Pub. 1 2019 Issue 5

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 8 nebraska cpas BY KRISTEN VANWINKLE , NEBRASKA BOARD OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY S TAT E B O A R D R E P O R T Kristen VanWinkle is administrator for the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. The purpose of the State Board is to protect the welfare of the citizens of the state of Nebraska by assuring the competency of persons licensed as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). For more information on exams, licensing, CPE reporting, licensees, or forms, visit https://nbpa.nebraska.gov . You may contact VanWinkle at (402) 471-3595 or kristen. vanwinkle@nebraska.gov . As the licensing administrator for the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy, my job is to help CPA candidates understand how they can use their work experience to meet the licensure requirement. Seemingly on a weekly basis, a candidate calls me with a completely unique situation that challenges us to come up with a plan they can use to meet the requirement and ultimately apply for licensure. I’d like to take this opportunity to review the current experience requirements and some common questions I receive. There are multiple ways a CPA candidate can meet the experience requirement for CPA licensure, which are: • Public Accounting Experience – Applicants who have earned their experience in a public accounting firmmust show 4,000 hours of experience earned in at least two years supervised by an active CPA. • Nebraska Department of Revenue & Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts – Applicants who have earned their experience at the Nebraska Department of Revenue or the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts must show 4,000 hours of experience earned in at least two years supervised by an active CPA. This was a law change implemented in September 2017. Prior to this change, the applicant was required to show 6,000 hours in at least three years. • Alternative Experience in Business, Government & Academia – Applicants who have earned their experience in private industry, government, or academia must show 6,000 hours earned in at least three years supervised by an active CPA. Here are some common questions received by the State Board regarding the experience requirements: • I used to work in public accounting, but now I work in private industry under an active CPA. Can I combine these types of experience to meet the licensure requirement? Yes, different types of experience can be combined to meet the requirement; however, required number of hours and amount of time increases to 6,000 hours earned in at least three years. • I submitted alternative experience with my licensure application. How long until I get my permit to practice? All applications submitted with alternative experience (including Nebraska Department of Revenue and Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts experience) must be reviewed by the Licensing Committee and approved by the full State Board. The Licensing Committee and the State Board meet every other month. The length of processing time depends on when the application was received and when the next committee meeting is. Staff will keep you informed of the timeline. • I no longer work for the company in which I gained my experience and neither does the CPA who supervised my work. What should I do? We recommend that you at least try to reach out to your supervisor to complete the form. Our experience is that most CPAs will sign an experience form for a former employee. • I gained my experience in public accounting several years ago, but never applied for licensure. Is there a time limit on when I can apply for a permit to practicewith this experience? The State Board will consider experience earned within the 10 years prior to receiving the application for licensure. If the experience is older than 10 years and you do not have more current experience, you may submit 120 hours of approved continuing education, including four hours of ethics, within the three calendar years preceding your initial permit application. If you have any questions on the experience requirement and whether you or your employee meets the requirement, please feel free to contact me at (402) 471-3595 or at kristen.vanwinkle@ nebraska.gov. t MULTIPLE WAYS TO MEET THE EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR CPA LICENSURE