Sec. 20-280e. Connecticut Certified Public Accountant's Certificate: Issuance, qualifications, requirements, prohibitions. (a) The State Board of Accountancy shall issue a Connecticut Certified Public Accountant's Certificate to any person who has been granted the designation “certified public accountant” and who submits an application and pays the applicable fee for an initial certified public accountant certificate. No person issued an initial certificate, pursuant to this section, shall engage in the practice of public accountancy or use the title or designation “certified public accountant”, or the abbreviations “CPA”, or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviation, sign, card or device tending to indicate that such person is a certified public accountant, except as permitted in accordance with sections 20-280 and 20-281g.
(b) (1) Any individual who has been convicted of any criminal offense may request, at any time, that the Department of Consumer Protection determine whether such individual's criminal conviction disqualifies such individual from obtaining a certificate or license issued or conferred pursuant to this chapter based on (A) the nature of the conviction and its relationship to such individual's ability to safely or competently perform the duties or responsibilities associated with such certificate or license, (B) information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of such individual, and (C) the time elapsed since the conviction or release of such individual.
(2) An individual making a request under subdivision (1) of this subsection shall make such request on a form, and in a manner, prescribed by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, which form shall require the individual to (A) submit to state and national criminal history records checks conducted in accordance with section 29-17a, and (B) provide details of the individual's criminal conviction.
(3) Not later than thirty days after receiving a complete request under subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, the department shall inform the individual making such request whether, based on the criminal record information submitted, such individual is disqualified from receiving or holding a certificate or license issued pursuant to this chapter.
(4) The department is not bound by a determination made under this section if, upon further investigation, the department determines that the individual's criminal conviction differs from the information presented in such individual's determination request made under this subsection.
(P.A. 06-31, S. 1; P.A. 08-52, S. 8; P.A. 22-88, S. 17; P.A. 23-90, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 08-52 replaced former provisions with requirements for issuance of a Connecticut Certified Public Account's Certificate, effective May 12, 2008; P.A. 22-88 designated existing provision as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re provisions for individuals convicted of a criminal offense to request commissioner determination whether such conviction disqualifies them from receiving a license; P.A. 23-99 amended Subsec. (b) by substituting references to Department of Consumer Protection for references to State Board of Accountancy, adding references to certificate in Subdivs. (1) and (3), adding provisions re form and manner of request and deleting provisions re payment and fee in Subdiv. (2), adding new Subdiv. (2)(A) re state and national criminal history records checks, designating existing provisions re provision of details of individual's criminal conviction as Subdiv. (2)(B), adding “complete” in Subdiv. (3), and making technical and conforming changes, effective June 29, 2023.
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Sec. 20-281c. Certificate of certified public accountant. Good character, education, experience and examination requirements. Examination fee. Registration of certificate. Registration fee. (a) The board shall grant the certificate of “certified public accountant” to any person who meets the good character, education, experience and examination requirements of subsections (b) to (e), inclusive, of this section and upon the payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars.
(b) Good character for purposes of this section means lack of a history of dishonest or felonious acts. The board may refuse to grant a certificate on the grounds of failure to satisfy this requirement only if there is a substantial connection between the lack of good character of the applicant and the professional responsibilities of a licensee and if the finding by the board of lack of good character is supported by clear and convincing evidence, and when based upon the prior conviction of a crime, is in accordance with the provisions of section 46a-80. When an applicant is found to be unqualified for a certificate because of a finding of lack of good character, the board shall furnish the applicant a statement containing the findings of the board and a complete record of the evidence upon which the determination was based.
(c) An applicant may apply to take the examination if such person, at the time of the examination, has completed not less than one hundred twenty semester hours of education, as determined by the board by regulation to be appropriate. The educational requirements for a certificate shall be prescribed in regulations to be adopted by the board as follows:
(1) Until December 31, 1999, a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board, with an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by the board by regulation to be appropriate;
(2) After January 1, 2000, at least one hundred fifty semester hours of college education including a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university acceptable to the board. The total educational program shall include an accounting concentration or equivalent, as determined by the board by regulation to be appropriate.
(d) The board may charge each applicant a fee, in an amount prescribed by the board by regulation, for each section of the examination or reexamination taken by the applicant, or the board may authorize a third party administering the examination to charge each applicant a fee for each section of the examination or reexamination taken by the applicant.
(e) The board shall allow an applicant who applies to take the examination on or after October 1, 2023, to receive credit for each section of the examination that such applicant passes in any sitting for such examination, provided such applicant passes all sections of the examination within a thirty-month period. The board may, in its discretion, extend the thirty-month period for reasons related to health, military service or other individual hardship.
(f) The experience requirement for a certificate shall be as prescribed by the board by regulation.
(g) The holder of a certificate may register his certificate annually and pay a fee of forty dollars in lieu of an annual renewal of a license and such registration shall entitle the registrant to use the abbreviation “CPA” and the title “certified public accountant” under conditions and in the manner prescribed by the board by regulation.
(P.A. 92-212, S. 3; P.A. 07-7, S. 1; 07-214, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 234; P.A. 21-37, S. 32; P.A. 23-180, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 07-7 amended Subsec. (c) by changing educational requirements to take the certified public accountant examination to a bachelor's degree in accounting, or equivalent, and to require board to adopt regulations, effective April 26, 2007; P.A. 07-214 amended Subsec. (d) to delete “or provide for a third party administering the examination to charge” and allow board to authorize a third party administering examination to charge each applicant a fee for each section of the examination or reexamination taken by applicant, effective July 5, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 amended Subsec. (a) to increase fee from $75 to $150 and amended Subsec. (f) to increase fee from $20 to $40; P.A. 21-37 amended Subsec. (c) to replace provision re holding baccalaureate degree or equivalent at time of application with provision re completing 120 semester hours of education at time of examination, effective June 4, 2021; P.A. 23-180 added new Subsec. (e) re allowing applicants to receive credit for sections of the examination passed in any sitting, amended Subsec. (a) to include a reference to new Subsec. (e) and redesignated existing Subsecs. (e) and (f) as Subsecs. (f) and (g), effective July 1, 2023.
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