South Carolina CPA Requirements

South Carolina's economic profile includes thriving financial and professional services industries, which account for nearly one-fifth of all employment in the state. Charlotte, the economic anchor of neighboring North Carolina, is also home to multiple Fortune 500 companies. Residents of northern South Carolina live within easy commuting distance of Charlotte.

These features help make South Carolina an appealing destination for emerging certified public accountants (CPAs). CPAs are licensed accounting professionals with expertise in technical accounting, tax management, financial advisory, and strategic planning services.

This guide to South Carolina CPA requirements explains the process of becoming a CPA in the Palmetto State. The typical path includes earning an accounting degree, engaging in at least one year of relevant experience, and passing the Uniform CPA Examination. There are many technicalities to consider, and this licensing guide explains them all.

Education Requirements for Becoming a CPA in South Carolina

Like most states, South Carolina's education requirements include a bachelor's degree and 150 total semester hours of postsecondary coursework. Since most bachelor's programs only cover about 120 credits, aspiring CPAs must obtain an additional 30 credits to qualify for licensure.

To obtain those additional credits, you can take standalone accounting courses or enroll in a post-bachelor's certificate program.

You can also complete a bachelor's-to-master's accounting program to meet South Carolina CPA requirements. These pathways offer the added benefit of a master's degree, which enhances your qualifications and may support your success on the CPA exam.

Concentrations, Credits, and Course Acceptance

While you must have at least a bachelor's degree to meet South Carolina CPA requirements, you do not necessarily need to major in accounting. Instead, your postsecondary coursework must conform to the following standards:

• You need at least 36 semester credits or the equivalent in accounting coursework.
• Accounting coursework must cover auditing, financial and managerial accounting, and taxation.
• You also need at least 36 semester credits or the equivalent in business courses.
• Suitable business coursework topics include finance, macroeconomics, microeconomics, business management, business law, marketing, and computer science.

If you have more than 36 semester credits in accounting, you may apply the additional credits toward meeting the business requirements.

Additional education standards apply, which you must meet to sit for the CPA exam in South Carolina:

• You must complete upper-level accounting coursework in auditing, intermediate or financial accounting, cost or managerial accounting, and U.S. taxation standards.
• You can apply 12 lower-level accounting credits (from your first or second year) toward your total accounting credit requirements.
• South Carolina does not accept placement, competency, or experiential credits. Similarly, you cannot obtain qualifying credits through prior learning assessments.

South Carolina Experience Requirements

South Carolina offers multiple paths to fulfilling the professional experience requirements for CPA licensure. The first and most direct path recognizes one year (up to 2,000 hours) of professional accounting experience that meets the following guidelines:

• Duties must involve services or advice related to accounting, attestation, compilation, management or financial consulting, or taxation.
• All experience must be supervised and verified by a licensed CPA.
• Valid employment settings include academia, government, private industry, or public accounting practices.

You must document all experience on the South Carolina Board of Accountancy's verification form.

Two alternative paths may also satisfy the experience component of South Carolina's CPA requirements:

1. You can substitute five years of postsecondary teaching experience for one year of work experience. Teaching experience must cover accounting courses and occur at an institution recognized by the South Carolina Board of Accountancy.
2. If you have substantial and relevant work experience that does not specifically meet any of the aforementioned parameters, you can apply to have the South Carolina Board of Accountancy review your experience. If the board deems your experience suitable, you can receive a waiver.

Internships and practicums may qualify as valid work experiences if your duties match the requirements listed above. Before committing to an internship, check with the South Carolina Board of Accountancy to ensure the experience will qualify.

CPA Exam Requirements

You must pass the Uniform CPA Examination to meet South Carolina CPA requirements. The CPA exam is a demanding, four-part standardized test.

While the CPA exam is the same in every state, eligibility requirements vary. The following subsections explain the standards you must meet to qualify for, schedule, and apply for your CPA exam in South Carolina.

Eligibility to Take the Exam

In South Carolina, you must have a Social Security number or a lawful permanent resident number to sit for the CPA exam. However, you do not need to formally reside in the state.

Some states apply different eligibility standards to applying for and taking the CPA exam, but South Carolina is not one of them. Instead, South Carolina CPA requirements apply the same eligibility standards to both applicants and examinees.

