[Fiddlin Phil]

I have some questions about my CPA exam scores and what I should do next in my career. Since passing the exam in 2013 I did a little work for small CPA firms that I haven’t kept in contact with but all in all I bounced around alot over the years and performed a lot of accounting work on a contract basis with small companies in order to pay the bills. At this point I’ve gotten myself on something of a controller-track, as I’ve taken a job with a decent-size company (like 350 employees) as sort of an assistant controller/staff accountant. I don’t think there is a CPA working there but I will check to be sure.

Anyways I guess my question would be if it’s appropriate for me to ask a random CPA if I can pay him some money (any idea how much I should offer?) to talk to my boss at this new company and sign off on my hours? I think it’s B.S. that people can fetch coffee and make copies all day as an intern at some CPA firm and get their hours signed off on while I have to resort to paying some random schlub to sign off on mine. But I’m 6 years into having passed the exam and I feel like if I stay with this new position I just got, then a CPA license might never happen. Which is fine, occupational licensing is a scam and all that, but I’m just wondering what I should do.

In a nutshell:
Passed CPA exam in 2013, didn’t really work in public much.
Just got a new, good paying job as staff accountant/assistant controller.
Wondering if I should stick with this job and just find some CPA to pay to sign off on my hours.
Age: 33
State: OR

What should I do?

[alloverit]

It is completely UNethical to do what you're suggesting. You probably aren't breaking any laws, but the rules state that your sign off is by a CPA under which you've worked.

Your best bet is to reach out to the state board in Oregon and ask for assistance…a plan of action. This is especially true if you find out there are no CPAs at your current job.

Good luck. I can tell you're frustrated and somewhat desperate.

[jombe]

If you think “occupational licensing is a scam” anyways, why go take an unethical route to get it?

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[chandler]

Definitely unacceptable. Honestly, your best bet in my opinion is to use NASBA experience verification to obtain licensure in another state. If you're working in private industry, I suspect it wouldn't really matter if the license was out-of-state. If it did, I suppose you could apply for a reciprocal license although the rules for those vary by state.

[MaLoTu]

I think that if the board of accountancy found out this transpired you and the signer would both lose your licenses. Does your state require experience under a CPA? I think some states have looser requirements. Maybe transfer to one of them?

[Recked]

I'd attempt to contact the various small firms you worked at some time ago.
They might be excited that you passed the exam and are attempting to move forward.
Some people actively look to help others along their journey, find one of those people.
Some states do allow 3rd party sources to approve your work, for example if your firm is audited maybe one of the audit CPAs who have first hand experience of your work/quality of work might be able to attest to your qualifications. Or if your business in not audited, you might be able to get the tax prep CPA to sign off for you after having reviewed your work.
_
I would make all inquiries from your CPA board as generic and anonymous as possible until you figure out the best direction.

[Silent]

What you asking is if you can get away with it, Yes you can get away with but it goes against “ethics”. I put ethics in quotation because many people do not care about it. Reason why 1 year experience under CPA is so everyone knows that you had minimum of training and actually know what you are doing. Basically paying some random CPA to sign off is just wrong.

[Recked]

You can get away with it… until you can't.
What if they ask for a W2 for proof? What if they have access to state employment records to see where you worked?
There is a paper trail on everything these days. I would attempt to find a legitimate path and not risk having your scores invalidated or something.
Check out the routes I mentioned, and if that fails, check out trying to get licensed in a state using the NASBA experience verification as mentioned above.
After a certain number of years you could likely apply for reciprocation with your home state.
I'd avoid anything that might borderline on perjury. It's tempting but once you are caught, there is no back tracking, and this might be classified as a felony.

[turo9992000]

I agree with Recked. Try legal routes only. What Phil is suggesting is over the line unethical, and it would be shameful if any CPA did indeed sign off for a fee. Phil, work with your state board and try to find a solution.

[hashbrown]

NASBA has an experience verification service. Something worth looking into for an alternative.

[Fiddlin Phil]

Thanks for your replies,

The whole reason I even asked the question is because I found out about the experience verification service. I was hoping to cut out the middleman but it doesn't sound like we can do that. I mean, the verification service as I understand it is just paying NASBA to get a CPA to talk to your boss and if the experience qualifies, they sign off on it. I suppose I'll just end up paying NASBA to get a license in Washington or another state.

Also I'm not trying to “get away with” anything, I'm just asking what my options are to getting my experience requirement fulfilled. If I was trying to get away with something I would have just done it instead of asking about it on a forum dedicated to discussion about this topic. Because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting some Big 4 internship at age 33. Plus I like my new job.

[Fiddlin Phil]

Honestly my best option is probably to just work at this place for a year or two, then try to get a job at a larger company that would employ a CPA. Does the CPA have to be your direct boss or can they just be anyone in the org that is higher on the totem pole than you?

[bhunt815]

You really should talk to your state board. I didn't have any CPA's where I worked when I passed but I was able to use the lead auditor from the audit firm who had reviewed my work for the past 5 years. They will probably work with you.

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[Author]

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