FAQs About Becoming a CPA in New Jersey

You need 120 credit hours and a bachelor’s degree.

Please see our section on Educational Requirements for sitting for the CPA Exam.

Yes, you can take courses at more than one university or online.

You need 150 credit hours to get licensed.

Yes, you can use credits from a community college toward your 120 and 150 credit hours requirements. You will just need to have your transcripts sent to Certified Public Accountant Examination Services (CPAES) when applying to sit for the CPA Exam. 

Experience shall be obtained in full-time regular employment based on a minimum of 1,750 hours per year. Part-time experience shall be considered equivalent if acquired within two consecutive years and in no less than the same amount of hours required for full-time experience. 

There is no time limit on obtaining your experience and you will never lose your exam scores.

No. The work is experience is one year with a minimum of 1,750 hours. 

No. Your work experience for your CPA license needs to be completed after you get your bachelor's degree.

You only need one year of “intensive and diversified” experience under the supervision of an actively licensed CPA. 

The first step is to have your additional transcripts evaluated. Go to nasba.org/licensure/nasbalicensing/newjersey and fill out the application. This process typically takes five business days or less and has a fee of $65. Have your school send in the official transcripts. They cannot come from you. Once the evaluation is complete, the paperwork will be sent to the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy. Please reach out to the State Board at accountancy@dca.njoag.gov to request a copy of the appropriate application.

Fill out the forms, have your employer sign the statement of experience form and send them all back. This is your last step, but it can take several months.

The New Jersey State Board of Accountancy has created a phases and timelines document to help determine how long it will take for your license to be approved.

New Jersey requires that you take a four-hour New Jersey Law & Ethics course provided by an approved sponsor. This course can now be taken six months before you obtain your CPA license or six months after. Just remember that you must send in the course confirmation to the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy within one month of taking the course. The NJCPA is an approved sponsor. For a listing of upcoming NJCPA Law & Ethic courses, click here.

If you receive your license in the middle of the current triennial reporting period, you will not be required to take any CPE, other than the four-hour New Jersey Law & Ethics course (see above), until the start of the new triennial. 

Learn more about the process for international candidates here.

Learn more about the process for obtaining a reciprocal license in New Jersey here.