2023 Iowa Code › Title XIII - COMMERCE › Chapter 542 - PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS › Section 542.6 - Issuance and renewal of certificates — maintenance of competency.

542.6 Issuance and renewal of certificates — maintenance of competency.
1. a. The board shall issue a certificate to a person who makes application on a form prescribed and furnished by the board and who demonstrates either of the following:
(1) That the person’s qualifications, including where applicable the qualifications prescribed by section 542.5, satisfy the requirements of this section, or that the person holds a certificate issued under prior law.
(2) That the person holds in good standing a certificate or license to practice as a certified public accountant in another state or equivalent designation from a foreign country, and is eligible under the substantial equivalency or other provisions of section 542.19.
b. The holder of a certificate issued under this section shall only provide attest services in a certified public accounting firm that is issued a permit under section 542.7, or through a certified public accounting firm with a practice privilege under section 542.20.
2. A certificate shall be initially issued, and renewed, for a period of not more than three years, but in any event shall expire on a date specified by rule. A person who fails to renew a certificate as a certified public accountant by the expiration date shall be allowed to do so within thirty days following its expiration, but the board may assess a reasonable penalty. The board shall specify by rule the conditions under which a lapsed certificate may be reinstated, including the imposition of administrative penalties.
3. A certificate holder, for renewal of a certificate under this section, shall participate in a program of learning designed to maintain professional competency. Such program of learning must comply with rules adopted by the board. The board, by rule, may grant an exception to this requirement for a certificate holder who does not perform or offer to perform for the public one or more kinds of services involving the use of accounting or auditing skills, including issuance of reports on financial statements or the use of one or more kinds of management advisory, financial advisory, or consulting services, or the preparation of tax returns or the furnishing of advice on tax matters. A certificate holder entitled to an exception by rule of the board shall place the word “inactive” adjacent to the holder’s certified public accountant title on any business card, letterhead, or other document or device, with the exception of the certificate holder’s certified public accountant certificate, on which the certificate holder’s certified public accountant title appears.
4. The board shall charge an application fee for initial issuance or renewal of a certificate in an amount prescribed by the board by rule.
5. An applicant for initial issuance or renewal of a certificate shall list in the application all states in which the applicant has applied for or holds a certificate, license, or permit and list any past denial, revocation, or suspension of a certificate, license, or permit. A holder of or applicant for a certificate under this section shall notify the board in writing, within thirty days after its occurrence, of any issuance, denial, revocation, or suspension of a certificate, license, or permit by another state.
6. The board, by rule, shall require as a condition for renewal of a certificate under this section, by any certificate holder who performs compilation services for the public other than through a certified public accounting firm or licensed public accounting firm, that such individual undergo, no more frequently than once every three years, a peer review conducted in such manner as the board shall by rule specify, and such review shall include verification that such individual has met the competency requirements set out in professional standards for such services. The provisions of section 542.7, subsections 10, 11, and 12, shall apply to the peer review required in this subsection.
2001 Acts, ch 55, §6, 38; 2008 Acts, ch 1106, §7, 15; 2017 Acts, ch 78, §2
Referred to in §542.3, 542.4, 542.5, 542.7, 542.8, 542.9, 542.13, 542.19, 542.20