[Anonymous]

Let me explain my situation and I would appreciate your feedbacks, I did pass my CPA exam very recently, I did work some contract jobs (A/P & A/R) that had a CPA (Chief Financial Officer or Senior Accountant who are CPAs) indirectly oversee our work, I’ve been trying to contact the recruitment company to help me facilitate signing my experience form required by the state (CA my case), they didn’t respond the way they should and they implied that they didn’t want to help me out, I contacted my managers at my contract jobs, same thing, now I’m stuck in the middle and I can’t send in my application for this reason, what would be a good way to deal with this issue?

[Anonymous]

I don't know how it works in CA, but in MN, you can have your experience signed off by any CPA that is willing to put their reputation on the line, whether you worked with them or not.

[Anonymous]

Problem in this case, no one will sacrifice their reputation and license for you.

[Anonymous]

Just out of curiosity…did you have any issues while at these jobs that might make the CPAs hesitant to vouch for you? Or were they not involved with you enough to know what sort of person and employee you were? If CA is one of the states that requires the CPA to be somewhat liable for you, then I could understand their hesitance if you didn't work with them enough for them to know what type of person you are.

I wonder, too, if part of their hesitancy is because you want them to sign a CA form and they're probably not familiar with it (assuming your work was done in NC) so may be hesitant regarding what statements they're making. May I ask why you are seeking the CA license instead of NC?

[Anonymous]

sure, well first of all, I didn't have any problems per se, one of my jobs one of the supervisors was jealous because I was good at what I do, so they “poisoned” the manager's thoughts and they finished my assignment (temp vs supervisor), other than that no I was in good terms with all my other managers, CPAs didn't know me personally to be honest, but the Internal Auditors, Staff Accountants, and other team members staff would recommend me and definitely give out positive comments about me personally and my work.

The reason why I'm still with CA is 1- because I started my application when I was there, then I got a good job in NC, so I moved to NC and passed my last exam in NC, 2- their requirement is somewhat easier than NC for me, there are two types of CPA licenses in CA, G-CPA (General : bookkeeping / financials prep) and A-CPA (audit : public accounting), requirement for G is 1 year general Accounting experience, for A it's 1 year Public Accounting experience, but I don't have public accounting experience, I tried to apply for Audit jobs and couldn't get hold of one. Where as in NC, the requirement is 1 year under direct supervision of a CPA, or 4 years general experience. I want to get licensed as soon as possible if you know what I mean.

[Herbieherb]

You are expecting too much from the people who don't even know you. I hope you have a back up plan

NEW YORK- DONE

[Anonymous]

@Herbieherb I'll see what I can do about it, but other than that, yup you're right, for recruiting companies all they want from you is the commission and they don't care about anything else, same for the contract company.

[Maaneet]

Since we are talking about experience here, let me explain my situation as well.

I am currently working for a really small accounting firm and have been here for 3.5 years. There are no licensed CPAs in my current firm. I also didn't want to be a CPA until one day I decided I was getting bored at work and I needed more challenges so I took up the CPA exam challenge. When I applied for the CPA exam I had talked to my office manager and the owner regarding the experience requirement if I were to pass all the exams. They confidently told me that they will find someone to sign off for me. So, when I received my license application I asked them about who was gonna sign off for me, they just gave me a blank stare. I should have known better to take their word for it.

As of now, I am just waiting for them to tell me what they can/cannot do for me. I am sure that no one would want to sign off since that would be unethical. The state of AR's experience form asks for my employment history with the CPA who would be signing the form.

Any suggestions or feedback would be great! I know I should be looking for a new job, but I hate to leave them now when the tax season is around the corner. And also because they paid for all my exams and retakes.

FAR - 81 (2/13), Expired. 🙁 Retake 79 (11/14)
AUD - 63 (10/13), 71 (2/14), 69 (7/14), 81 (10/14) Finally!!!
BEC - 77 (2/14)
REG - 78 (5/14)

[Anonymous]

@alfred Your situation makes more sense now. Given that the CPAs didn't work with you much or at all, I can understand their hesitancy in signing off (especially since you were a contract employee), but that's still unfortunate. Even though their coworkers might vouch for you, they're the ones having to sign their name. I'm just thinking if one of my coworkers came to me and was like “We had this guy working here a few months ago, I think you met him once, he's pretty cool can you sign off for him?” I would be hesitant as well, because even though my coworker knew you, I don't and it's my name going on the form, not theirs. I hope I would consider it and if there was someone counting on me, I'd hope I could give them the signatures they need, but it's definitely a situation that would make me wary.

