CPA / Accounting License from California to Connecticut: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) ↗
Yes — Connecticut recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) 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
Connecticut recognizes substantial equivalency, so your California CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from California. What remains is Connecticut-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Connecticut ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Connecticut is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, California → Connecticut
| California (current) | Connecticut (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $650 ($250 initial application fee + $400 initial license fee (due on approval) = $650; $49 hard-copy fingerprint processing fee billed separately (Live Scan)) | $150 (certificate initial issuance fee; a separate permit to practice / license renews at $565 per year and a certificate registration is $40 per year) |
| Processing time | The CBA does not publish a fixed processing time; licensure cannot be completed until transcripts, transferred exam grades, experience verification, and fingerprint clearance are received | the Department of Consumer Protection does not publish a processing time for the reciprocal certificate |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Accountancy (CBA) | Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Connecticut sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Connecticut's current requirements on the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a CPA certificate/license in good standing from another US state and submit a license verification from that board.
- Either meet Connecticut's current education and ethics requirements, or document at least five years of public-accountancy experience within the immediately preceding ten years (which exempts education and ethics).
- Experience must be verified by a CPA who has held a license or practice privilege for at least three years.
- Pass the professional ethics examination unless exempt under the five-in-ten experience test.
- Pay the fees ($150 (certificate initial issuance fee; a separate permit to practice / license renews at $565 per year and a certificate registration is $40 per year)) and allow the Department of Consumer Protection does not publish a processing time for the reciprocal certificate.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Connecticut accept a California CPA license?
Yes — Connecticut recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from California to Connecticut?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; all four sections must already have been passed with grades of 75 or better and are confirmed through a license verification from your current board. Connecticut also requires passage of a professional ethics examination, unless the applicant qualifies under the five-years-experience-in-ten alternative, which exempts both the education and the ethics requirement..
Do I need a Connecticut license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Connecticut becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy (Department of Consumer Protection) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Connecticut clients from California, practice privilege usually covers you with no Connecticut license, notice, or fee.
What does the California-to-Connecticut move cost?
$150 (certificate initial issuance fee; a separate permit to practice / license renews at $565 per year and a certificate registration is $40 per year) (certificate initial issuance fee; a separate permit to practice / license renews at $565 per year and a certificate registration is $40 per year).
Can I keep my California CPA license after licensing in Connecticut?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the California 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 2026-07-21.
- CT DCP — Certified Public Accountant Reciprocal Candidate application (hold out-of-state license, five-in-ten experience test, license verification, exam not retaken) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CT DCP — CPA Certificate by Reciprocity (statutory criteria, $150 issuance fee, professional ethics examination) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CBA — Initial Licensing FAQs ($250 application, $400 initial license, $49 hard-copy fingerprint fee; PETH ethics exam eliminated effective 7/1/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CBA — Applying for a California CPA License (quick tips: 150 units incl. 24 accounting/24 business/20 accounting study/10 ethics study; 12 months experience; fingerprint clearance) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California Business and Professions Code 5087 (out-of-state licensee may be issued a CA license only if the other state's requirements are comparable to California's) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]