WSR 22-23-043
PROPOSED RULES
BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY
[Filed November 8, 2022, 12:37 p.m.]
Original Notice.
Preproposal statement of inquiry was filed as WSR 22-16-094.
Title of Rule and Other Identifying Information: WAC 4-30-060 What are the education requirements to qualify to apply for the CPA examination?
Hearing Location(s): On January 27, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., at Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport, Orcas Room, 18118 International Boulevard, Seattle, WA 98188; or Microsoft Teams meeting. The link to join the meeting will be available on the board's website approximately two weeks before the hearing date at https://acb.wa.gov/next-board-meeting. A phone number will be provided as well in case you are unable to attend online.
Date of Intended Adoption: January 27, 2023.
Submit Written Comments to: Kirsten Donovan, Rules Coordinator, P.O. Box 9131, Olympia, WA 98507, email Kirsten.donovan@acb.wa.gov, fax 360-664-9190, by January 25, 2023.
Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: Contact Kirsten Donovan, rules coordinator, phone 360-664-9191, fax 360-664-9190, TTY 771, email Kirsten.donovan@acb.wa.gov, by January 25, 2023.
Purpose of the Proposal and Its Anticipated Effects, Including Any Changes in Existing Rules: The board of accountancy proposes amending WAC 4-30-060 to: (1) Change the number of college credits required to sit for the Uniform CPA Examination to 120 semester credits (180 quarter credits); and (2) rename the rule.
Reasons Supporting Proposal: See purpose above.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW
18.04.055.
Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.
Name of Proponent: Board of accountancy, governmental.
Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting, Implementation, and Enforcement: Michael J. Paquette, CPA, 711 Capitol Way South, Suite 400, Olympia, WA 98501, 360-485-1659.
A school district fiscal impact statement is not required under RCW
28A.305.135.
A cost-benefit analysis is not required under RCW
34.05.328. The board of accountancy is not a listed agency in RCW
34.05.328 (5)(a)(i).
The proposed rule does not impose more-than-minor costs on businesses. Following is a summary of the agency's analysis showing how costs were calculated. No additional costs are associated with these changes.
November 8, 2022
Michael J. Paquette, CPA
Executive Director
OTS-4188.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 16-10-018, filed 4/22/16, effective 5/23/16)
WAC 4-30-060((What are the education requirements to qualify to apply for the CPA examination?))Education requirements.
(1) Education requirements to sit for the exam:((Effective July 1, 2000,))To apply for the CPA examination you must have completed((:
(a)))at least ((one hundred fifty))120 semester hours (((two hundred twenty-five))180 quarter hours) of college education((,)); including((;
(b))), a baccalaureate or higher degree; and (((c)))an accounting major or concentration as defined as at least:
(((i)))(a) Twenty-four semester hours (((thirty-six))36 quarter hours) or the equivalent in accounting subjects of which at least ((fifteen))15 semester hours must be at the upper level or graduate level (an upper level course is defined as a course that frequently carries completion of a lower level course(s) as a prerequisite); and
(((ii)))(b) Twenty-four semester hours (((thirty-six))36 quarter hours) or the equivalent in business administration subjects at the undergraduate or graduate level.
(2) ((One hundred eighty-day provision: If you expect to meet the education requirements of this section within one hundred eighty days following the examination, you will be eligible to take the CPA examination provided you submit a signed Certificate of Enrollment from the educational institution in which you are enrolled stating that you will meet the board's education requirements within one hundred eighty days following the day you first sit for any one section of the examination. If you apply for the exam using the one hundred eighty-day provision, then within two hundred ten days of first sitting for any section of the exam, you must provide the examination administrator complete documentation demonstrating that you met the board's education requirements within one hundred eighty days of first sitting for any one section of the exam. If you do not provide such documentation within the required two hundred ten-day time period, your exam score(s) will not be released and you will not be given credit for any section(s) of the examination. Applicants failing to provide such documentation must reapply as a first-time applicant.))Education requirements to apply for a CPA license: To apply for the CPA license you must have completed at least 150 semester hours (225 quarter hours) of college education; including, a baccalaureate or higher degree; and an accounting major or concentration as defined as at least:
(a) Twenty-four semester hours (36 quarter hours) or the equivalent in accounting subjects of which at least 15 semester hours must be at the upper level or graduate level (an upper level course is defined as a course that frequently carries completion of a lower level course(s) as a prerequisite); and
(b) Twenty-four semester hours (36 quarter hours) or the equivalent in business administration subjects at the undergraduate or graduate level.
(3) Education obtained outside the United States: If you obtained all or a portion of your education outside the United States you must have your education evaluated by a board approved foreign education credential evaluation service. The board will establish the criteria for board approval of foreign education credential evaluation services. The board does not provide education credential evaluation services.
(4) Semester versus quarter hours: As used in these rules, a "semester hour" means the conventional college semester hour. Your quarter hours will be converted to semester hours by multiplying them by two-thirds.
(5) Accreditation standards: For purposes of this rule, the board will recognize colleges and universities which are accredited in accordance with (a) through (c) of this subsection.
(a) The college or university must be accredited at the time your education was earned by a regionally or nationally accrediting agency recognized by the board.
(b) If an institution was not accredited at the time your education was earned but is so accredited at the time your application is filed with the board, the institution will be deemed to be accredited for the purpose of (a) of this subsection provided that it:
(i) Certifies that your total educational program would qualify the applicant for graduation with a baccalaureate degree during the time the institution has been accredited; and
(ii) Furnishes the board satisfactory proof, including college catalogue course numbers and descriptions, that the preaccrediting courses used to qualify you for a concentration in accounting are substantially equivalent to postaccrediting courses.
(c) If your degree was received at an accredited college or university as defined by (a) or (b) of this subsection, but the educational program which was used to qualify you for a concentration in accounting included courses taken at nonaccredited institutions, either before or after graduation, such courses will be deemed to have been taken at the accredited institution from which your degree was received, provided the accredited institution either:
(i) Has accepted such courses by including them in its official transcript; or
(ii) Certifies to the board that it will or would accept such courses for credit toward graduation.
(6) Alternative to accreditation: If you graduated from a degree-granting institution that was not accredited at the time your degree was received or at the time your application was filed, you will be deemed to be a graduate of an accredited college or university if a credentials evaluation service approved by the board certifies that your degree is equivalent to a degree from an accredited college or university as defined in subsection (5) of this section. The board does not provide education credential evaluation services.