CPA / Accounting License from Colorado to Texas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Texas accept a Colorado CPA license?
Yes — Texas recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Colorado. 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 Colorado 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 Colorado. 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 Colorado 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
Colorado to Texas (this page): Full reciprocity.
Texas to Colorado (the reverse move): Full reciprocity.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Colorado matter?
Coming from Colorado 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 Colorado lists $195 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; Colorado's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Texas and Colorado 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.
- Colorado (the reverse move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through your active out-of-state CPA license (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Colorado imposes no separate state law exam, but reciprocal applicants must have passed the 8-hour AICPA Professional Ethics comprehensive course and examination and must complete a 2-hour Colorado Rules and Regulations course within six months of licensure.
What changes, Colorado → Texas
| Colorado (current) | Texas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester hours) | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $195 (reciprocal certificate application fee processed by NASBA/CPAES; the AICPA ethics course/exam is purchased separately) | $100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately) |
| Processing time | No processing time is published; NASBA, which processes Colorado applications, states that the Colorado Board reviews and approves all licensure-eligible applications at its monthly board meeting and that eligible applications are sent to the Board three weeks before the meeting date | TSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears |
| Licensing authority | Colorado State Board of Accountancy (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) | 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 Colorado 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 Colorado, practice privilege usually covers you with no Texas license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my Colorado CPA license after licensing in Texas?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the Colorado 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)
- NASBA/CPAES — Colorado Application for CPA Certificate Reciprocity (active out-of-state license, AICPA ethics exam, Colorado Rules and Regulations course) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA Licensing — Colorado (reciprocal certificate fee $195; reciprocity requires an active license from a substantially-equivalent jurisdiction, CPE attestation, and the AICPA ethics exam; applications approved at the monthly Board meeting) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Accountancy Applications and Forms (the Board has authorized NASBA's CPA Examination Services to process CPA license applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado General Assembly — SB26-076 Certification & Practice of Certified Public Accountants (signed May 4, 2026; effective Aug 12, 2026; new pathways available to applicants from Jan 1, 2027; individual practice privilege with no notice or fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Colorado DPO — Accountancy homepage (Permanent Rulemaking Hearing October 21, 2026 on rule revisions to implement SB26-076) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
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