As part of its ongoing commitment to addressing talent pipeline challenges, the COCPA has actively been advocating since November 2023 for the Colorado State Board of Accountancy (the State Board) to reduce commonly reported barriers specific to Colorado’s educational and experience requirements for CPA licensure. On October 16, following an extensive rulemaking process, the State Board adopted several changes to Colorado rules to offer more flexibility in obtaining licensure, while maintaining appropriate public protection.

These updates include:

1. Removal of the advanced audit coursework requirement: Instead of the previously mandated six credit hours of auditing coursework required for licensure, only three credit hours of an audit course covering U.S. GAAS will be required. This adjustment aims to better align with other states' specific accounting concentrations, which has posed a particular challenge to candidates completing their education in another state and seeking to work in Colorado. 
2. Elimination of the accounting or business specific ethics coursework requirement: The State Board approved elimination of the mandatory three credit hours of accounting or business specific ethics, with the recognition that ethical behavior remains a critical competency of a CPA and encouragement that ethics remain integrated into the academic journey. These previously mandated ethics courses remain as eligible to meet the total hours required within the accounting and business concentrations.
3. Eligible work hours obtained during an academic internship may now count toward the work experience requirement: In a significant move to expedite the  licensure process, eligible work hours gained during an academic internship, verified on a transcript, can now count towards the work experience requirement for licensure. In response to concerns raised by the academic community about the potential overuse of internships in obtaining educational credit hours, a limitation was set of three credit hours of internship in each of the accounting and business concentration requirements.

The COCPA has been a steady voice in the stakeholder feedback and rulemaking process, emphasizing the need for more flexibility and clarity in the rules for licensure. 

Click here to read the January 2024 blog post, "State Board to Consider Rule Changes in Response to Letter from Gelinas," which details the beginnings of the COCPA's advocacy on these important rules considerations as captured in a November 22, 2023 letter.

Read all of the COCPA's subsequent advocacy letters to the State Board on this topic here:

• March 26, 2024
• September 12, 2024
• October 11, 2024

Watch for more information as it becomes available on the final language of the updated rules and the expected implementation timeline, which is expected to be no earlier than December 15, 2024. The COCPA is committed to ensuring that members and CPA candidates have all the information they need to successfully navigate these changes.