I'm not aware that you can force or require them to sign off, so sadly, you'll probably have to get the experience at a new job with someone who has agreed to sign off. Another option would be to get another CPA to sign off for a state that doesn't require it was a CPA at the company you worked for – for example, in KY, the CPA has to have been licensed when you did the work and be actively licensed now, but theoretically if I was licensed when you did the work, I could sign off, even if I'd never heard of the companies you worked at. I'm not volunteering, just using myself as a theoretical example. So, let's say you get a great new job in NC working with a CPA. If you guys hit it off, then you could become a KY CPA if he signed off on your prior experience, then after completing the NC work requirements you could transfer it to NC, even though he didn't have anything to do with your prior work.

@Maaneet Sorry to hear about that. 🙁 Are there any CPAs that you have had contact with professionally that you might be able to ask to sign off? I got my year of experience while working at an accounting firm without CPAs and was told the same thing – that he'd get someone to sign off for me. In that case, though, he had a specific person in mind – his former partner who was a CPA and whose firm was still closely linked to the firm I was working at. (They'd refer customers back and forth, call and chat every now-and-then, etc., so it was a good relationship.) I ended up leaving that job a bit before my experience was complete and was worried that my boss's former partner might not be so friendly towards signing off once I wasn't working for his friend anymore, but we had a CPA next door whom we'd had some professional contact with (he'd stopped by to borrow our copier when his broke; we'd picked up our packages that UPS delivered to the wrong office; etc.), so I asked him if he'd sign off and he was very amiable to the idea. He'd never worked directly with me, but having interacted with me through the office, he knew that I had indeed been working in accounting and was willing to sign. So, since it sounds like your state doesn't require the CPA to be a supervisor, I'd suggest you think through who you might have had contact with and also think through who your boss's might have contact with. If you went to them and said “Hey, do you think you could ask Jill Jones if she'd sign off?” they might go “Oh, I'm sure she would, I never thought of her”. You're more likely to think through all options thoroughly since it's your problem, whereas they're more likely to go “Umm not sure” and forget all about it.

Wait…just re-read your post – are you saying that in your state, you're required to have the CPA signing off be your manager or employer? If so, then not only would it be unethical on the CPA's part if they had a friend that would help you out, it'd be unethical on your part as well. Just because you can get someone to sign for you doesn't mean you're not liable if it's signed unethically. So, if I'm understanding that part of your post correctly, then I'd say either you would need to get licensed in a state that doesn't require the CPA to be a coworker, or you will have to find another job to get the experience needed. I'd hate to have to leave a good job just to get experience, but sounds like it's your only real option. Hopefully they (and you) didn't realize the CPA had to be a supervisor, cause if you or they knew and were counting on someone being unethical, that's pretty bad. 😐 But I'm assuming that they had no clue since they weren't CPAs and that you trusted their judgment since they were your superiors, and no one checked the fine details till now?

[Anonymous]

“I've been trying to contact the recruitment company to help me facilitate signing my experience form required by the state (CA my case), they didn't respond the way they should and they implied that they didn't want to help me out, I contacted my managers at my contract jobs, same thing,”

In most states no one is obligated to sign off for you. Remember, you are asking them for a favor (sounds like you may not have approached it as such). Also even if they wanted to “help you out' they may not have been able to if they did not work with you closely enough or if you didn't meet the competencies (which you pretty much never ever would in an AP/AR type role). Remember they are vouching that you are competent is a variety of areas and not just agreeing that you worked there for a certain number of years/hours. And those competencies can be very detailed and specific.

“what would be a good way to deal with this issue? “

Get a job at a CPA firm or at least a GL staff accountant type of role. If the latter, after a few months of good work, let it be known that you want to get licensed eventually. Lay out exactly what your state requires and what your state's board will be verifying with them and asking them to sign off on (my state board sent a bunch of forms and requests directly to the person who was signing off on my experience – but you can find them directly laid out on your board's website). If they think you are missing gaps that would be helpful in signing off (such as information systems, internal controls, financial reporting experience) see if you can gain some exposure to those areas at your company.

