Instructions for Completing Verification of Experience by Supervisor Form 4B

Who can complete this form? A certified public accountant licensed in one of the U.S. jurisdictions who is properly licensed and registered or authorized to practice in the jurisdiction of their principal place of business. If a CPA supervisor was not properly licensed or registered or authorized to practice in the jurisdiction where they practiced, the experience cannot be accepted. The CPA must have acted in a supervisory capacity to the applicant in the same employing organization.

What is acceptable experience? An applicant must present evidence, satisfactory to the State Board for Public Accountancy, of full-time experience providing U.S. accounting services or advice in one of the following service areas: independent audit, compilation and reviews, internal, management or government audit, forensic accounting, bookkeeping services and internal financial statement preparation, tax preparation or tax advice, financial advisory, consulting services, teaching college accounting, standards setting, other professional services skills under the supervision of a CPA as indicated above. Acceptable experience may be earned in a public accounting firm, government, not-for-profit, private industry or an educational institution. Internships may not be accepted toward the experience requirement if it is used to meet the degree requirements or listed for academic credit on the transcript. Only verified experience from full-time equated work, as described below, performed for U.S. clients and employers can be considered acceptable. If the applicant has not worked full-time for a U.S. client or employer, the CPA supervisor must provide additional supporting documentation to demonstrate the percentages of U.S. clients or employer work.

Full and part time experience. Full-time employment is considered to be a 5-day work week with 35-40 hours per week, excluding overtime. Acceptable part-time (no fewer than 20 hours per week) experience will be considered on the basis of one week of experience for every two weeks worked. Part-time experience requires supporting documentation that indicates the number of hours worked for each week , excluding PTO, CPE, training, etc. Supporting documentation may include time cards, billing reports, excel spreadsheets, etc. An average of part time work will not be accepted. For teaching college accounting experience of 18 semester hours (minimum 12 semester hours at upper level) is equated to one year of experience. The equivalent ratio applies across all experience requirements. Teaching assignments must be certified by an accounting department chair or dean who is a licensed CPA and must provide the report of the professor's course load and/or teaching assignment with their submission of the Form 4B.

How much experience must be certified on Form(s) 4B?

• Initial license: 150 semester hour education requirements - must document at least 1 year of acceptable full-time experience (or the part-time equivalent as described above).
• Initial license: 120 semester hour education requirements - must document at least 2 years of acceptable full-time experience (or the part-time equivalent as described above).
• Endorsement of a CPA license issued in another state - must document 4 years of full time experience (or the part-time equivalent as described above) since the out-of-state license was issued and within the last 10 years. Applicants who hold a license issued by another state who cannot document 4 years of post-license acceptable experience are not eligible for licensure by endorsement and may be processed as an initial applicant for licensure. Do not list experience prior to the applicant's date of licensure listed in Section 1.
• Foreign Endorsement - must document 4 years of full time experience (or part-time equivalent as described above) since the foreign license was issued and within the last 10 years. The experience must be certified by a U.S. CPA as described above. Do not list experience prior to the applicant's date of licensure listed in Section I.
• Applicants for an initial license based on 15 years of experience in lieu of meeting the education requirements - must document at least 15 years of acceptable full time experience (or the part-time equivalent as described above).

Instructions for Completing Item 7, A-K

Indicate the applicant's service(s) performed for U.S. clients or employers during the attested experience.

