CPA / Accounting License from Florida to Tennessee: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Tennessee accept a Florida CPA license?
Yes — Tennessee recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Florida. Apply to the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
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Verdict
Full reciprocity
Tennessee recognizes substantial equivalency, so your Florida CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from Florida. What remains is Tennessee-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Tennessee ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Tennessee is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What's different between Florida and Tennessee
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Tennessee. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Florida to Tennessee (this page): Full reciprocity.
Tennessee to Florida (the reverse move): Full reciprocity.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Florida matter?
Coming from Florida does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Tennessee.
- Application fee
Tennessee lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and Florida lists $300 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
Tennessee's first-time-applicant standard is 150 semester hours of education for initial licensure; Florida's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Tennessee and Florida carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Tennessee (this move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the applicant shows evidence of having passed it when originally licensed in another state (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Tennessee does not require a separate state ethics or rules examination for reciprocal applicants.
- Florida (the reverse 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.
What changes, Florida → Tennessee
| Florida (current) | Tennessee (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester 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)) | $200 (reciprocal license application fee) |
| Processing time | the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement | The Board does not publish a processing time for reciprocal applications |
| Licensing authority | Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) | Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Tennessee sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Tennessee's current requirements on the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a CPA license in good standing in another US jurisdiction.
- Show evidence that you successfully completed the Uniform CPA Examination when originally licensed.
- Non-US citizens must submit SAVE-program documentation showing authorization to work in the United States.
- 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 Florida to Tennessee?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
Do I need a Tennessee license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Tennessee becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy (Department of Commerce and Insurance) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Tennessee clients from Florida, practice privilege usually covers you with no Tennessee license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my Florida CPA license after licensing in Tennessee?
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 Florida 2026-07-21, Tennessee 2026-10-29.
- TN State Board of Accountancy — How to become a Certified Public Accountant (reciprocal license: $200 fee, must hold a CPA in good standing in another US jurisdiction and have passed the Uniform CPA Exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA — Substantial Equivalency and practice privilege (all 55 US jurisdictions substantially equivalent) ↗ (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 the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Florida 2026-07-21, Tennessee 2026-10-29
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