Montana

Eligibility for Examination

As a first-time applicant, you must have:

• Completed at least 24 semester hours of accounting courses above the introductory level, including at least one course in each of the following subject areas:
  • financial accounting,
  • auditing,
  • taxation,
  • management accounting, AND
• Completed at least 24 semester hours in business related courses, such as:
  • information systems,
  • business law,
  • finance,
  • economics,
  • marketing,
  • ethics,
  • organizational behavior,
  • quantitative applications in business,
  • communication skills.

All educational requirements must be met at the time of application. Official educational transcript(s) and/or foreign evaluations are required to be submitted to CPAES directly from the academic institution(s) or the evaluation service.

An upper-division course is normally defined as a course taken at the junior or senior level and would exclude introductory courses in accounting. One quarter unit or hour of credit is equivalent to two-thirds of a semester unit or hour.

Training completed as part of a Chartered Accountant program may be acceptable towards the education requirements for examination or licensure. Candidates must have completed the academic pathway through the Chartered Accountant program and submit an international education evaluation of the coursework completed.

Transcripts

If you who have completed the educational requirement at the time of application:

• You must submit an official transcript from each school you attended.
• Official transcripts are those that have been issued by the institution’s Registrar’s Office and include the Registrar’s official seal.
• The degree you have earned must be posted on your official transcript.
• Transcripts may be submitted electronically provided they are official. Some schools do not offer this service. Contact your Registrar’s office for additional information. If an email address is required for electronic delivery, use [email protected]. Electronically delivered transcripts must be submitted directly from the institution(s).
• Photocopies of transcripts are not official and cannot be accepted.
• Please Note: If you have not yet applied when you submit your transcripts, your education documents will be kept on file for one year. After that time, the documents will be destroyed, and you will need to resubmit new education documents when you apply.
• If you completed courses at a campus located outside the U.S. for a school located in the U.S., the official transcript must be issued by the registrar from the U.S. campus. Transcripts issued by the registrar for the campus located outside the U.S. will not be accepted.

If you have completed educational requirements at institutions outside the U.S., you must:

• Have your educational credentials evaluated by NASBA International Evaluation Services.
• Require the agency to evaluate as follows:
  • An equivalency summary that indicates the analogous academic degrees in the U.S. you hold;
  • A credential analysis that specifies:
    • The name of the country;
    • The degree awarded;
    • The year the degree was awarded; and
    • The entity that awarded the degree;
  • A course-by-course listing; and
  • A course credit analysis that includes:
    • Total credits earned toward the degree as stated on transcripts submitted;
    • Total accounting credits earned; and
    • Total business credits earned.
• Completed original evaluations must be received by CPAES directly from the evaluation service at the time of application. Photocopies are not acceptable.
• A copy of the international transcript must be included with the report sent to NASBA for each individual evaluation from the evaluation service. The application will be considered incomplete without these documents and the processing of the application will not move forward until transcripts are provided.
• Please Note: If you have not yet applied, education documents received will be kept on file for one year. After that time, these documents will be destroyed, and you will need to resubmit new education documents at the time of application.
• If you completed courses at a campus located outside the U.S. for a school located in the U.S., the official transcript must be issued by the registrar from the U.S. campus. Transcripts issued by the registrar for the campus located outside the U.S. will not be accepted.
• Training completed as part of a Chartered Accountant program may be acceptable towards the education requirements for examination or licensure. Candidates must have completed the academic pathway through the Chartered Accountant program and submit an international education evaluation of the coursework completed.

Course Requirements

• Credit must be earned from a recognized, accredited institution which offers a baccalaureate degree.
• Commercial CPA review courses are not acceptable.
• Correspondence and online courses are acceptable when you receive credit for the courses at a regionally accredited university. These courses must appear on an official transcript.
• One quarter unit or hour of credit is equivalent to two thirds of a semester unit or hour.

Residency

There is not a residency requirement for the state of Montana.

1. An official transcript from each school listed on your application. Transcripts must be sent directly from your school to CPA Examination Services.
2. International Evaluation, if applicable. Submission by you or evaluation agency to CPAES.
3. Testing Accommodations Request Form, if applicable. Submission by you to CPAES.

Please allow two to four weeks from your file completion date (when application, fees and all additional required materials have been received) for your application to be processed. Acknowledgment of receipt of application will be sent to you via email, unless otherwise indicated. This notice is sent only as acknowledgment of receipt of application.

Applicants with Disabilities

In accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, examination administration accommodations are available, should you qualify. Please download the Testing Accommodations Request Form for more information.

Education Evaluation Application

Before you can apply for an exam section you must first be deemed eligible for the CPA Exam. Your Evaluation Application will determine if you meet the educational requirements needed to take the CPA Exam for your selected jurisdiction.

Education Evaluation Application Fee: $143.00

Exam Section Application

Once you have been found eligible for the CPA Exam you may then apply for a specific exam section. You can only apply for one exam section per application. You are advised to only apply for the exam section if you are ready to take it. Your Notice to Schedule will be valid for a limited amount of time, and you must take the exam section listed on the NTS within this time frame or you will lose those fees paid.

Exam Section Application Fee: $355.64

Refund Policy

There is no provision for withdrawing from the examination and/or requesting an extension of your current Notices to Schedule (NTS). Application and/or examination fees are not refundable. If you have an extreme circumstance, you may request an NTS extension or a partial refund of your examination fees under specific circumstances utilizing the Exception to Policy Form.

You may take the required test sections individually and in any order, but are required to pass all four sections of the examination within a rolling 18 month period, which begins on the date the first examination section passed was taken and ends on the last day of the last month of that 18-month period.

The expiration date of passed sections will be listed on your score notice. Examination credit expires by section. You will lose credit for each section passed outside the 18-month period and will have to retake those sections.

If you wish to transfer credit(s) from another jurisdiction into Montana, you must have earned credit under the same rules as are in effect in Montana. If you have passed any sections of the CPA examination under another jurisdiction, you shall be given conditional credit by this Board, provided you are still eligible to be considered a re-examination candidate in the original jurisdiction where credit was earned.

If you have not passed all four sections of the exam, send grade verifications to CPA Examination Services, along with the fee. If you have passed all four sections, send grade verifications to the State Board Office, along with the fee.

Licensure/Certificate

In order to obtain a license/certificate, a baccalaureate degree and a minimum of 150 semester hours is required.