CPA / Accounting License from California to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept a California CPA license?
Yes — Florida recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) 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
Florida recognizes substantial equivalency, so your California CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from California. What remains is Florida-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Florida ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Florida is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What's different between California and Florida
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Florida (this page): Full reciprocity.
Florida to California (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: California and Florida do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Florida.
- Application fee
Florida lists $300 for an out-of-state applicant and California lists $650 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
California lists about 4 weeks for the reverse move; Florida has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Education (semester hours)
Florida's first-time-applicant standard is 150 semester hours of education for initial licensure; California's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Florida (this move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the applicant files the DBPR CPA 5012-1 Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination and Licensure Information so Florida can confirm passage through the existing license. Florida requires no separate state ethics or law exam.
- California (the reverse move): California does not grant traditional reciprocity; the Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken, but the applicant must have their exam grades transferred from the state where they sat. Effective July 1, 2024 the PETH ethics examination was eliminated for licensure; instead a two-hour Regulatory Review CE course is required by the first license renewal (after licensure).
What changes, California → Florida
| California (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester 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)) | $300 (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants)) |
| Processing time | ~4 weeks (The CBA states the review takes approximately four weeks from the date the application file is complete (initial review within 30 days of receipt); licensure cannot be completed until transcripts, transferred exam grades, experience verification, and fingerprint clearance are received) | the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Accountancy (CBA) | Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active CPA license issued by another US state or territory and keep it active until Florida issues the license.
- Qualify under one endorsement pathway: other-state requirements substantially equivalent to Florida's with one year of experience; OR licensed and in practice at least ten years; OR five years of experience after licensure.
- Submit the DBPR CPA 3 Application for Licensure by Endorsement and the DBPR CPA 5012-1 Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination and Licensure Information.
- Have good moral character.
- 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 California to Florida?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
Do I need a Florida license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Florida becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Florida clients from California, practice privilege usually covers you with no Florida license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my California CPA license after licensing in Florida?
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 California 2026-10-29, Florida 2026-07-21.
- Florida DBPR — CPA Licensure by Endorsement (experience pathways, other-state license issued on/after 8/15/2014, $300 fee, 150 hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida DBPR — CPA Initial Licensure Requirements (150 semester hours with accounting and business hour breakdown) ↗ (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 2026-10-29)
- 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 2026-10-29)
- California Business and Professions Code 5087 and 5096, CBA compilation current as of January 1, 2026 (out-of-state licensee may be issued a CA license if the other state has comparable licensure requirements; practice privilege with no notice or fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- CBA Regulations, current as of July 1, 2026 — 16 CCR 36.1 Out-of-State Licensee (four of the last ten years in practice as a licensed CPA may satisfy education, examination, and experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- CBA — An Overview of the Renewal Process, revised 3/2026 (licensees issued on or after July 1, 2024 complete a Board-approved Regulatory Review course for the first renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources California 2026-10-29, Florida 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com