Certified public accountants; qualifications
Wis. Stat. § 442.04
in effect(1) The examining board shall grant a certificate as a certified public accountant to all persons who become entitled thereto under this section and s. 442.05. A certificate is permanent unless revoked and not subject to periodic renewal.
(2) The examining board shall hold an examination at least once each year at a time and place determined by the examining board.
(5)
(b) The examining board may not grant a certificate as a certified public accountant to any person other than a person who satisfies all of the following conditions:
1. The person is 18 years of age or older.
2. The person does not have an arrest or conviction record, subject to ss. 111.321, 111.322, and 111.335.
3. The person has, except as provided in sub. (6), satisfied one of the following:
a. Received a master’s degree from an institution, for which the person completed coursework in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board, and completed not less than one year of work experience or its equivalent that satisfies sub. (5m).
b. Received a bachelor’s degree from an institution, completed at least 150 semester hours of education that included coursework in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board, and completed not less than one year of work experience or its equivalent that satisfies sub. (5m).
c. Received a bachelor’s degree from an institution, for which the person completed coursework in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board, and completed not less than 2 years of work experience or its equivalent that satisfies sub. (5m).
4. Except as provided in s. 442.05, the person has successfully passed an examination in such subjects affecting accountancy and business as the examining board considers necessary. A person is not eligible to take the examination under this subdivision unless the person has completed at least 120 semester hours of education or received a bachelor’s degree from an institution. In either case, the person must also have completed coursework in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board.
(d) The examining board shall ensure that evaluation procedures and examinations under this subsection are nondiscriminatory, relate directly to accountancy, and are designed to measure only the ability to perform competently as an accountant. The examining board may use the examination service provided by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
(5m)
(a) The work experience or equivalent of that experience that is required under sub. (5) (b) 3. a., b., or c. must include providing one or more types of service or advice representing the skills needed at the time of initial licensure to serve the public and must involve the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills, all of which must be verified. The work experience described in this paragraph may be obtained through employment in government, industry, academia, or public practice.
(b) The examining board shall judge the sufficiency of the work experience required under sub. (5) (b) 3. a., b., or c.
(6) The examining board may promulgate rules pursuant to which the examining board may, in its discretion and on a case-by-case basis, do all of the following:
(a) Consider certain military training and service of a veteran, as defined in s. 45.01 (12), who was honorably discharged to be substantially equivalent to semester hours of education completed at an institution.
(b) Apply training and service described in par. (a) to satisfy a portion of the education hours required under sub. (5) (b) 3. b.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/442.04Fetched: 10/7/2026