If you currently believe you've met what your board is asking, then pitch it to the manager you worked closest with (FIRST verify that they meet a supervisee licensee's requirements – which in my state is having an active license for 5 years prior to and during the period of supervision). Write up each competency area (per the board's website) and explain how you believe that you've met each competency in the role that they supervised you under. and then ask if they are willing to sign-off on all or some of the required competencies.

[Maaneet]

@Lilla.. I didn't know if State of AR required a supervisor or manager to sign off until I received the license application and the experience affidavit. The form requires the signing CPA to provide my employment history with them/their firm. With that said, I just have to look for another job. Thank you for your feedback.

I am thinking of transferring grades to FL and apply there since we might be moving around May. I am just not sure if we are moving to GA or FL, depends on where my husband gets a job.

This licensing process seems worse than the actual exam. All the excitement of passing all four sections is gone now.. >:((

FAR - 81 (2/13), Expired. 🙁 Retake 79 (11/14)
AUD - 63 (10/13), 71 (2/14), 69 (7/14), 81 (10/14) Finally!!!
BEC - 77 (2/14)
REG - 78 (5/14)

[gir_t]

It appears that CBA allows you to file a complaint against a supervisor who refused to sign off your experience. Follow these steps

1. Submit a written request to your supervisor asking that he or she complete the Certificate of Experience on your behalf, and submit a copy to the CBA. .

2. If your supervisor does not respond, a follow-up request in writing should be made.

3. If your supervisor still does not respond, and you have filed your application with the CBA, you may submit a letter requesting that the CBA assist you. Copies of the original and follow-up letters should accompany your request.

CBA is not clear (at least for me) how they are going to “assist” you. You may refer https://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/publications/applbook.pdf for more information.

BEC: 82
FAR: 82
AUD: 81
REG: 72 oh...oh 87 used NINJA MCQ only on the retake

[Anonymous]

@Anonny Not all states have the CPA vouch in that manner. In KY, the CPA fills out a form listing the duties which you did in the job and vouches that you did, indeed, work the dates and job listed, and that's it. The KY CPA board then decides whether that fulfills the competencies that they want or not. See: https://cpa.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3612464D-29ED-4A57-A8BD-B85A5C7A95D3/0/CertificateofExperience.pdf So, since there's not specific competencies that the CPA has to say the candidate obtained, it makes the CPAs able to sign a bit more freely without worrying about their reputation being taken down, because as long as the information provided is true (that the candidate worked the job etc.), then the CPA is safe in signing even if the candidate is incompetent. (I wouldn't sign if the candidate was incompetent, but from what I've read of the KY law, the signing CPA wouldn't be liable even if they did.)

@Maaneet Makes sense, and I hope my comment didn't mean belittling cause I didn't mean it that way. Without knowing what questions you should be asking yourself (like “Should I see if the CPA has to be a supervisor?”), you don't know to find the answers. There's a lot of requirements that people on here have had through their states that if I'd had, I probably would've not known till too late to fit my plans, cause it never crossed my mind to wonder if they existed…! If you'll be moving, maybe it will be a blessing in disguise that you don't have to get your license in AR and then start over with the paperwork in GA or FL a few months later.

[Maaneet]

@lilla. I really appreciate your feedback. I'm just really frustrated that there is no clear info on AR's website. Website says that the experience is required to be signed by a cpa. There is no mention of supervisor. Their experience sign off form is not available to view online. It is sent only after you pass CPA exam, along with the license application. Plus I took too long to pass AUD otherwise I had my previous employer in mind to sign off. The website says one year experience must have occurred within the 3 years preceding the date of licensure application.

FAR - 81 (2/13), Expired. 🙁 Retake 79 (11/14)
AUD - 63 (10/13), 71 (2/14), 69 (7/14), 81 (10/14) Finally!!!
BEC - 77 (2/14)
REG - 78 (5/14)

[Anonymous]

That's really crappy if the information wasn't available till after you'd applied. 🙁 They might think the statements are one and the same since they're so used to their criteria for experience, but there are states where the CPA doesn't have to be a supervisor, so it's logical to think that if it doesn't specify supervisor then it doesn't have to be. Sorry you're having to deal with this now when you're so close to being done. 🙁

[Author]

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