CPA / Accounting License from California to Kansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Kansas Board of Accountancy ↗
Yes — Kansas recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Kansas Board of Accountancy for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
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Verdict
Full reciprocity
Kansas recognizes substantial equivalency, so your California CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Kansas Board of Accountancy cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from California. What remains is Kansas-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Kansas ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Kansas is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, California → Kansas
| California (current) | Kansas (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)) | $250 (non-refundable CPA certificate-by-reciprocity fee; a separate permit to practice costs $165 if applied for at the same time) |
| 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 | 2–7 weeks (under 2021 Sub. for HB 2066 (Option 1), military spouses/service members are processed within 15 days and other applicants who reside or intend to reside in Kansas within 45 days; the K.S.A. 1-307 track (Option 2) has no separately published timeline) |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Accountancy (CBA) | Kansas Board of Accountancy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Kansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Kansas's current requirements on the Kansas Board of Accountancy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Kansas Board of Accountancy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid current CPA certificate in good standing from another US jurisdiction.
- Qualify under K.S.A. 1-307 (met Kansas requirements when originally certified, meet all current Kansas requirements, OR have four years of experience within the ten years immediately preceding the application) or meet the substantial-equivalency standard of K.S.A. 1-322.
- Submit the Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Information form showing an approved ethics exam was completed.
- Complete the New CPA Certificate Holder Oath, witnessed by another CPA.
- Kansas is a two-tier state: a permit to practice is obtained separately (permit fee $165 if applied for together with the certificate).
- Pay the fees ($250 (non-refundable CPA certificate-by-reciprocity fee; a separate permit to practice costs $165 if applied for at the same time)) and allow 2–7 weeks (under 2021 Sub. for HB 2066 (Option 1), military spouses/service members are processed within 15 days and other applicants who reside or intend to reside in Kansas within 45 days; the K.S.A. 1-307 track (Option 2) has no separately published timeline).
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Kansas accept a California CPA license?
Yes — Kansas recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Kansas Board of Accountancy for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from California to Kansas?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage and licensure are verified through an Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Information form completed by each state where you hold or held a certificate (and the exam state, if different). That form must show you satisfactorily completed an ethics exam approved by the Kansas Board — the AICPA professional ethics exam, or the California, Colorado, or Texas ethics exam..
Do I need a Kansas license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Kansas becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Kansas Board of Accountancy for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Kansas clients from California, practice privilege usually covers you with no Kansas license, notice, or fee.
What does the California-to-Kansas move cost?
$250 (non-refundable CPA certificate-by-reciprocity fee; a separate permit to practice costs $165 if applied for at the same time) (non-refundable CPA certificate-by-reciprocity fee; a separate permit to practice costs $165 if applied for at the same time).
Can I keep my California CPA license after licensing in Kansas?
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.
- Kansas Board of Accountancy — Application for CPA Certificate by Reciprocity (instructions + form): $250 non-refundable fee, K.S.A. 1-307 waiver / four-years-in-ten experience, board-approved ethics exam, 15-day/45-day processing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Kansas Board of Accountancy — FAQs (reciprocity qualification and AICPA ethics exam) ↗ (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]