Educational Requirements
In Nevada, public accountants are overseen by the Nevada State Board of Accountancy. CPA applicants must have completed 150 hours of education and a four-year degree to take the CPA exam. A certain number of courses are required in accounting above the introductory level, business law, and business.
Salary
The annual average wage of accountants and auditors in Nevada is $64,260, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Western Central Nevada is the top-paying nonmetropolitan area in the country for accountants, with an annual mean wage of $82,390. The concentration of accountants in Nevada is lower than the national average. Nationwide, job prospects for accountants and auditors are expected to expand, with Certified Public Accountants and others with professional recognition having an advantage in the job market.
CPA Licensing in Nevada
Applicants can be certified in Nevada either by passing the CPA exam in Nevada, passing it in another state where they haven’t been licensed yet, or through reciprocity, where they’ve already passed and been licensed in another state. Even those seeking certification by reciprocity must meet Nevada’s requirements. To become a CPA in Nevada, you must pass the CPA Uniform Examination, meet the education requirements, pass the Rules of Professional Conduct (Ethics) exam, and provide moral character references. Applicants must also have two years of public accounting experience with 1,000 hours in the attest function, 700 of which must be in audit. A Nevada CPA’s permit to practice must be renewed yearly by Jan. 31.
To sit for the CPA Examination in Nevada or become licensed in Nevada after taking the exam elsewhere, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Completed 150 semester hours of education
- Completed a four-year degree
- Completed 30 semester hours in accounting courses beyond the introductory level. These should include: nine hours of Financial Accounting; three hours of Cost Accounting; three hours of Auditing; three hours of Federal Income Tax; and 12 hours of accounting electives
- Completed three semester hours of Business Law
- Completed 24 semester hours in business (other than accounting)
Continuing Education Requirements
CPAs in Nevada are required to have 80 hours of continuing professional education over a rolling two-year period and must report this education annually. You must complete at least 20 hours each year, and four hours in professional ethics is required each rolling two-year period.
Accounting Jobs in Nevada
The tourism, gaming, and entertainment sector is enormous in Nevada, with more than 40 million visiting Southern Nevada every year. Many of the resort and entertainment goliaths in the state also reach into the logistics and operations, IT, and clean energy sectors, as well, providing opportunities for accountants in each area. Corporate accounting, real estate, and logistics knowledge could be valuable assets for Nevada accountants.