How to become an accountant
The path is well-defined but longer than most people expect. Here is what each stage actually requires, what it costs in time, and where you can legitimately shorten it.
The five stages
1. Earn a bachelor's degree
A bachelor's in accounting is the standard route, though finance, economics or business degrees work if you add the required accounting and audit coursework. Expect four years, and prioritise internships from the second year — public firms hire most of their entry class from their own interns.
2. Reach 150 semester hours
Nearly every state requires 150 semester hours to be licensed as a CPA, which is 30 more than a typical bachelor's. Options include a master's in accounting or taxation, a fifth-year programme, or community college credits. A handful of states now offer an experience-based alternative to the extra 30 hours — check your board before assuming a master's is mandatory.
3. Pass the CPA exam
The exam has three core sections — auditing, financial accounting and reporting, and regulation — plus one discipline section you choose. Most candidates study 300 to 400 hours in total and finish across 12 to 18 months. You must pass all four within the rolling window your state sets.
4. Complete the experience requirement
Most states require one to two years of accounting experience verified by a licensed CPA. This can be earned in public accounting, industry, or government depending on your state's rules.
5. Get licensed and stay licensed
Apply through your state board, pass the ethics exam where required, and then maintain the licence with roughly 40 hours of continuing education a year. Licences are public — anyone can look yours up, which is exactly how clients should be checking you.
Routes that skip the CPA
The CPA is the most recognised credential, but it is not the only licensed way to practise.
Enrolled Agent (EA)
Licensed federally by the IRS rather than by a state board. Three exams, no degree requirement, and full rights to represent taxpayers before the IRS. The fastest credentialed route into tax work — many candidates finish in under a year.
Bookkeeper
No licence required. Certification through AIPB or a software vendor plus real client work is enough to start. It is a legitimate career on its own and a common stepping stone into a degree programme.
Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
Two exams focused on cost management, planning and analysis. Suited to industry and corporate finance roles rather than tax or audit.
Common questions
- How long does it take to become an accountant?
- You can work as a staff accountant or bookkeeper immediately after a bachelor's degree, and often before. Becoming a licensed CPA typically takes six to seven years total: four years of undergraduate study, a year for the additional 30 credit hours, and one to two years of supervised experience while sitting for the exam.
- Do you need a CPA to be an accountant?
- No. Many accountants, bookkeepers and tax preparers work without a CPA licence. The licence is required to sign audit opinions and to call yourself a CPA, and it materially raises pay and advancement ceilings.
- Is the CPA exam hard?
- Section pass rates generally sit around 45 to 60 percent. It is a volume problem more than a difficulty problem — most failures come from under-studying, not from inability.
- Can you become an accountant without a degree?
- Yes, as a bookkeeper or, via the enrolled agent exams, as a credentialed tax practitioner. CPA licensure, however, requires the 150 semester hours in almost every state.
- Is accounting a good career?
- Demand is persistent and the credential is portable across industries and states. The trade-off is busy season: from late January through mid-April, 55 to 70 hour weeks are common in public accounting.