[Ali]

I plan to take the exam and license through Miane. I read somewhere that the 2 year experience that Maine asks for has to be after passing the CPA exam and I am not sure if that is true.

I have 4.5 continous years (2013 – 2018) of experience working for a Indian subsidiary of a Florida based public accounting CPA firm. I was working in tax and accounting department. I was responsible for filing US corporate and Individual tax returns and Compiled financials for Brazil clients. My questions are:
1)Is my experience eligible for the 2 year public accounting requirement being from a subsidiary?
2) Does the experience required have to be earned only after clearing the CPA exam? Or even the pre-exam experience is counted?

Please advise. I would greatly appreciate your help.

[Recked]

I don't see that requirement listed on Maine's website.
https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/accountants/cpa.html
For the most accurate answer its always advisable to look up the actual laws that govern each state's CPA process.
Not sure where you read that, but it seems to not be accurate.
_
https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/32/title32sec12228.html
10. Experience. For initial issuance of a license under section 12230, an applicant must demonstrate 2 years of experience under the direction of a certified public accountant licensed by any state or territory of the United States or equivalent direction, as determined by the board, by a licensed professional in another country and must meet the other requirements prescribed by the board by rule. The applicant's experience must include the use of accounting or auditing skills, including the issuance of reports, and at least one of the following: the provision of management advisory, financial advisory or consulting services; the preparation of tax returns; the furnishing of advice on tax matters; or equivalent activities defined by the board by rule. Board rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. To the extent the applicant's experience is as a revenue agent or in a similar position engaged in the examination of personal and corporate income tax returns for the Bureau of Revenue Services, the applicant receives credit at the rate of 50% toward the experience required by this subsection. To the extent the applicant's experience is as an examiner engaged in financial examinations for the Bureau of Insurance, the applicant receives credit under this subsection if that experience meets the following standards:

[Ali]

Thank you for your response. I saw this link.

Maine CPA Exam & License Requirements 2024

Under Experience it says, “Once you pass all four parts of the exam, Maine requires that you complete two years of experience under the supervision of a licensed CPA.” This is what is throwing me off. Once you pass? Does it mean two years of experience has to be gained after once you pass? or is it just bad phrasing by the author?

I did read the instructions on Maine official websites and they do not specifically say that experience need to be earned only after the exam. I think if it was so, then they would clearly mention such a caveat on their website. Isn't it?

[Recked]

It is not outlined in the actual laws that govern the CPA license in Maine, so I would hold the law text as a primary resource over the accounting-education.org website.
Primary vs secondary…
I have no actual experience with Maine, but the law reads pretty clear to me.
I am not aware of any state that requires the experience to be earned AFTER you pass, but you never know.

[Recked]

The application itself does not mention anything about earning the experience after you are licensed either.
https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions/accountants/pdf/APP_License_CPA.pdf

[Silent]

I personally would be shocked if the experience would count only after you passed your CPA. Instead what it's trying to say is that once you pass your CPA you also need to have 2 year of experience in order to obtain your CPA license. Being you already have experience, you should ignore that and once you pass the exam you will get your license without any other experience needed.

[Recked]

That .org website you noted, also has incorrect information about the NY licensing process.
“After you pass all four parts of the exam, all you will have left is the experience portion of the licensure application. The New York board requires that you spend one year working under a licensed CPA. You can work full-time for a full year or part-time (20 hours per week minimum) for two years. You can choose from a wide range of work environments, including state or federal government agencies, public accountancy firms, academia or a private company.”
100% incorrect about after you pass. I would not trust that website as a reliable source.

[Author]

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