Section Ac 302.04 - CPA Certificate Applicant Accounting Experience(a) "Accounting or auditing skills" means the provision, under the direction of a licensed CPA, or CA from Australia, CA, CPC or other equivalent foreign designation holder currently licensed in another jurisdiction, of: (1) One or more of the following public accounting services, as specified by RSA 309-B:5, IX, namely: a.Issuance of reports on financial statements;b.Management advisory services;c.Financial advisory services;e.Preparation of tax returns; orf.Furnishing tax advice; or(2) One or more of the following government accounting services, as specified by RSA 309-B:5, X(a) through (c), namely: a.Auditing the tax returns or books and accounts of nongovernmental entities in 3 or more distinct lines of commercial or industrial business in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards;b.Auditing the books and accounts or activities of 3 or more governmental agencies or distinct organizational units in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and reporting on their operations to a third party, to the Congress, or to a state legislature; orc.Reviewing financial statements and supporting material covering the financial condition and operations of nongovernmental entities engaged in 3 or more distinct lines of commercial or industrial business under the direction of a licensee to determine the reliability and fairness of the financial reporting and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable government regulations for the protection of investors and consumers.(b) Pursuant to RSA 309-B:5, IX, each applicant submitting an Application For Initial Certification as a CPA shall meet the following general experience requirements:(1) Such experience shall be earned prior to the date that the candidate applies for certification in New Hampshire.(2) Compliance with one of the following:a.A minimum of 2 years' experience in accounting for an applicant with a baccalaureate degree; orb.A minimum of one years' experience in accounting for an applicant with a master's degree in: 4.Business administration; andc.A minimum of one year's experience in accounting for an applicant on or after July 1, 2014 that meets the educational requirements of Ac 302.02(4) and RSA 309-B-5.(c) For full-time accounting employees, each year's experience shall consist of 12 calendar months as an employee under the direction of a licensed CPA, CA, CPC or other equivalent foreign designation holder, and shall include at least 1,500 hours of service solely involving the use of accounting or auditing skills, as defined in Ac 302.04(a)(1)a. - f.(d) For non-full time accounting employees, each year's experience shall consist of 2,080 hours of accounting practice under the supervision of a licensed CPA, CA, CPC or other equivalent foreign designation holder, and shall include at least 1,500 hours of services solely involving accounting or auditing skills, as defined in Ac 302.04(a)(1)a. - f. For purposes of determining the amount of experience, the board shall accept only accounting and auditing services rendered in the 6 years immediately preceding the application if the applicant has a baccalaureate degree and 5 years immediately preceding the application if the applicant has a master's degree.(e) For purposes of (c) and (d) above, no experience shall be counted being under the direction of a licensed CPA, CA, CPC or other equivalent foreign designation holder unless such licensee has the authority to review, direct and evaluate on a continuing basis the accounting activities of those who are under the licensee's professional accounting control.(f) The applicant shall demonstrate that the minimum required experience in accounting has been fulfilled by the applicant through the submission of a fully completed Public Accounting Experience Verification Form as described in Ac 301.07 for public accounting experience, a fully completed Governmental Accounting Experience Verification Form as described in Ac 301.08 for governmental accounting experience, or a combination of them.(g) The applicant shall arrange for the supervising CPA, CA, CPC or other equivalent foreign designation holder to provide documentation, such as working papers or audit programs, to the board or its representative for the purpose of determining the applicant's compliance with the experience requirements set forth in RSA 309-B:5, IX and X, and this section.(h) The board shall inspect, either by the board itself or by its representative, documentation relating to an applicant's claimed experience, in which case any licensee having custody of such documentation shall be requested to produce it either in writing or in person.(i) Any New Hampshire licensee who has been requested to submit or make evidence of the applicant's experience available to the board or its representative but who has failed or refused to do so shall explain to the board either in writing or in person the basis for such refusal. A non-New Hampshire licensee who so fails or refuses shall be requested by the board to explain, in writing, such failure or refusal.(j) The failure or refusal of a New Hampshire CPA to provide full and correct information as required herein shall, pursuant to RSA 309-B:11, I, serve as a basis for disciplinary proceedings against the CPA. The failure or refusal of a non-New Hampshire licensee to provide full and correct information as requested by the board shall be brought to the attention of the licensing body of the non-New Hampshire licensee.(k) The board shall deny an application for certificate if the board finds that the applicant has not met the experience requirements set forth in RSA 309-B:5, IX or X, and this section.N.H. Admin. Code § Ac 302.04
#1663, eff 12-17-80; ss by #1972, eff 2-28-82; ss by #2475, eff 9-13-83; ss by #3061, eff 7-18-85, EXPIRED: 7-18-91
New. #5365, eff 3-27-92; ss by #6721, INTERIM, eff 3-27-98, EXPIRED: 7-25-98
New. #6903, eff 12-4-98, EXPIRED: 12-4-06
New. #8810, INTERIM, eff 1-25-07, EXPIRED: 7-25-07
New. #9051, eff 12-27-07; amd and renumbered by #10054, eff 1-1-12 (formerly Ac 302.03 )
Amended by Volume XXXV Number 01, Filed January 8, 2015, Proposed by #10746, Effective 1/1/2015, Expires1/1/2025.