Wyoming ranks at the very top of the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index, coming in number 1 out of 50. And, according to Forbes Magazine, the cost of doing business here is about 1 percent below the national average, which makes it an easy place for new businesses to set up shop.
That’s pushing up demand for accountants and auditors in the state. According to O*Net, a U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored resource, jobs for accountants will expand at a rate of 10 percent by 2028.
Where will you find those jobs? Well, mining and agriculture are the big drivers of the economy in Wyoming. But you won’t find a lot of massive corporate headquarters here—much of the day-to-day accounting work for both businesses and individuals are farmed out to accounting firms. That means local and regional outfits like Skogen, Cometto & Associates out of Casper, or Fagnant, Lewis & Brinda in Lander. Or it could mean starting up your own business—Wyoming likes mavericks!
With just about half the state owned by the federal government, you will also find plenty of positions for CPAs open at federal agencies, ranging from the Park Service to the Agriculture Department.
No matter what path you pick, the 5 steps on this page will show you exactly how to become a CPA in Wyoming.
- Get Your Education
- Take the Uniform CPA Exam in Wyoming
- Gain the Necessary Experience
- Get Your Wyoming CPA License
- Continuing Education
1. Get Your Education – Meet Wyoming’s CPA Degree Requirements
a. Request information from colleges and universities in Wyoming offering accounting programs. The Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants (WBCPA) requires that all CPA candidates hold a bachelor’s or higher degree and complete a total of 150 semester hours of college credit.
With most bachelor’s degrees in accounting consisting of 120 semester hours, going on to earn a master’s in accounting or post-baccalaureate certificate is the standard way to get those 30 additional credits required to become a CPA in Wyoming. Many of these programs are available entirely online. You can also find specialized five-year CPA track programs that offer a blended bachelor’s and master’s curriculum designed specifically to give you the 150 semester hours you need to meet CPA requirements in Wyoming.
b. The WBCPA recognizes all accounting degrees, as well as additional business and accounting credits earned at institutions around the country that hold standard regional accreditation from any one of these six agencies:
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
- Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
If you are eligible to take the Uniform CPA Exam as a Wyoming candidate but have foreign academic credentials, you must have your foreign university transcripts evaluated by a WBCPA accepted education service. You can contact the licensing officer for the WBCPA directly:
[email protected]
Wyoming Board of CPAs
2020 Carey, Suite 702
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0610
c. Verify that you qualify as a Wyoming candidate. A Wyoming candidate must be at least 18 years of age and satisfy any one of the following criteria:
- Hold a currently valid driver’s license from Wyoming
- Have a current Wyoming street address (P.O. Box numbers are not valid for this requirement)
- Currently working at a Wyoming address
- Be a current student at or graduated within six months of application date from University of Wyoming
- Be a current student at a community college in Wyoming
d. Meet Wyoming’s CPA degree and coursework requirements. The 150 semester (225 quarter) hours of college education you complete can be earned through any combination of your bachelor’s along with additional undergraduate or graduate courses as long as these courses are covered:
- 24 semester hours of upper division or graduate level accounting courses (excluding introductory accounting or principles of accounting)
- 24 semester hours in business courses in some or all of the following subjects:
- Business law
- Economics
- Management
- Marketing
- Finance
- Business communications
- Statistics
- Quantitative methods
- Technical writing
- Information systems or technology
- Ethics
- Others subject areas as determined by the WBCPA
If you are still completing credits while applying, you must provide documentation to the WBCPA that these educational requirements will be completed within 90 days of application.
The WBCPA may be contacted for questions regarding other subject areas or educational requirements.
Phone: 307-777-7551.
