PROPOSED RULES
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 06-05-005 [07-03-088].
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: WAC 4-25-530 Fees.
Hearing Location(s): Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center, 17620 Pacific Highway South, SeaTac, WA, on June 15, 2007, at 8:00 a.m.
Date of Intended Adoption: June 15, 2007.
Submit Written Comments to: Richard C. Sweeney, Executive Director, P.O. Box 9131, Olympia, WA 98507-9131, e-mail webmaster@cpaboard.wa.gov, fax (360) 664-9190, by June 4, 2007.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Cheryl Sexton by June 4, 2007, TTY (800) 833-6384 or (360) 664-9194.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: To increase the section fees charged to candidates applying to take the uniform certified public accountant (CPA) examination and eliminate the fee charges to transfer grades to another jurisdiction.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: The CPA examination providers, the American Institution of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and Prometric, the testing centers used to administer the computer-based CPA exam have notified the board of a forthcoming increase of all CPA exam fees:
AICPA - $80.00 per section (increase from the current $65.00 per section).
NASBA - $18.00 per section (increase from the current $15.00).
Prometric - $23.85 per test hour (increase from current $23.11 per test hour), plus $4.00 per section (increase from current $3.00 per section).
These fee increases will become effective with ATTs (Authorizations to Test) submitted August 18, 2007. The board must therefore increase the fees it charges for the administration of the CPA examination to adequately pay all costs.
Additionally, the board is proposing to eliminate the fee the board charges to process transfer of grades. This fee has caused confusion and therefore additional staff time to process requests for exchange of information between jurisdictions. The cost outweighs the benefit.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 18.04.065, 18.04.105(3).
Statute Being Implemented: RCW 18.04.065, 18.04.105(3).
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: Washington state board of accountancy, government; AICPA, private; NASBA, private; Prometric, private.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting, Implementation and Enforcement: Richard C. Sweeney, P.O. Box 9131, Olympia, WA 98507-9131, (360) 586-0163.
No small business economic impact statement has been prepared under chapter 19.85 RCW. The proposed rule will not have more than minor economic impact on business.
A cost-benefit analysis is not required under RCW 34.05.328. The board of accountancy is not one of the agencies required to submit to the requirements of RCW 34.05.328.
May 1, 2007
Richard C. Sweeney
Executive Director
| (1) | Initial application for individual license, practice privilege, individual license through reciprocity, CPA firm license (sole proprietorships with no employees are exempt from the fee), or registration as a resident nonlicensee firm owner | $330 | |
| (2) | Renewal of individual license, CPA-Inactive certificate, practice privilege, CPA firm license (sole proprietorships with no employees are exempt from the fee), or registration as a resident nonlicensee firm owner | $230 | |
| (3) | Application for CPA-Inactive certificateholder to convert to a license | $0 | |
| (4) | Application for reinstatement of license, practice privilege, CPA-Inactive certificate, or registration as a resident nonlicensee owner | $480 | |
| (5) | Quality assurance review (QAR) program fee (includes monitoring reviews for up to two years) | ||
| Firm submits reports for review |
$400 | ||
| Firm submits a peer review report for review | $60 | ||
| Firm is exempted from the QAR program because the firm did not issue attest reports | $0 | ||
| (6) | Late fee | $100 | |
| (7) | Amendment to firm license except for a change of firm address (there is no fee for filing a change of address) | $35 | |
| (8) | Copies of records, per page exceeding fifty pages | $0.15 | |
| (9) | Computer diskette listing of licensees, CPA-Inactive certificateholders, grants of practice privilege, registered resident nonlicensee firm owners, or firms | $75 | |
| (10) | Replacement CPA wall document | $50 | |
| (11) | |||
| Dishonored check fee (including, but not limited to, insufficient funds or closed accounts) | $35 | ||
| (12 |
CPA examination. Exam fees are comprised of section fees plus administrative fees. The total fee is contingent upon which section(s) is/are being applied for and the number of sections being applied for at the same time. The total fee is the section fee(s) for each section(s) applied for added to the administrative fee for the number of section(s) applied for. | ||
| (a) | Section fees: | ||
| (i) | Auditing and attestation | $ |
|
| (ii) | Financial accounting and reporting |
$ |
|
| (iii) | Regulation | $ |
|
| (iv) | Business environment and concepts |
$ |
|
| (b) | Administrative fees: | 1/1/04 -12/31/06 | After 1/1/07 |
| (i) | First-time candidate - Four sections |
$124.50 | $132.95 |
| (ii) | First-time candidate - Three sections |
$111.00 | $119.10 |
| (iii) | First-time candidate - Two sections |
$97.00 | $104.70 |
| (iv) | First-time candidate - One section |
$83.00 | $90.30 |
| (v) | Reexam candidate - Four sections |
$122.50 | $130.75 |
| (vi) | Reexam candidate - Three sections |
$104.00 | $111.40 |
| (vii) | Reexam candidate - Two sections |
$85.00 | $91.50 |
| (viii) | Reexam candidate - One section |
$66.00 | $71.60 |
| National Association of State Boards of Accountancy candidate data base investigation fee for exam applications submitted without the applicant's Social Security number | $70 | $70 | |
| Note: | The board may waive late filing fees for individual hardship including, but not limited to, financial hardship, critical illness, or active military deployment. |
[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.065, 18.04.105(3). 06-14-030, § 4-25-530, filed 6/27/06, effective 8/1/06; 05-10-046, § 4-25-530, filed 4/29/05, effective 6/2/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.065, 18.04.105(3), 18.04.205. 05-01-136, § 4-25-530, filed 12/16/04, effective 1/31/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.065, [18.04.]105(3), [18.04.]195(7), [18.04.]205(4), [18.04.]215(8), [18.04.]350 (2)(a), and 42.17.260(8). 04-01-076, § 4-25-530, filed 12/15/03, effective 1/15/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055, [18.04].065, [18.04].105 (1)(e) and (3). 02-22-083, § 4-25-530, filed 11/5/02, effective 12/31/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055, 18.04.065, 18.04.105(3), 18.04.195(7), 18.04.205(4), 18.04.215(8), and 18.04.350(2). 01-22-036, § 4-25-530, filed 10/30/01, effective 12/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055, 18.04.065, 18.04.105(7), 18.04.195(6) and 18.04.205(4). 99-18-112, § 4-25-530, filed 9/1/99, effective 1/1/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055, 18.04.065 and 18.04.195(b). 99-02-009, § 4-25-530, filed 12/24/98, effective 5/7/99. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055, 18.04.065 and 18.04.195(6). 96-12-060, § 4-25-530, filed 5/31/96, effective 7/1/96. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.04.055. 93-12-075, § 4-25-530, filed 5/27/93, effective 7/1/93.]
Reviser's note: The typographical errors in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.