The AICPA Uniform CPA exam is difficult on its own, but this process is complicated further by each state providing its own unique list of CPA requirements to fulfill both to sit their exam and sometimes a different set to apply for licensure as well. To make this process easier, we have compiled a detailed overview of what the Missouri State Board of Accountancy requires. This should prove helpful if you are planning to either take the Missouri CPA exam, transfer your existing credits or CPA license to Missouri, or to maintain your existing Missouri CPA license. As these requirements are subject to change, we recommended confirming all information with the Missouri State Board of Accountancy to make sure you qualify, and to verify that the charges have not been updated since this piece was published.

Age

Missouri has a minimum age requirement of 21 to sit the CPA exam.

Residency

There are residency requirements in Missouri. Residency is determined by the following criteria:

  • Lives in Missouri and maintains permanent residence there
  • Works full time in Missouri or is a permanent resident serving in active duty in the armed forces
  • Qualifying for Homestead Exemption in Missouri and payment of real estate taxes to this state, and/or
  • Either is a current student at a Missouri college or university, or has graduated from a Missouri university or college within the last six months

Citizenship

Missouri does not require US citizenship but does require a valid social security number for applicants to sit the exam.

Education

Missouri requires applicants to have a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited university or college to sit the exam. They must have acquired at least 120 semester hours by the time of writing the exam. They are also required to meet the following course requirements:

  • For candidates who applied for examination prior to June 30, 2021:
    • Accounting (33 semester hours)
      • Upper-level counting courses (18 hours)
      • Auditing
    • Accounting and related subjects (27 semester hours)
  • For candidates who applied for examination after to June 30, 2021:
    • Accounting (24 hours)
    • Business (24 hours)
    • Of these only 9 semester credit hours   may be from formal, supervised internships or independent study

Recognized accrediting bodies:

A college or university’s credits are recognized if it is accredited through one of the following institutions:

Non-recognized accrediting bodies

Applicants with educations from an institution that are not part of one of the above, can have their transcripts evaluated by the NASBA National Qualification Appraisal Service (NQAS). If found to be substantially equivalent, they will be permitted to take the CPA exam, on condition that they meet the other requirements as well.

Credit Limitations

  • Duplicate courses will only be counted once
  • Education from a 2-year accredited community college is acceptable
  • CLEP, online and college or departmental examination credit for courses required by the student’s degree program will be accepted as part of the general 150 semester hour requirement provided that they appear on the transcript of a regionally accredited institution
  • Commercial CPA review courses are not acceptable

Foreign Educations

Accountants who graduated from international institutions must have their transcripts evaluated by the NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES.) If approved, they will be allowed to sit the exam, provided that they meet the other requirements. Otherwise, they will be informed of which requirements need to be fulfilled.

Work Experience

Missouri CPA applicants are required to acquire one year’s worth of work experience before the can apply for licensure. This equates to 2,000 hours of experience which can be fulfilled in a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years. This experience must entail any combination of may include employment in industry, government, academia, or public practice. The board may look at such factors as the complexity and diversity of the work as set forth in the experience verification section of the initial application form. This should involve providing a service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills, which may be obtained through government, industry, academic or public practice.

Ethics

The Missouri State Board of Accountancy requires the candidate to take the AICPA self-study Professional Ethics: AICPA’s Comprehensive Course (For Licensure) and their corresponding exam. The applicant must achieve 90% or higher in order to apply for licensure. This can be done before or after taking the CPA exam.

Exam Requirements

  • Set up an account with the NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES) and submit the application form
  • Be of good moral character. This may entail a criminal background check
  • Meet the college educational requirements at the time of filing an application
  • Request the Registrar of each educational institution to submit official, original copies of your transcripts directly to NASBA. This can be done either through:
    • Paper post: CPA Examination Services – MO
      PO Box 198469
      Nashville, TN 37219
  • Candidates who have passed sections of the exam can apply to have the results transferred to Missouri for a $165.00 fee
  • Pay application and exam fees
  • Students who are expecting to graduate can apply within 60 days of acquiring their degree, provided that they submit a certificate of enrollment to NASBA by that time

Fees

Initial application fee$180.00
Auditing & Attestation (AUD)$226.15
Financial Accounting & Reporting (FAR)$226.15
Regulation (REG)$226.15
Business Environment & Concepts (BEC)$226.15
Registration (4 x $100.00)$400.00
Total$1,814.60

Fees are non-refundable. Most exams can be rescheduled. 

Locations

Prometric Test Centers

How to Apply for the Missouri CPA License

Once you have passed all parts of your CPA exam with at least 75%, you will be eligible to apply for you CPA license.

