Kansas CPA requirements
Are you ready to earn your CPA license in Kansas? Your first step should always be to check the CPA Kansas requirements, because the Kansas Board of Accountancy will ultimately license you. This page serves as a resource for Kansas' CPA Exam, licensure and CPE requirements. Always consult with the Kansas board of accountancy for the most current information.
Kansas CPA Exam requirements
Getting a CPA in each state mandates different requirements for taking the CPA Exam. Before sitting for the Kansas CPA Exam, all candidates must be a resident or have a place of business as a public accountant, or be permanently employed by a public accounting firm in Kansas. In order to be eligible for the CPA Exam, candidates must also meet the following education requirements.
Minimum education requirements in Kansas
All CPA Exam candidates in Kansas must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university. Kansas candidates may sit for the exam 60 days prior to graduation. Taking the CPA Exam in Kansas requires 150 semester hours or 225 quarter hours in various course subject areas, including:
- At least 42 semester hours in business and general education courses including:
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Upper-division economics
- Two courses in legal aspects of business or business law
- College algebra or higher-level math courses
- Statistics and probability
- Computer systems and application
- Finance
- Management and administration
- Marketing
- Production, operations research or applications of quantitative techniques to business programs
- At least 11 semester hours in courses in written and oral communications
- At least 30 semester hours in courses in accounting theory and practice, including:
- Intermediate accounting
- Advanced accounting
- Accounting theory
- Managerial accounting
- Auditing
- U.S. income taxes
- Accounting systems
Please also note the following related to the Kansas educational requirements:
- A course may only satisfy one requirement. For example, BLAW 525 will satisfy either the business law or the communications requirement, but not both.
- A maximum of six Advanced Placement (AP) hours may be counted towards the overall 150-hour educational requirement.
- Any credits earned for an accounting internship may be counted towards the overall 150-hour educational requirement but may not count towards the required 30 hours of accounting.
- To obtain a pre-evaluation of your college transcripts, you must submit the following to the KSBOA via mail at Kansas Board of Accountancy, Attention: Executive Director, 900 SW Jackson,
- Suite 556, Topeka, KS 66612-1239.
- 1. Photocopies of official college transcripts for all colleges attended;
- 2. If you took AP classes in high school, a copy of your high school transcript; and
- 3. Your email address, telephone number and mailing address.
CPA license requirements in Kansas
In order to earn a certified public accountant license, applicants must meet the following Kansas CPA requirements:
- Pass all four parts of the CPA Exam.
- Pass the AICPA's Professional Ethics course.
- Complete one year of accounting experience.
- This experience must include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of attestation or non-attestation skills, all of which was verified by a certified public accountant holding an active license to practice.
- This experience is acceptable if it was gained through employment in government, industry, academia or public practice.
Kansas CPA license renewal requirements
CPA licenses in Kansas are renewed biennially, expiring on June 30th of each odd/even year based on the year the permit was issued or renewed.
Kansas CPA CPE requirements
- Each permit holder must have completed at least 80 hours of acceptable continuing education (CPE) each biennial reporting period. In order to meet the CPE requirements in Kansas, your CPE credits must meet the following criteria:
- 16-hour program of acceptable continuing education during each year within the biennial period. At least 8 of the 16 hours must be in the area of municipal accounting or auditing.
- Of the 80 hours, at least 2 hours must be in ethics or professional conduct relating to the practice of certified public accountancy. Ethics courses must be limited to courses on the following:
- Professional standards
- Licenses and renewals
- SEC oversight
- Competence
- Acts discreditable
- Advertising and other forms of solicitation
- Independence
- Integrity and objectivity
- Confidential client information
- Contingent fees
- Commissions
- Conflicts of interest
- Full disclosure
- Malpractice
- Record retention
- Professional conduct
- Ethical practice in business
- Personal ethics
- Ethical decision making
- Corporate ethics and risk management as these topics relate to malpractice and relate solely to the practice of certified public accountancy
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