FAQ Quicklinks

Application Renewal CPEComplaints

 
 

Minnesota Board of Accountancy

Regulation • Licensure • Enforcement • Public Service

 

FAQs


Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Many common questions can be answered by consulting one of the main informational pages on this website:

Applicants Licensees Firms Continuing Professional Education

Information can also be gained by reading through the instruction page of the relevant PDF form (initial applications, renewals, cpe, change of information, complaint, reinstatement):

Applications / Forms

We have also gathered some FAQs below, organized by topic. See either the blue buttons below or the "FAQ Sections" navigation.

General Initial Licensure (also Transfer/Reciprocity) Continuing Education (CPE) Renewals Complaints

Select a question to open the answer. Select the question again to hide the answer.


General

 

• How will the Board contact me with important information?

• The PDF form does not appear to be fillable.

• What is the difference between a "Sole Proprietor firm" and a "CPA firm"?

 


Initial Licensure / Transfer/ Reciprocity

 

• US transcripts—What do I need to send with my license application?

• Do you accept international transcripts?

• Do I have enough credits to sit for the exams? Will the Board evaluate my transcripts and tell me?

• Where can I get my education in order to qualify for licensure?

• You have two initial license application options. Which do I pick?

• I am applying for a license with another state and need my Minnesota exam/license information sent. What do I do?

• When should I take the AICPA ethics exam as part of my initial licensure requirements?

• I must report CPE as part of the application process because I passed the CPA exam more than 3 years ago. Can I use my AICPA ethics exam to meet the CPE requirements?

• Does the experience required for my license application have to take place in Minnesota?

• Who can verify my experience?

 


Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

 

• Is there some sort of summary of the current CPE requirements?

• I have a CPE question related to renewal.

• Where do I enter my carryback hours in Online Renewal?

• How do I know whether to categorize CPE as technical or non-technical?

• My ethics course doesn’t specify whether it’s behavioral (non-technical) or regulatory (technical) [or how many of the credit hours are which, if it says it’s both].

• My class had multiple technical and non-technical sections, and the hours on my certificate/transcript are not broken down into the various sections.

• I have non-approved CPE hours (or teaching or writing hours). How do I determine if they are technical or non-technical?

• What do I do if I think I have misclassified existing CPE? For instance I mistook “personal development” for “professional development” and so have hours categorized as technical that should really be nontechnical?

• Does the Board accept one-fifth (.2, .4, etc.) and one-half credits? And does the online system now accept them? If so, what are the rules for reporting them?

• What is nano learning? Blended learning? Independent study? Other CPE terms I am seeing?

• If I take a course on the internet is that automatically a "self study" course?

• I took a course that I feel had an ethics component, but the certificate of completion/course documentation lists no ethics credits. How can I claim those credits?

• I wrote or taught about ethics. Can I claim ethics credits for that?

 


Renewal/Status Change FAQs
Note: Renewals open in the fall every year.

 

• Do I renew this year?

• When I try to log in, it says "match not found."

• When I log in to renew, the screen comes up blank.

• I get a message that says "Renewal in Progress," but I haven't renewed.

• When I log in I get a message that says that my license has already been renewed, but I haven't renewed.

• What if I don’t have enough required Continuing Professional Education (CPE) for the current rolling three-year period?

• I am getting an error message on the CPE reporting page.

• Where do I enter my carryback hours in Online Renewal?

• I want to request an exemption from Minnesota’s CPE requirements.

• I want to change my status.

• My transaction timed out and now I can't get back in.

• My payment isn't being accepted by US Bank.

• The name/address/credit card information that the Board listed in the credit card payment screen is wrong.

• I am renewing late.

• I cannot renew my sole proprietor firm permit online.

• I am trying to open a PDF form link and it won't open.

• Why am I being charged a "bank fee"?

• My name has changed.

• How do I go Exempt?

• How do I request Retired status?

 


Complaint FAQs

 

• How do I file a complaint against a CPA or CPA firm?

• Where can I see whether a Minnesota CPA or CPA firm has been disciplined?

• Does the Board help with billing disputes?

• What are some examples of disciplinary action?

• What are some grounds for disciplinary action?

• Do I have to be the "injured party" in order to file a complaint?

• Can I make an anonymous complaint?

• Can I call with a complaint?


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