Address: 2020 Carey, Suite 702, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0610
2. Take The Uniform CPA Exam
Now that you’ve completed the educational requirements set by the Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants, you’re eligible to take the Uniform CPA examination.
a. The Wyoming CPA exam application can be accessed here.
b. Send application, $110 fee ($50 for re-examination), proof of identity or the Verification of Lawful Presence form to the board. Have the transcripts from your college or university sent directly to the board. Send these documents to:
Wyoming Board of CPAs
2020 Carey, Suite 702
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0610
c. You will receive an authorization to test notification through your preferred medium (email or mail) from the Board and a payment coupon from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). Upon receiving the payment coupon, pay AICPA fees directly to NASBA using a credit card. Fees can be paid online here.
d. Complete the NASBA short form questionnaire located here. This questionnaire must be completed in order for your score to be released after you complete the exam. Exam candidates are encouraged to complete this questionnaire prior to taking the exam.
e. You will receive a notification to schedule (NTS) the exam from the NASBA within four business days of paying the fees. You can schedule the exam and pay Prometric fees at www.prometric.com/CPA/default.htm. As a Wyoming candidate, you need to schedule the exam within six months of the date of NTS.
f. Prepare for testing of the chosen CPA exam sections and report to the exam site on time. You must pass all sections in a rolling 18 month period in order to be eligible for the certificate.
g. If you took the exam before completing the educational requirements, you’ll need to send proof of completion to the WBCPA address in step two.
h. Wait for the results. The passing grade for Wyoming candidates in each section of the exam is 75. The NASBA reports your score to the Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants, who will then notify you of how to access your score.
If you require special accommodations when taking the exam, submit Request for Accommodation of Disabilities form along with the Professional Evaluation and Documentation of Disability form found here to the WBCPA at the address above.
For detailed information on what to expect from the Uniform CPA Exam, click here.
3. Gain The Necessary Experience
After passing the Uniform CPA Examination, you are only a few steps away from obtaining your Wyoming CPA certificate.
a. Wyoming requires candidates to complete a professional ethics course.Board approved ethics courses are available through select providers.
b. Obtain the required experience. You are required to have experience that satisfies the following criteria:
- One year of experience in the last five years prior to the application date
- Experience must be verified by a CPA who was active at the time experience was earned
- One year means a minimum of 2000 hours of experience
- Part time experience may be considered for up to 8 hours worked in a 24 hours period
- Experience must Include services provided in the areas of accounting or auditing service, tax service, management or financial advisory service, or consulting service.
Older experience may be considered by the WBCPA if the applicant proves compliance with continuing education requirements at the time of application.
c. Complete the Education and Experience Form. Have the form verified by your supervising CPA and send it to Wyoming Board of CPAs, 2020 Carey Suite 702, Cheyenne, WY 82002.
If your experience is not verifiable by a CPA, WBCPA may consider equivalent experience. This experience may include, but is not limited to:
- Financial statement preparation
- Financial statement consolidation
- Trial balance/general ledger/fixed asset Audit support
- Software conversion/installation of financial systems
- Account reconciliation
- Expense account analysis
- Tax payments and returns
- Payroll management
- Budget preparation, operating and capital
- Product costing
- Developing or testing internal controls
- Capital budgeting support
- Analysis of financial statements or budgets
- Analysis of information flows and accounting processes
- Research of accounting literature or tax codes
- Conducting internal audits
- Preparation of journal entries
- Income tax preparation, projections, or advice
- Financial consulting
- Educational instruction in any discipline covered by the CPA examination
If your experience was gained through some other type of industry experience, you’ll need to complete the Equivalent Experience Affidavit. If your experience was gained through a teaching position, you’ll need to complete the Teaching Experience Affidavit. Both affidavit forms can be found here.
d. Understand the implications of CPE for your first renewal period.
4. Obtain Your Wyoming CPA License
Now you’re ready for your Wyoming state CPA certificate. This is a checklist of things you have done up to this point:
a. Checklist
- Completed the education requirements, which requires 150 undergraduate semester (225 undergraduate quarter) hours with 24 semester credits each in accounting and business subjects. Have your official school transcript sent directly from your school to:
Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants
2020 Carey, Suite 702
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0610
- Passed the Uniform CPA Exam with a grade of 75 on all sections of the exam
- Passed a self study course in Professional Conduct and Ethics offered by the AICPA
- Completed 1 year of experience
Submitted the Education and Experience form signed by the verifying CPA or submitted the equivalent experience form EQ1 or EQ2.
b. Apply for your Certificate
First time applicants submit the Wyoming Board of Certified Public Accountants Original Certificate Application to the Board.
Special Cases for obtaining your Wyoming state CPA certificate:
- If you are a Transfer candidate:
- If you are applying for examination by transfer or original certificate by transfer, you need to demonstrate that you meet the educational requirements by having the transcripts from your school sent directly to the Wyoming Board of CPAs.
