Educational Requirements
Candidates for CPA licensure in the state of Tennessee must hold at least a baccalaureate degree or graduate degree with 150 credit hours. Candidates can sit for the CPA exam if they are within 200 days of completing the education requirement.
Salary
In May 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 17,010 accountants and auditors were employed in Tennessee. Their average annual salary for accountants and auditors was $60,290 in 2011.
CPA Licensing in Tennessee
Tennessee CPAs are licensed by the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy. To become licensed, a person must first take the CPA exam after meeting the following requirements:
- Hold at least a baccalaureate degree from a board-approved accredited institution.
- Completed 150 credit hours with at least 30 semester hours in accounting, including at least 24 semester hours completed at the upper-division level, and at least 24 semester hours in general business, including at least 12 semester hours completed at the upper-division level.
Requirements to be issued a certificate (license):
- Pass the CPA exam.
- Complete the AICPA’s professional ethics course with a passing grade of 90 or above.
- One year of experience in accounting acceptable by the board.
- Licensees who wish to sign reports on financial statements on behalf of a firm must provide two years of experience in compilations, reviews, and audits.
Continuing Education Requirements
Tennessee CPA licenses are renewed biennially. CPAs must complete 80 hours of continued professional education (CPE) every two years with a minimum of 20 hours in each year. Of those, 40 hours must be in technical subjects. The Tennessee State Board of Accountancy has additional information on required CPE credit hours. The ethics requirement is either four hours of ethics, including at least one hour of state-specific laws and rules, or two hours of state-specific ethics.
Accounting Jobs in Tennessee
The Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants offers a searchable database of jobs for CPAs. Some of the major corporations headquartered in Tennessee include FedEx, AutoZone, Regal Entertainment Group, Nissan, and Caterpillar Financial. Accountants throughout Tennessee are employed by large corporations, as well as by hospitals, insurance companies, engineering firms, architectural firms, and other private companies. The federal government’s Tennessee Valley Authority employs accountants as construction cost estimators, project managers, and cost accountants.