[Anonymous]

Just thought I’d throw this question out here in case anyone has any insight on the topic. I am starting the CPA exam in April or May, graduating from a Masters program in May, and looking for jobs right now. I am very interested in non-profit accounting – either working at a public firm or a private organization.

I have an interview lined up for later this week at a non-profit for a staff accountant position that I believe would be a challenging and robust position. It would report to the CFO – and after some Googling/Linked In research, I am not certain the CFO is a CPA.

Is it possible to get the CPA license while working under someone who is not a CPA? If it’s possible, is this very likely? I’m in Wisconsin, and I haven’t been able to find anything that spells out the answer for sure. The CEO is a CPA, for what it’s worth, but I don’t think the position would be working very directly with the CEO.

I obviously don’t want to put myself in a position where I will be unable to get the CPA license – and I think any party from the organization would consider this a valid concern. I suppose if it’s not likely/possible to get the license while working under a non-CPA, I’ll need to find out in a non-judgmental/non-tacky way if the CFO is a CPA.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about Wisconsin, but in Minnesota, your supervisor doesn't have to be a CPA. You just need a CPA willing to sign off on your work. I would check with the state board about that.

As far as finding out if the CFO is a CPA, you could check the state board's website (https://app.wi.gov/licensesearch), or go to cpaverify.org and search for the CFO.

[Anonymous]

In Wisconsin, you don't need a CPA to sign off on your work experience. Its not a rule here, currently.

If you are trying to find out if the CEO is a CPA, WI doesn't participate in cpaverify — you have to go to the dsps website and do license look up with the CEO's name.

[Author]

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