1. Independent Audit: Includes experience where the applicant was involved:
   1. in examining financial statements of clients where the application of U.S. generally accepted auditing standards has been employed for the purpose of expressing an opinion that the financial statements are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; or
   2. in examining financial statements of clients when certain auditing procedures have been applied but a disclaimer is expressed, including Statements on Auditing Standards (SASs), Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAEs), and Statements on Quality Management Standards (SQMSs).
   The preparation of a client’s related income tax returns and management letters by the applicant who participated in the examination of the financial statements may also be included in this category. Involvement in the examination of the financial statement is mandatory for including these tax preparation and management letter activities in the audit category.
2. Compilations and Reviews: The independent preparation of financial statements from the books of account without audit, including compilations as defined by Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS), and performing related services in which the applicant has demonstrated a knowledge of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
3. Internal, Management, or Government Audit: Includes all audit activities that are completed for the organization and reports provided for the organization. Audit activities do not include external audit work described in (A) above. Activities may also determine that internal financial statements are presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, such as:
   1. objective analysis of internal controls and evaluation of risk related to an organization's governance, operations and information systems;
   2. structured review of the efficiency/effectiveness of an organization's systems and procedures;
   3. review of corporate or individual tax returns on behalf of a governmental entity;
   4. any audit activities conducted by an employee of a governmental entity.
4. Forensic Accounting: The application of accounting skills at a level to determine issues such as: fraud; criminal investigations; estimates of losses, damages and assets related to potential legal cases and expert witness activities. Forensic accounting services may include the use of the Statement on Standards for Forensic Services (SSFS).
5. Bookkeeping Services and Internal Financial Statement Preparation: Preparing books of original entry and related activities. Posting to the client's general ledger in connection with preparing financial statements should be classified as bookkeeping services. Providing general accounting services to an employer or client is considered bookkeeping.
6. Tax Preparation or Tax Advice:
   1. Preparing corporation, fiduciary, partnership and individual tax returns from information compiled by others, or from unaudited data furnished by clients.
   2. Preparing payroll tax reports, sales and similar tax returns.
   3. Researching tax law; tax planning for clients; preparing protests, Tax Court petitions, and briefs; and representing clients before taxing authorities.
   4. Examining tax returns.
   5. Providing information and advice on tax issues to clients or an employer.
   6. Estate planning for clients.
7. Financial Advisory Services: Includes a range of financial analysis and advice for either a client or employer including:
   1. Financial management activities;
   2. Pension management;
   3. Securities analysis;
   4. Personal Financial Planning. Financial Planning services may include the use of the Statement on Standards in Personal Financial Planning Services (SSPFPS).
8. Consulting Services: Includes a range of services such as management advisory, business advisory, technological and industry experience. Includes work performed in accordance with Statements on Standards for Consulting Services (SSCS):
   1. Business valuation. Business valuation services may include the use of the Statements on Standards for Valuation Services Standards (SVSS).
   2. Mergers and acquisitions.
   3. Advising, designing and implementing accounting or other financial systems for a client or employer, when not related to an extension of auditing assignments.
   4. Any other management or business advisory services provided for a client or employer.
9. Teaching College Accounting: Preparation and delivery of accounting courses for academic credit at an accredited degree granting college or university. Teaching college accounting experience for an equated year is 18 semester hours of course work taught, two years is 36 semester hours, 4 years is 72 semester hours, and 15 years is 270 semester hours. The chair or dean of the accounting Department, who is a CPA, can vertify the experience and must provide the professor's course load and/or teaching assignment. See the website for more information on acceptable number of credits of upper and lower level courses.
10. Standards Setting. The writing, researching, and publishing of accounting standards at an acceptable accounting standard setting organization may include but not limited to: Financial Accounting Standards Board, Governmental Accounting Standards Board, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
11. Other Professional Services: Any other professional services for a client or employer that do not fit in the categories above. Do not list paid time off (PTO), Continuing Professional Education (CPE), Training or other non-billable time.

Instructions for Self-Verification of Experience - Endorsement Applicants ONLY
Only for Applicants Who Hold a CPA License Issued by Another State

An applicant for licensure in New York, who is licensed in another state, may certify their own experience using Form 4B if:

1. They are working in private industry, government, or a not for profit and they do not have a US licensed CPA supervisor; or
2. They are working as a sole proprietor of a CPA firm in a state other than New York.

To self-verify experience using Form 4B the applicant must do all of the following:

• Provide their personal information in Section I: Applicant Information;
• Provide their professional credentialing information in Section II, Item 1;
• Detail their own experience in Section II, Items 2 - 11, including any supporting documentation such as letters from employers, firm ownership documents, personal tax records, etc.; and
• Sign the affidavit at the end of the form.