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Wisconsin CPA Requirements (Rules on Exam and Licensing)

wisconsin CPA requirements Wisconsin has recently changed rules and now allows those with 120 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Candidates still need 150 credit hours to obtain the license.

The working experience is also pretty standard with 1 year of accounting experience but you will need to take an ethics exam offered by Wisconsin State Board. To get the license, your experience needs to be verified but unlike most other states the verifier does NOT need to be a US CPA.

Wisconsin CPA Requirements

1. Education Requirements to Sit for the CPA Exam in WI

Candidates should fulfill 150 120 credit hours and ONE of the following:

(a) Graduate degree in accounting

  • You are automatically qualified.

(b) Graduate degree in business

  • Accounting courses:
    • 24 semester hours in undergraduate financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting; OR
    • 15 semester hours in graduate financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting; OR
    • Equivalent combination.

(c) Undergraduate degree in accounting

  • 24 semester hours in undergraduate financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
  • 24 semester hours in business courses.

(d) Undergraduate degree in business or accounting concentration

  • 24 semester hours in undergraduate financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting.
  • 24 semester hours in business courses.
  • In accounting, the courses covering the subjects of financial accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting would normally be all courses taken beyond the introduction level.

Special note:

  • May sit 60 days prior to meeting educational requirements. (not sure if this is still valid after the recent change)
  • Non-US candidates must earn credit for one course each of income taxation and business law from a four-year U.S. institution with regional accreditation.

2. Additional Wisconsin CPA Requirements to get the License

Education

  • Fulfill the 150 credit hour requirement.

Experience

  • 1 year of accounting experience. Public accounting experience and equivalent experience will be evaluated by the board. Applicants can read the Position Statements on the CPA page on the department’s website for a list of experience equivalent to public accounting.
  • Part-time employment can be counted, but full-time employment is normally given the most weight.
  • Experience will be counted only after completion of the education requirement.
  • Verifier does not need to be a US CPA or equivalent

*Launched in Apr 2016* The NASBA Experience Verification service is now available to those who do not have access to an active U.S. CPA for verification.

Ethics Qualifications

  • Pass the Wisconsin ethics exam. It is an online exam and you need 80% or above to pass.

3. Wisconsin CPA Requirements on Residency & Age

  • US citizenship not required.
  • Wisconsin residency not required.
  • Minimum age: 18.
  • Social Security Number (SSN) requirements: not required to sit for the exam; for licensure, SSN is required if the individual has one. If the person does not have a SSN, there is a form on the department website (# 1051) that can be filled out and submitted with the application.

4. Fees

  • Education Evaluation Application Fee: $90.00
  • Exam Section Application Fee: $397.80

5. Continuing Education

CPE is required for license holders. Please click here for Wisconsin CPA CPE requirements.

6. Other Useful Information

7. Contact

Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board
P.O.Box 8935
Madison, WI 53708-8935

  • Email: web@drl.state.wi.us, cpaes-wi@nasba.org
  • Phone: (608) 266-2112
  • Fax: (608) 267-381

What if the Wisconson CPA Requirements don’t Work for Me?

You may want to check out these pages to learn about the educational and experience requirements, with my recommendation at the end of the posts:

If you have questions, feel free to drop a note in the comment section, or visit my Facebook page.

About the Author Stephanie Ng

I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley), and I also passed all 4 sections of the CPA Exam on my first try. Additionally, I have led webinars, such as for the Institute of Management Accountants, authored featured articles on websites like Going Concern and AccountingWeb, and I'm also the CFO for the charity New Sight. Finally, I have created other accounting certification websites to help mentor non-CPA candidates. I have already mentored thousands of CPA, CMA, CIA, EA, and CFA candidates, and I can help you too!

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