CPA / Accounting License from Alabama to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Texas accept an Alabama CPA license?
Yes — Texas recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Alabama. Apply to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Full reciprocity
Texas recognizes substantial equivalency, so your Alabama CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from Alabama. What remains is Texas-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Texas ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Texas is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What's different between Alabama and Texas
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Texas. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Alabama to Texas (this page): Full reciprocity.
Texas to Alabama (the reverse move): Full reciprocity.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Alabama matter?
Coming from Alabama does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Texas.
- Application fee
Texas lists $100 for an out-of-state applicant and Alabama lists $120 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
Texas's first-time-applicant standard is 150 semester hours of education for initial licensure; Alabama's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Texas and Alabama carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Texas (this move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the letter of good standing from your current board. Texas additionally requires a board-approved 4-credit ethics course and passage of an open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.
- Alabama (the reverse move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the reciprocal certificate is issued without examination once the board verifies the existing license (via NASBA's Accountancy Licensing Database, the issuing state's website, or an Interstate Exchange Form). Alabama does not require a separate state ethics examination for reciprocity (an ethics CPE course applies only at renewal).
What changes, Alabama → Texas
| Alabama (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester hours) | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $120 ($120 non-refundable reciprocal certificate application fee (rule 30-X-4-.07); waived for qualifying military spouses and other 'select individuals'; no separate fingerprint fee) | $100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | ASBPA does not publish a standard processing time; for 'select individuals' (e.g., military spouses) the board must issue within 30 days or grant a 360-day temporary license (rule 30-X-4-.03(3)) | TSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears |
| Licensing authority | Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy (ASBPA) | Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Texas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a CPA license in good standing from another US jurisdiction (letter of good standing required).
- Complete a Texas board-approved 4-credit ethics course within the last six months.
- Pass the open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.
- Fingerprint-based FBI and Texas DPS background check.
- Meet Texas CPE requirements scaled to length of prior licensure (up to 120 hours).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from Alabama to Texas?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
Do I need a Texas license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Texas becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Texas clients from Alabama, practice privilege usually covers you with no Texas license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my Alabama CPA license after licensing in Texas?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the Alabama license active (its renewal and CPE run separately) and mobility covers the states where you hold none.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.
- TSBPA — Reciprocal Application ($100 fee, exam not retaken, 4-credit ethics course within six months, open-book Rules of Professional Conduct exam, letter of good standing, fingerprint background check, tiered CPE up to 120 hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA — Substantial Equivalency and practice privilege (UAA Section 23; all 55 US jurisdictions substantially equivalent) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- TSBPA — New Pathway for CPA Exam and Certification (Pathway B effective August 1, 2026; bachelor's degree, 120 semester hours, two years of CPA-supervised experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- ASBPA — Certificate by Reciprocity application package ($120 non-refundable reciprocal fee; license verified via ALD/Interstate Exchange Form) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 30-X-4 (rule 30-X-4-.03(2) reciprocal certificate; substantial equivalency + 4-of-10-years experience; 30-X-4-.06(5) issued without exam; 30-X-4-.07 $120 fee; 30-X-4-.06(3) three licensure pathways for candidates first sitting on or after 10/15/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 30-X-3 (30-X-3-.04 mobility/practice privilege, no notice or fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 30-X-5 (30-X-5-.06(1)(a): Pathway 1 baccalaureate applicants need two years of experience; Pathways 2 and 3 need one year) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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