- If you have passed one or all sections of the CPA exam from another state, you need to show that you meet the education and experience obligations required of Wyoming candidates.All transfer applicants fill out the Education and Experience Verification Form.
- If you are a licensed CPA in another state: First, check whether you meet Wyoming’s mobility requirements.The mobility checklist can be found here.If your principal place of business is in Wyoming, you need to have a Wyoming certificate before you can provide services in the state.
- If you have passed the uniform CPA exam before January 1, 2012 and were issued a certificate after completing one year of broad based experience (described in the Experience section) from a US state, you need to demonstrate that the applicable certificates are in good standing.
- If your active certificate was issued from a state deemed substantially equivalent in accordance with the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), you need to demonstrate that the applicable certificates are in good standing. Currently, all 50 states, CNMI, Guam and D.C. meet the criteria for substantial equivalency.
- If your certificate has been inactive, you need to activate it in a substantially equivalent state and meet the CPE requirements thereof. You can also present documentation to the Wyoming Board showing that your qualifications are substantially equivalent and that you meet the CPE obligations.
- If you’re a licensed chartered accountant from another country:
- The board will waive the Uniform CPA examination if you have completed a comparable exam, and you provide documentation to prove it. The comparable examination must be as evaluated by NASBA’s International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB). Passing the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination (IQEX) with a minimum score of 75 is an example of an exam that is comparable.
- You would need to demonstrate that the earned designation in your country is still valid, active and currently in good standing.
- You would need to provide a certificate from the foreign authority stating that the authority has similar provisions to Wyoming CPAs in order to earn a comparable designation.
5. Stay Current Through Continuing Professional Education in Wyoming
As a Wyoming resident CPA, you need to comply with the continuing professional education (CPE) requirements of Wyoming as given here.
a. CPE Requirements for the First Renewal: Though you don’t need to complete CPE for the first reporting period, it is still advisable to do so in order to avoid non-compliance with requirements in the future. You do; however, need to have 4 CPE credits in Wyoming ethics within six months of you certification date. The approved providers of Wyoming ethics course are the Wyoming Society of CPAs and the Accountants Education Group.
b. CPE Requirements for the Second Renewal: Wyoming requires completion of 60 CPE credits in the last two years including 4 CPE credits in the ethics course from approved providers.
c. CPE Requirements for Subsequent Renewals: The requirement is completion of 120 CPE credits every three years including 4 CPE credits in ethics course from approved vendors. The credits should be earned in three years leading up to the renewal year. For example, if the renewal year is 2013, you will report credits earned in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
It is imperative that two-thirds of the credits are earned by completing Code A courses listed below:
- Accounting and Auditing
- Business Law
- Administrative Practice
- Regulatory Ethics
- Business Management and Organization Finance (Financial Planning)
- Management Advisory Services
- Marketing
- Economics
- Specialized knowledge and application
- Statistics
- Taxes
- Computer Science or software application
The remaining credits can be earned by completing Code B courses:
- Behavioral Ethics
- Communications
- Personal Development
- Personnel/Human Resources
- Other fields of study may be acceptable if the licensee is able to demonstrate the course does not qualify under an identified field but does contribute to professional competence
d. Documents: You must retain documentation of completing the CPE for a minimum of four years.
CPE for Out of State Candidates: If you are a non-resident who holds an active Wyoming CPA certificate, you must comply with the CPE requirements of your state. However, you do need to complete 4 credits for the Wyoming ethics course every three years.
For questions regarding CPE, you can call the Wyoming Board of CPAs at (307) 777-7551 or email [email protected].
Now that you’re a CPA in Wyoming
Congratulations on making it! Now you’re a Wyoming CPA!
As a professional, you may benefit from joining the organizations that promote the profession and provide professional development and continuing professional education (CPE) opportunities. One such organization is the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
At the state level, the Wyoming Society of Certified Public Accountants provides consumer education, CPE and also promotes the profession. The Wyoming Association of Public Accountants also has useful resources for accounting professionals.
Though the Wyoming Board of CPAs specifically deals only with state licensing for CPAs, you can still consider pursuing further accredited specializations such as Certified Financial Planner offered through third party industry certification agencies.