Eligibility standards begin with at least 120 semester credits of postsecondary coursework or the equivalent. Those credits must cover at least 24 hours of both accounting and business courses.

Your 24 accounting credits must include at least six undergraduate or three graduate credits in introductory accounting or accounting principles.

Similarly, your 24 business credits must cover one or more of the following areas:

• Business law, management, ethics, communication, or data acumen
• Economics
• Finance
• Marketing

South Carolina also recognizes coursework in statistics, data analytics or interrogation, quantitative methods, information systems, and information technology as business credits.

You must submit academic transcripts to the National Association of State Boards of Accounting (NASBA) for review. If you attended college outside the United States, NASBA International Evaluation Services must evaluate your coursework to ensure it meets U.S. standards.

Applying for and Scheduling the Exam

Before you sit for the CPA exam in South Carolina, you must apply to NASBA for permission to take the test. Once NASBA approves your eligibility, you can register as a candidate. NASBA will then issue a Notice to Schedule (NTS). Upon completing the NTS process, you will have a set examination place, date, and time.

To apply for the exam, visit NASBA's South Carolina portal. There, you will find links to the digital services to create an online account, submit materials, and manage your application.

Next, you can send your academic transcripts to NASBA for review. If the college(s) you attended issue official transcripts electronically, NASBA will accept them. Otherwise, physical copies must be submitted in an envelope that bears the seal of each institution's registrar's office.

According to NASBA, you do not technically need to hold a degree to apply and sit for the CPA exam in South Carolina. However, you do need a minimum of 120 completed postsecondary credits, which is what bachelor's programs typically cover.

The CPA exam comprises four sections. You can take them individually and in any order, but you must pass all four sections within 18 months of the date on which you passed your first section. Otherwise, the affected scores expire, and you will need to retake the associated exam section(s).

Three of the four exam sections are required of all examinees — you can choose your fourth section (the Discipline section) from three options when you schedule that section of the exam.

As of July 2024, NASBA applies a $90 fee for education evaluations. South Carolina examinees also pay $344.80 per section to take the CPA exam. As a first-time applicant, you would pay a total of $1,469.20 to take the exam if you do not require additional services, such as foreign transcript evaluations.

If you submit an incomplete application, NASBA will not be able to complete its review, requiring you to supply the missing materials or reapply. In either event, you will experience delays.

NASBA typically takes 4-6 weeks to process complete application packages and issue an NTS to qualified candidates.

After Passing the Exam

In addition to passing scores on all four CPA exam sections, South Carolina CPA requirements include the professional ethics test issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. CPA exam scores do not expire, provided you passed all four exam sections within the mandated 18-month window.

Once you have passed both exams, meet the 150-credit education requirement, and fulfill the one-year experience requirement, you can apply for your license. The South Carolina Board of Accountancy handles all applications.

As of July 2024, you must pay $95 for a one-year license, $50 for your application, and $20 for a certificate. You also need to verify your identity, provide a copy of your Social Security card, and pass a criminal background check.

If you need to verify your license to a prospective employer, client, or other third party, you may do so through the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

Maintaining Licensure

South Carolina CPA requirements include annual license renewal obligations. The renewal window opens each year in Nov. and closes on Feb. 1. If you do not renew your license by Feb. 16, you must submit a reinstatement application and pay a fee of $595 (as of July 2024).

The South Carolina Board of Accountancy mails renewal notices each year in Nov. You must complete the board's renewal form, pay a $95 fee, and submit proof that you have met the state's continuing professional education (CPE) requirements.

Annual CPE requirements cover 40 hours per annual cycle, of which at least two hours must cover professional ethics. If you complete more, you may apply up to 20 hours toward the following year's CPE requirements. You must document all CPE using South Carolina's Annual Continuing Education Report form.

South Carolina CPA requirements recognize multiple avenues for completing CPE, including self-study. Organizations like the South Carolina Association of CPAs offer professional development programs that license-holders can apply toward continuing education requirements.

The South Carolina Board of Accountancy handles all license reciprocity applications. In general, you can transfer your CPA license to and from other jurisdictions if it is valid, unrevoked, and issued by a U.S. state or territory.

CPA firms based in South Carolina can have non-CPA owners or shareholders, but they must combine to account for no more than 49% of total ownership. The remainder must hold CPA licenses issued by any U.S. state.

Questions About South Carolina CPA Requirements