From California to South Carolina, States Address CPA Shortage

A handful of US states are laying the groundwork to offer more flexible CPA education requirements to combat the shrinking pool of entry-level accountants.

States including Washington and South Carolina have pursued legislation that would begin to unwind rules that CPA candidates nationwide must earn the equivalent of five years of college to qualify for state-issued licenses. California and Arkansas also are considering changes meant to address the pipeline challenges in their states.

Those early steps already are ratcheting up the pressure on the profession’s regulators and top leaders to address labor market headwinds. The industry is grappling with declines ...