According to Florida’s Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), there are more than 36,000 Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and 5,000-plus CPA firms in the state.
Becoming a CPA has many benefits, including career advancement, higher-income opportunities, and more freedom to explore your favorite niches and specialties within the accounting and financial fields.
Each state has its own requirements for gaining the proper education and licenses to become a CPA. Florida’s CPA requirements are relatively simple, although you will need to dedicate your time and energy to completing certain educational programs and examinations.
Learn more by reading our full guide below on how to become a CPA in Florida.
Florida CPA Requirements
The state of Florida requires CPAs to pass the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Uniform CPA exam. To sit for the exam, you must meet Florida’s CPA education requirements. Overall, you need at least 120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours of education that includes the following:
- At least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of upper-division accounting, including:
- At least 3 semester or 4 quarter hours of financial accounting, based on U.S. accounting standards
- At least 3 semester or 4 quarter hours of taxation, based on U.S. accounting standards
- Some coverage in auditing and cost accounting (with no minimum requirement)
- At least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of upper-division general business, including:
- At least 3 semester or 4 quarter hours of business law, based on U.S. law
To apply for your license, you must also have one year of work experience that is signed off by a licensed CPA. You can complete your work experience after finishing your education requirements.
CPAs must renew their licenses every two years. To renew, you must complete 80 hours of continuing education in public accounting subjects. This must include at least eight hours of accounting and/or auditing, four hours of state-approved ethics, and a maximum of 20 hours in behavioral subjects.
How to Become a CPA in Florida
The first step to becoming a CPA in Florida is to pursue the education requirements described above. You must complete your courses with an educational institute that is accredited by one of Florida’s approved accreditation organizations. If you meet the education requirements with a non-accredited school, you must fulfill additional education requirements to validate your previous learning. This includes 15 semester hours of graduate classes from an accredited school, including nine semester hours of accounting (three of which must be focused on taxation).
After you meet your education requirements, you can begin completing your work experience. You must have at least one year of work experience in accounting, attestation, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, and consulting skills. Any work that you complete must be signed off by a licensed CPA.
Other skills that you might want to explore during this time to succeed as a CPA include:
- Staying up to date on financial knowledge, such as tax updates, changes to industry regulations, or major news
- Improving your presentation skills and public speaking
- Using popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks
- Working on your leadership and management skills
To take the Uniform CPA exam, you must fill out the application with the Florida DBPR and pay a $50 fee. Then, you can contact the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) to schedule your exam date. The CPA exam has four sections that each take four hours to complete. You must pass all four sections within a rolling 18-month period.
Once you meet all of the education and work experience requirements, you can apply for your license through the DBPR. You will have to provide evidence that you have met the requirements and pay a $50 application fee. You must apply for your license within three years of completing the Uniform CPA exam. You should receive your license in the mail within four to six weeks, although you might have access to a printable version earlier than that.
CPA Jobs
CPAs have access to a wide range of jobs and specialties. Here are just a few:
- Accountant: Accountants help organizations maintain their record-keeping, which may inform their financial decisions. As a CPA, you could become a corporate accountant who works with small and large businesses, a tax accountant who specializes in tax preparation, a cost accountant who tracks income and expenses, or a forensic accountant who aims to find and recover missing money.
- Financial advisor: Financial advisors evaluate customers’ finances and help them create and implement plans to reach their financial goals, such as investing, saving, retiring, and more.
- Accounting professor: Accounting professors use their knowledge to help students learn about accounting, taxation, auditing, and other related subjects.
- Auditor: Auditors are responsible for ensuring that an organization’s financial records are accurate. They may also focus on compliance issues to make sure that the organization is following industry standards and regulations.
Other job opportunities for CPAs include chief financial officer (CFO), analyst, managerial positions within an accounting department, and more.
Remote CPA Jobs
Many companies also offer remote CPA positions, for which you can conveniently complete your work from home (or another preferred location). For example, Intuit offers multiple remote jobs for CPAs in the tax and bookkeeping fields.
If you become a CPA, you may qualify for remote jobs such as Tax Expert or QuickBooks Live Expert. Tax Experts are responsible for helping customers complete their tax returns by offering advice, calculating taxes, and answering questions about TurboTax products. QuickBooks Live Experts help customers complete bookkeeping tasks using the QuickBooks platform, such as compiling financial statements, managing payroll, or entering transaction information into their accounts.
Both of these positions offer opportunities for continuing education, advancement within the company, and flexible scheduling. You can also complete self-paced courses through the Intuit Academy
to gain additional certifications and move between the tax and bookkeeping sides of the network.
If you already have your CPA license or are working on completing your requirements, learn more about remote CPA jobs at Intuit to decide whether any of the positions are right for you. Or see below for current openings.
Tax Associate (Remote/Seasonal)
- Minimum 2 seasons of paid Tax Preparation experience, with a minimum of 30 tax returns per tax year required
- Must be willing and available to work a minimum of 20 hours per week
- Excellent customer service skills are a must, and there is an expectation to interact with customers through video and audio tools in a professional, friendly, and confident manner
- Passionate about helping clients navigate the complexities of taxation
- PTIN required
Credentialed Tax Expert (Remote/Seasonal)
- Minimum 2 seasons of paid Tax Preparation experience, with a minimum of 30 tax returns per tax year required
- Must possess an active, unrestricted credential: EA, CPA, or Practicing Attorney with strong tax preparation experience and extensive knowledge of tax laws
- Must be willing and available to work a minimum of 20 hours per week
- Excellent customer service skills required for professional and friendly interaction with customers through video and audio tools
- Active PTIN required
Business Tax Associate (Remote/Seasonal)
- Minimum 3 or more years of experience preparing federal and state business tax returns (1065 and/or 1120-S) for at least 20 clients/customers per season for compensation
- Must possess or be able to obtain any related State licenses, certificates, permits or bonds
- Commit to a minimum schedule of at least 20 hours/week (minimum 4 hour shift increments) throughout the tax season
- Strong customer service skills for interacting with customers through video and audio tools
- Active PTIN required
Business Tax Expert (Remote/Seasonal)
- Minimum 3 or more years of experience preparing federal and state business tax returns (1065 and/or 1120-S) for at least 20 clients/customers per season for compensation
- Must possess an active, unrestricted credential: EA, CPA, or Practicing Attorney with strong business tax preparation experience and extensive knowledge of tax laws
- Commit to a minimum schedule of at least 20 hours/week (minimum 4 hour shift increments) throughout the tax season
- Strong customer service skills for professional interaction with customers through video and audio tools
- Active PTIN required
QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping Expert (Remote/Year Round)
- 3+ years of bookkeeping and/or accounting experience
- 3+ years of QuickBooks Online experience
- Required Credentials/Certifications: QuickBooks Online Certification (QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor)
- Experience supporting Payroll, Sales Tax, or Tax Preparation is a plus
- Strong customer service skills for professional, friendly interaction through video and audio tools
QuickBooks Live Sr. Associate (Remote/Year Round)
- 1-3 years of bookkeeping and/or accounting experience
- Minimum 1 year of QuickBooks Online experience
- Required Credentials/Certifications: QuickBooks Online Certification (QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor)
- Strong customer service skills are essential for interacting through video and audio tools in a reassuring manner