US CMA certification requires two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management. Your regular duties must involve relevant professional judgment. You can complete the experience before the exams or within seven years after passing them. You can take the exams while your experience requirement is still in progress.
The same job title can cover very different responsibilities. Check the work you perform, the period it covers and the information you can provide to verify it.
Source: IMA’s CMA experience requirements. Guidance checked 6 November 2026.
What Work Counts Toward CMA Experience?
Qualifying work regularly requires judgment using management-accounting or financial-management principles. IMA’s examples include accounting, FP&A, budgeting, cost analysis, internal and external audit, financial systems and other relevant activities.
Use the examples below to identify the responsibilities you actually perform. They group IMA’s examples into common work areas. IMA assesses your submission.
| Work area | Relevant responsibilities | Useful detail in your description |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting and reporting | Preparing financial statements, managing the general ledger and completing the financial close. | Explain your reporting responsibilities and how you evaluate balances, adjustments or accounting issues. |
| FP&A and budgeting | Financial planning, forecasts, budget preparation and performance analysis. | Describe the analysis you prepare and the planning or spending decisions it supports. |
| Cost and management accounting | Cost accounting, cost analysis and cost management. | Identify the costs, margins or operating results you analyse and how the findings are used. |
| Internal or external audit | Auditing and relevant financial or risk evaluation. | Set out the areas you examine, the judgment involved and your responsibility for conclusions. |
| Corporate finance and tax | Investment decisions, corporate financial management and tax accounting, analysis or planning. | Explain your financial assessments and recurring role in recommendations or reporting. |
| Financial systems and analytics | Data analytics, management information systems analysis and developing or implementing financial systems. | Describe the financial application and decisions supported, rather than generic IT tasks. |
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to read every column.
IMA’s list is not exhaustive. It also names areas such as forensic accounting, strategic planning, sustainability reporting and supply-chain management. The regular use of relevant financial judgment remains the test. See IMA’s full list and exclusions.
Can You Take the CMA Exams Without Work Experience?
Yes. You can sit the CMA exams before completing the two-year work-experience requirement. This allows students, graduates and career changers to prepare while building relevant experience.
You must still satisfy the education, examination and other certification requirements before receiving the CMA designation. If you already have qualifying experience, you do not need to gain two new years after passing.
The experience deadline is within seven years of passing the examination. Keep that separate from the three-year period for passing both exam parts. Our US CMA eligibility guide explains the full set of requirements.
A simple timing example
Hypothetical: you pass both parts after one year in qualifying full-time finance work. You can complete the remaining qualifying year afterward, then submit the experience for review. Study and experience can overlap. See the CMA timeline from exams to certification for broader calendar planning.
Full-Time, Part-Time, Internships and Teaching
| Work type | Current experience rule |
|---|---|
| Qualifying full-time work | Two continuous years of professional experience in management accounting or financial management. |
| Qualifying part-time work | Continuous positions of 20 hours per week count at one year of experience for every two years worked. Four qualifying part-time years therefore provide two years of credit. |
| Internship or trainee position | Internships and trainee positions do not satisfy the published experience requirement. Clerical and nontechnical positions are also excluded. |
| Full-time teaching | Full-time college or university teaching can qualify when at least 60% of the course load consists of accounting or finance subjects above the introductory level over a two-year period. |
Occasional use of accounting principles within another job is insufficient. For mixed hours or an unusual working arrangement, give IMA the actual dates, weekly hours and responsibilities rather than converting them into a self-selected hourly total. IMA’s detailed experience policy.
How to Complete the CMA Work Experience Form
IMA currently asks candidates to download its Confirmation of CMA Experience Requirement form and email the completed document with their IMA membership number. Start with the live page so you have the current form and submission instructions.
Enter your IMA profile details
Use your name as it appears on your IMA profile and include your IMA number. The form distinguishes completed experience from experience you expect to complete later.
List your employment, most recent first
Record the start and end dates, number of months, job title and detailed responsibilities. The form provides space for multiple employment entries.
Provide employer and contact information
Enter the employer’s details and a person who can verify your work, including contact details. Check that the information is current and accurate.
Complete the declaration and retain a copy
Read and complete the applicant declaration, signature and date. Your description should reflect the work you performed and the period claimed.
Follow IMA’s current submission instructions
The live experience page currently directs completed forms to [email protected] with your IMA membership number. Follow any updated instructions IMA gives you and respond to requests for clarification.
The downloaded PDF retains an older contact in its footer. Use the dedicated address on IMA’s live submission page when checking where to send it.
