Kentucky CPA Requirements

Age

At least 18 years of age.

Residency

There is no residency requirement for Kentucky.

Citizenship

There are no citizenship requirements for CPAs in Kentucky, but they are required to have a social security number.

U.S. citizen, legal resident of the US, or an employee who is working in an accounting position in a public accounting firm, company or institution of postsecondary education located outside the United States, but which has an office or campus within the US.

Education

Candidates require 150 credit hours and a bachelor’s degree or higher from a college or university that is recognized by the board. This includes the following educational requirements. Make sure that the courses are board approved, as there are some that are not. These are stipulated on the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy website.

1. Accounting: 27 semester hours
2. Business: 12 semester hours
3. Ethics: 4-credit course (required every 2 years)

All credits must come from accredited colleges. Chartered Institute Exam credits will not be recognized. CLEP, internship, life assessment and DSST course credits may count for up to 6 credits each towards the overall 150 semester hour requirement, provided that they appear on an official college transcript.

Foreign Education

Foreign students can have their credentials evaluated by either NASBA’s International Evaluation Services (NIES) or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc (NACES). If they are found to be substantially equivalent, the applicant will be able to sit the CPA exam. Otherwise, they will need to meet the outstanding requirements and then resubmit them to their evaluation service.

Work Experience

The Applicant must have either one year of full-time non-routine accounting work experience under the direct supervision of a licensed CPA. For the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy, ‘one year’ is the equivalent of 2,000 hours of work. This cannot be completed in less than 12 months and must be within 5 years either before or after you passed your last exam. 

Ethics

Kentucky does not require applicants to take an ethics exam.

How to Apply for the Kentucky CPA Exam

• The Kentucky State Board of Accountancy processes their own CPA exam applications, so you must submit this form directly to the Board
• Request the Registrars of each college or university that you attended to submit your original college transcripts directly to the Board
• Submit a copy of your proof of identification to the Board. It must exactly match the name that you submit to the Prometric site when registering for an exam 
• Allow for the Board to review your criminal record (where applicable)
• Allow for the Board to review professional license and denial of examination privileges by other states

Fees

Application for reciprocal license fee is $100.00.

The Eligibility Application Fee will need to be paid again with each re-attempt.

All fees are non-refundable. 

Locations

• Prometric Testing Centers both in and out of state
• Online Uniform CPA Examination

Residency

CPAs in Kentucky are required to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.

How to Apply for a CPA License in Kentucky

• Submit your Certificate of Experience
• You must meet at least on of the following conditions:
  • Be a United States citizen
  • Be a citizen of a foreign country who is legally residing in the United States (must supply supporting documentation)
  • Be an employee and working in an accounting or attest position in a public accounting firm, company or an institution of postsecondary education located outside the United States, but which has an office or campus located in the United States

• Submit the initial license application form
• Pay the $100.00 license fee

Applying for Exam from Out-of-State

• Meet the above requirements
• Transfer your credit scores from your state with an Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Information form
• Or send for foreign transcript for evaluation to https://nasba.org/products/nasbainternationalevaluationservices

Practice Privilege for Out-of-State License Holders

This incidental license enables licensed CPAs from other states to provide accounting services to Kentucky-based clients without holding a KyCPA license provided that:

• They are not employed by an office located in Kentucky
• They have an active CPA license in good standing from another state
• That state has licensing requirements that are equivalent to those stipulated by the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy

If these apply, you may practice in Kentucky without notifying the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy.

Reciprocal Application

This application only applies if you wish to work for a Kentucky-based CPA firm, offer your own services as a CPA or to open your own firm in Kentucky. CPA license holders or those with international accountancy degrees that are recognized by the NASBA/AICPA International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB) can apply for reciprocity in Kentucky. This will allow them to work in Kentucky without a Kentucky CPA license. To qualify, you will need:

• An active license in good standing from another state
• The state has licensing requirements that are considered substantially equivalent to those stipulated by the Kentucky State Board of Accountancy
• To open a firm, you will likely need to apply for a Firm License as well
• To submit an Application for Reciprocal License 
• To submit an Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Information form.
• To submit an Certificate of Experience form showing that you have met the ‘one year’ experience requirement outlined above. If a certificate cannot be acquired, you can send certified documents proving that you have been working since acquiring your CPA license. 

The eligible document options are:

• Proof of public accounting errors and omissions insurance
• A letter from an attorney, client, or certified public accountant that has knowledge of the applicant’s practice
• Copies of firm license applications
• Copies of personal tax returns
• Certified copies of the experience requirement document from the licensing jurisdiction from where you hold a valid, active license.

NTS Validation Period

Once your exam application has been processed and approved, you will receive a Notice to Schedule. This will allow you to apply for an exam date for a specific exam. However, it is only valid for a period of 6 months in Kentucky. So, make sure that you will be ready to write the exam within that time frame, or you will need to pay the fee again when it expires. 

State Board

Kentucky State Board of Accountancy

• Address: 332 West Broadway, Suite 310 Louisville, KY 40202
• Phone: (502) 595-3037
• Fax: (502) 595-4500
• Email: cpa@ky.gov
• Website: https://cpa.ky.gov/
• Hours: Monday – Friday / 8:30 am – 4:30 pm