CPA / Accounting License from California to Rhode Island: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) ↗
Yes — Rhode Island recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
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Verdict
Full reciprocity
Rhode Island recognizes substantial equivalency, so your California CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from California. What remains is Rhode Island-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Rhode Island ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Rhode Island is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, California → Rhode Island
| California (current) | Rhode Island (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)) | $375 (three-year CPA certificate/permit fee; RIGL 5-3.1-7 sets the permit fee at not less than $375 and the DBR fee schedule lists $375. No separate reciprocity-application surcharge is published) |
| 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 Board does not publish a processing time; however, upon filing a completed reciprocity application the applicant is deemed qualified to practice pending board review |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Accountancy (CBA) | Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Rhode Island sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Rhode Island's current requirements on the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid CPA certificate/permit in good standing from another US state whose licensure requirements are substantially equivalent (RIGL 5-3.1-7(g); all 55 US jurisdictions are substantially equivalent).
- File the Reciprocity Application for Rhode Island; upon filing a completed application the applicant is deemed qualified to practice public accounting pending board review.
- Baseline RI licensure requires 150 semester hours, one year (1,820 hours) of experience, and a 90%+ grade on the AICPA Professional Ethics comprehensive course (satisfied through the existing substantially-equivalent license).
- Comply going forward with RI CPE (120 hours per three-year cycle, including at least 6 hours of ethics).
- Pay the fees ($375 (three-year CPA certificate/permit fee; RIGL 5-3.1-7 sets the permit fee at not less than $375 and the DBR fee schedule lists $375. No separate reciprocity-application surcharge is published)) and allow The Board does not publish a processing time; however, upon filing a completed reciprocity application the applicant is deemed qualified to practice pending board review.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Rhode Island accept a California CPA license?
Yes — Rhode Island recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from California to Rhode Island?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the applicant retains credit for sections passed in another state and licensure is verified through the existing out-of-state certificate (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Rhode Island's licensure standard includes a grade of 90% or better on the AICPA Professional Ethics comprehensive course, which a substantially-equivalent applicant will already have satisfied through the existing license..
Do I need a Rhode Island license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Rhode Island becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Rhode Island clients from California, practice privilege usually covers you with no Rhode Island license, notice, or fee.
What does the California-to-Rhode Island move cost?
$375 (three-year CPA certificate/permit fee; RIGL 5-3.1-7 sets the permit fee at not less than $375 and the DBR fee schedule lists $375. No separate reciprocity-application surcharge is published) (three-year CPA certificate/permit fee; RIGL 5-3.1-7 sets the permit fee at not less than $375 and the DBR fee schedule lists $375. No separate reciprocity-application surcharge is published).
Can I keep my California CPA license after licensing in Rhode Island?
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.
- Rhode Island Board of Accountancy — Rules and Regulations (400-RICR-00-00-1): 150-hour education, one-year (1,820 hr) experience, AICPA Professional Ethics 90%, transfer of exam credit, CPE 120 hrs/3 yrs incl. 6 ethics ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- RI Dept. of Business Regulation — Board of Accountancy, Licenses/Applications & Renewals (Reciprocity Application for Rhode Island; $375 three-year fee; practice pending review after filing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-3.1-7 — Permits for CPAs (substantial-equivalency standard; permit fee not less than $375) ↗ (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
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