The current form asks for employment information and an applicant declaration. It does not prescribe a universal supervisor-signature requirement or require the contact to hold CMA or CPA. IMA may request further information about an individual submission.
How Should You Describe Your Responsibilities?
Explain the work someone reviewing your form could verify: the reports you prepare, the analysis you perform and how regularly you exercise financial judgment. A department name or a list of software packages leaves those details unclear.
“Describe the financial judgment your work requires, not just your job title. Explain what you analyse, which decisions you support and how regularly you do it.”
Shyam Sarrof, CMA (USA), EduDelphi faculty
A hypothetical description example
Too vague: “Responsible for accounts and reports.”
Specific, if true: “Prepared monthly cost reports, investigated actual-to-budget differences and discussed the causes with the finance manager to support the next forecast.”
The second version identifies recurring responsibilities and the purpose of the analysis. Use your own facts. A polished description cannot make excluded work eligible.
CMA Work Experience FAQs
Does internal or external audit count toward CMA experience?
IMA explicitly lists both internal and external auditing among its qualifying examples. Your responsibilities must regularly require relevant management-accounting or financial-management judgment. Describe the work, areas examined and conclusions supported rather than relying on the word “auditor.”
Does accounts payable, accounts receivable or bookkeeping count?
The responsibilities determine the answer. Routine clerical processing is excluded. A broader role may involve financial reporting, analysis or other relevant professional judgment. Describe those duties accurately and ask IMA to assess your actual work. An AP, AR or bookkeeping title alone establishes neither approval nor rejection.
Does CA articleship count as US CMA experience?
IMA excludes internships and trainee positions. Do not assume that paid articleship automatically counts. Explain your professional status, responsibilities, dates and working arrangement to IMA before relying on that period.
Must my experience be verified by a CMA or CPA?
The current form asks for a person to contact to verify the experience and their contact details. It does not state that this person must hold CMA or CPA. Choose someone who can accurately verify your work and follow any specific instructions IMA provides.
Can I submit experience before passing both CMA parts?
Yes. IMA’s current guidance allows experience verification before, during or after the examinations, within its deadline. If you already meet the requirement, organise the submission early. If it is incomplete, the form includes a place to indicate expected completion.
Can I use CMA after my name while experience is pending?
Passing both exam parts alone does not award the designation. You must complete the remaining certification requirements and receive certification from IMA before presenting yourself as a CMA. Our US CMA qualification guide explains the credential and its milestones.
Multiple Employers and Other Experience Questions
If your employment history is less straightforward, prepare the facts below before asking IMA how to document it.
I worked for several employers or have employment gaps
The form supports multiple entries. List each employer, dates, relevant responsibilities and verification contact. The requirement still specifies two continuous qualifying years. Explain any gaps and ask IMA how they affect your record. Do not double-count months from overlapping jobs.
I am self-employed or work on freelance assignments
Summarise your actual financial responsibilities, working arrangement, dates and available verification. Ask IMA what evidence it will accept for your circumstances. Explain the financial judgment involved in your assignments and how someone could verify that work.
My former supervisor or employer is unavailable
Tell IMA which contact is unavailable and what records or alternative contacts exist. Ask what it will accept before submitting a substitute. Do not assume a particular colleague, client or document is automatically sufficient.
My experience was gained outside the United States
IMA’s published experience criteria are not restricted to US employment. Document relevant overseas duties and employment details against the same criteria. Follow IMA’s instructions if it needs clarification or additional evidence for your record.
Review Your Experience and CMA Preparation Plan
EduDelphi can help you review responsibilities and employment dates, organise the information for an accurate submission and identify questions to take to IMA. Support also covers complex histories such as multiple employers or unavailable former contacts.
If you are preparing for the exams, faculty can recommend study priorities around your current knowledge and work commitments. Explore our US CMA preparation course for training details. IMA decides whether experience satisfies its requirements.
EduDelphi / Delphi Training Center is an IMA Silver Approved CMA Course Provider.
Request CMA Experience and Preparation Guidance
Discuss your duties, dates and next steps. Use the enquiry form for an initial conversation. Do not upload confidential workplace documents or account passwords.
Sources and Works Cited
Official policy and form checked 6 November 2026. The work-area grouping and hypothetical description are EduDelphi explanations, not individual experience approvals.
- IMA/ICMA. Experience Qualification, online CMA Handbook. Qualifying duties, continuity, part-time credit, teaching and exclusions.
- IMA. Submit your experience. Current submission instructions and the linked Confirmation of CMA Experience Requirement form.
About the Author
The editorial photographs are reused AI-generated illustrations. They do not depict actual EduDelphi learners or faculty.
