviews.

To sign audits and reviews, candidates must have a minimum of 500 hours of supervised attest work, which, in theory provides them with sufficient experience to plan and perform an audit with minimal supervision. Individuals who have completed the attest experience are referred to as having an "A" license.

All CPAs licensed prior to the experience requirement changes made in 2000 have the "A" license. This holds true even if they have never done any attest work, or if they have never taken any continuing professional education related to audits or reviews.

The UAA recognizes that 500 hours...

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