Educational Requirements
Candidates for CPA licensure in the state of Idaho must hold at least a bachelor’s degree with 150 credit hours.
Salary
In May 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that 3,360 accountants and auditors were employed in Idaho. The average wage for accountants and auditors in Idaho in 2011 was $60,720.
CPA Licensing in Idaho
Idaho CPAs are licensed by the Idaho State Board of Accountancy. To become licensed, a person must first take the CPA exam after meeting the following academic requirements:
- Complete the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement Criminal History Records Check form and return it with their application.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent with 30 or more semester hours in business administration subjects with 20 of those required hours in accounting subjects.
Requirements to be issued a certificate (license):
- Complete 150 hours of semester study at an institution of higher education.
- Earned a graduate degree with a concentration in accounting, OR
- Earned a graduate degree and completed at least 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or 15 semester hours at the graduate level in the subjects of accounting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting, OR
- Earned a bachelor’s degree and completed 24 semester hours in accounting at the undergraduate or graduate level and at least 24 semester hours in business courses at the undergraduate or graduate level, OR
- Complete the AICPA’s professional ethics course.
Continuing Education Requirements
Idaho CPA certificates (licenses) are renewed annually, and Idaho CPAs are required to report their continued professional education (CPE) hours annually. A total of 80 semester hours of CPE must be completed in the two calendar years immediately preceding the date annual deadline. A rolling total of 4 CPE credits of ethics are required for all active CPAs. As of January 1, 2013, any Idaho ethics course from a NASBA registry or QAS provider is acceptable for CPE ethics credits.
Accounting Jobs in Idaho
Though well-known for being an important agricultural state, Idaho’s largest industry is actually science and technology, which accounts for over 25 percent of the state’s total revenue and 70 percent of its exports. Leading employers of CPAs in Idaho include Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, as well as MarkMonitor, Benewah Medical Center, the U.S. Land Management Bureau, Glanbia Foods, and D.L. Evans Bancork.