To do so, you will need to:

  • Meet the 150-semester hour requirement
  • Request the Registrar of each educational institution to submit official, original copies of your transcripts directly to the Board
  • Their primary place of business must be in Missouri
  • Be of Good Moral Character
  • Meet the work experience requirements
  • Meet the Ethics exam requirements
  • Submit the initial license application form to the Board
  • Pay the $90.00 initial license registration fee

Practice Privilege for Out-of-State License Holders

A CPA who holds an out-of-state license recognized as substantially equivalent to that of Missouri’s can practice in Missouri without requiring Missouri CPA licensure on condition that:

  • They have a valid CPA license that is recognized as being substantially equivalent to that of Missouri’s as stipulated by either the by the board or National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
  • The license is in good standing with the issuing state
  • They possess at least four years with of work experience as outlined above within the ten years prior to application
  • Their principal place of business is in the state of licensure
  • The individual will stop practicing in Missouri should the license expire in the issuing state

Reciprocal Application

Interstate License Reciprocity

Missouri recognizes interstate reciprocity of CPA licenses from states and jurisdictions that are considered to be of substantial equivalence to that of Missouri’s CPA. Additionally, they will also need to fulfill the following:

  • Meet the educational requirements stipulated above
  • Have passed all four parts of the Uniform CPA exam
  • Have had four years of experience as outlined above within the ten years prior to applying for Missouri licensure
  • Hold a valid license that is in good standing with the issuing state
  • If an applicant has an active license in a jurisdiction that is not substantially equivalent, the Board will consider issuing a reciprocal CPA license if the applicant’s qualifications are substantially equivalent to those required to obtain a Missouri original CPA license
  • Has written and passed the AICPA’s Ethics exam with at least 90%

Reciprocity fee: $165.00

International License Reciprocity

Missouri recognizes neither IQAB/NASBA’s Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) nor the International Qualification Examination (IQEX.)  However, they may allow for international license reciprocity for those issuing bodies whose educational requirements are found to be substantially similar to those of Missouri’s, their jurisdiction allows for the same, they meet the ethics requirements, they have acquired four years’ worth of experience within the ten years prior to application, and they pass all four parts of the Uniform CPA Exam.

NTS Validation Period

Once the exam has been paid for, Missouri applicants will have six months from the date of issuance to take the exam. They can also set or change the date for the exam within that timeframe. However, if they fail to do so, they will need to reapply and pay the application fee again. Extensions will be given to those impacted by site closures due to COVID and similar unforeseen circumstances.

License Renewal Requirements

Missouri CPA license holders are required to renew their licenses biennially by September 30th.  They will be sent a renewal reminder within 60 days of expiration to their last known address. As part of the renewal process, they will also need to submit:

  • Their resident address
  • Business connection or employer
  • Business address
  • The CPE verification form
  • Details of any criminal offenses
  • Details of any suspension of licensure or other disciplinary action in any other state or jurisdiction

However, they are expected to fulfill and submit proof of 40 hours of continued professional education (CPE) within each calendar year by December 31st each year. A detailed outline of what this entails can be found in this pamphlet.

CPE Specifications:

  • No more than 2 hours on published articles, where each hour is equal to no less than 750 words
  • No more than 20 CPE on personal development classes
  • Up to 20 hours of CPE can be carried over from one reporting period to the next
  • CPE can only be earned from a formal program of learning that directly contributes to the professional competence of the license holder
  • Self-study, correspondence and online courses will be recognized for CPE on condition that they are approved by the Quality Assurance Services (QAS) program of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
  • Accredited college courses will be evaluated as 15 CPE per semester credit hour and each quarter hour will be equal to 10 CPE
  • Non-credit college courses will be credited on an hour-for-hour basis
  • Lecturers will receive CPE as twice that of the course length
  • Each course must provide sufficient evidence of attendance and hours
  • If license holders fail to meet the CPE requirements on time, they will still be able to apply them up until August 1st, but will need to pay the penalty fee
  • License holders must retain the CPE records for a minimum of 5 years after the end of the reporting period

Further details can be found in the Board’s Statutes, Laws and Regulations.

Renewal fee: $80.00

Non-resident CPA license holders

A licensee whose primary place of business is not in Missouri and that state or jurisdiction’s CPE requirements are considered to be substantially equivalent to Missouri can apply to report those CPE hours with a sworn declaration of having met them in lieu of meeting Missouri’s CPE requirements.

Renewal fee: $80.00

Inactive license holders

Missouri CPA license holders can opt to change their license status to ‘inactive.’ This will allow them to maintain their license by paying the renewal fees, without the need to meet the CPE requirements. However, they will not be permitted to practice as a CPA until their license is made ‘active’ again. In order to switch their license status back, they will need to apply for reinstatement and meet the license renewal requirements stipulated above.

Inactive license renewal fee: $25.00

Expired license holders

Failure to renew either an active or inactive license by the expiration date will result in the Missouri license expiring. You will then need to apply for reinstatement of your license, as well as pay the delinquency fee. In order to reactivate an expired license, you will need to submit an application form containing:

  • You license number
  • Proof of no criminal record
  • Proof of meeting any CPE or Ethics course requirements, depending on the license type, as outlined above.
  • Proof of meeting 40 CPE hours within the 12 months prior to the application for reinstatement
  • Submitting the application form
  • Paying the associated fees
  • Fines may be waived according to the Board’s discretion according to special circumstances
  • They may also be put on probation

Reinstatement fee: $80.00

Delinquent fees: $25.00 per month, not exceeding $100.00

State Board

Missouri State Board of Accountancy