CPA / Accounting License from Florida to District of Columbia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) ↗
Yes — District of Columbia recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Florida. Apply to the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and 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
District of Columbia recognizes substantial equivalency, so your Florida CPA license clears the bar on its own — the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from Florida. What remains is District of Columbia-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any District of Columbia ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if District of Columbia is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, Florida → District of Columbia
| Florida (current) | District of Columbia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $300 (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants)) | $175 (DC CPA license fee (verified on the DLCP Board of Accountancy page); DC lists no separate initial-application fee. NASBA Licensing Services charges its own fee only for the exam-based pathway, which reciprocity applicants bypass.) |
| Processing time | the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement | The DLCP Board does not publish a processing time for reciprocity; the ~4-week figure on NASBA's DC page applies to NASBA's exam-based licensing service, which reciprocity applicants bypass by applying directly to the Board |
| Licensing authority | Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) | District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — District of Columbia sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm District of Columbia's current requirements on the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) (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 that is substantially equivalent under the UAA.
- Meet the 150-semester-hour education (for degrees earned after 1/1/2000) and one-year (2,000-hour) experience baseline, normally satisfied through the existing license.
- Apply for licensure by reciprocity directly to the DLCP Board through the OPLA online portal (reciprocity applicants do not route through NASBA Licensing Services).
- As of Dec 12, 2025 the Board also recognizes reciprocity for CPAs licensed under the alternative pathway (bachelor's degree plus two years of experience).
- Pay the fees ($175 (DC CPA license fee (verified on the DLCP Board of Accountancy page); DC lists no separate initial-application fee. NASBA Licensing Services charges its own fee only for the exam-based pathway, which reciprocity applicants bypass.)) and allow The DLCP Board does not publish a processing time for reciprocity; the ~4-week figure on NASBA's DC page applies to NASBA's exam-based licensing service, which reciprocity applicants bypass by applying directly to the Board.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does District of Columbia accept a Florida CPA license?
Yes — District of Columbia recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Florida. Apply to the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from Florida to District of Columbia?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the applicant's existing license (candidates transferring exam credit use a $175 transfer-of-grades application). The Board does not publish a separate District ethics or law exam requirement..
Do I need a District of Columbia license, or does mobility cover the move?
If District of Columbia becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the District of Columbia Board of Accountancy (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving District of Columbia clients from Florida, practice privilege usually covers you with no District of Columbia license, notice, or fee.
What does the Florida-to-District of Columbia move cost?
$175 (DC CPA license fee (verified on the DLCP Board of Accountancy page); DC lists no separate initial-application fee. NASBA Licensing Services charges its own fee only for the exam-based pathway, which reciprocity applicants bypass.) (DC CPA license fee (verified on the DLCP Board of Accountancy page); DC lists no separate initial-application fee. NASBA Licensing Services charges its own fee only for the exam-based pathway, which reciprocity applicants bypass.).
Can I keep my Florida CPA license after licensing in District of Columbia?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the Florida 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.
- DC DLCP — Board of Accountancy (license/permit fee $175, 150-hour education, one-year experience, apply through NASBA) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- DC DLCP — Board announces licensure updates (Dec 12, 2025 recognition of alternative-pathway reciprocity via substantial equivalency) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NASBA — District of Columbia (reciprocity applicants apply directly to the DC Board; the $175/4-week figures are for NASBA's exam-based licensing service; Transfer of Grades $175) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]