Transfer Your CPA / Accounting License to Missouri: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) ↗
A CPA license transfers to Missouri by reciprocity: because Missouri treats every US CPA as substantially equivalent, the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) grants its license on the strength of your existing one rather than re-qualifying you. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the interstate exchange of examination and licensure information from your current board (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Missouri does not impose a separate state rules exam, but reciprocal applicants must have completed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (the AICPA ethics exam).. Fee: $165 (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule).
Moving to Missouri from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Full reciprocity — honors all states
Because Missouri recognizes substantial equivalency, the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) looks at your standing, not your origin: a CPA in good standing from any state qualifies for a reciprocal license, and the Uniform CPA Exam does not come back. Read the requirements below as the destination's own layer — a background check, a state ethics or rules-of-conduct exam where one applies, and proof your CPE is current — rather than a re-credentialing.
Settle the mobility question before you file. If Missouri is not becoming your principal place of business — you are serving Missouri clients from elsewhere, or the work is temporary — practice privilege usually lets you work there with no Missouri license at all. Apply for the reciprocal license when Missouri is where you will actually be based.
Missouri grants a reciprocal CPA license to any CPA in good standing from a substantially-equivalent US jurisdiction (all 55 jurisdictions are substantially equivalent); 2020 legislation created the streamlined one-year-of-licensure path. This is the LICENSE TRANSFER, separate from practice privilege/mobility (an out-of-state CPA may already practice in Missouri with no Missouri license; the reciprocal license is what is needed when Missouri becomes the principal place of business). Missouri lets candidates sit for the exam at 120 hours but licensure baseline is 150 hours; Missouri is adopting the 2025 UAA alternative bachelor's + two-years-experience pathway on the national rolling basis. Reciprocal applicants normally satisfy education through their existing license rather than a fresh Missouri education review.
Missouri requirements at a glance
| Exam | The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the interstate exchange of examination and licensure information from your current board (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Missouri does not impose a separate state rules exam, but reciprocal applicants must have completed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (the AICPA ethics exam). |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 hours |
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $165 (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule) |
| Processing time | MOSBA does not publish a processing time for reciprocity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Missouri's current requirements on the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a CPA license in good standing in another US jurisdiction (the streamlined 'Reciprocity via Licensure' path requires at least one year of licensure elsewhere).
- Submit verification of licensure / Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination and Licensure Information from the original board.
- Have completed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board.
- If lacking one year of licensure, qualify instead under the 'Reciprocity 4/10' path (four of the last ten years in the practice of public accounting).
- Obtain the Missouri license within 60 days if establishing a Missouri practice.
- Pay the fees ($165 (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule)) and allow MOSBA does not publish a processing time for reciprocity applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Missouri:
Frequently asked questions
Does my CPA license transfer to Missouri?
A CPA license transfers to Missouri by reciprocity: because Missouri treats every US CPA as substantially equivalent, the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) grants its license on the strength of your existing one rather than re-qualifying you. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the interstate exchange of examination and licensure information from your current board (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Missouri does not impose a separate state rules exam, but reciprocal applicants must have completed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (the AICPA ethics exam).. Fee: $165 (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule).
Do I have to retake the CPA Exam to get licensed in Missouri?
No. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the interstate exchange of examination and licensure information from your current board (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Missouri does not impose a separate state rules exam, but reciprocal applicants must have completed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (the AICPA ethics exam)..
Do I even need a Missouri CPA license, or does mobility cover me?
If Missouri is not your principal place of business, practice privilege (mobility) usually lets you serve Missouri clients with no Missouri license, notice, or fee. You apply to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA) for a reciprocal license when Missouri becomes where you are principally based.
What does a Missouri reciprocal CPA license cost?
$165 (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule) (reciprocity application fee per the Board fee schedule).
How long does the Missouri reciprocity process take?
MOSBA does not publish a processing time for reciprocity applications — MOSBA does not publish a processing time for reciprocity applications.
How does Missouri's education requirement affect a reciprocal CPA license?
Missouri's initial-licensure baseline is 150 semester hours. Reciprocal applicants normally satisfy education through the license they already hold rather than a fresh transcript review; if you were licensed before your state raised its education requirement, confirm your route with the Missouri State Board of Accountancy (MOSBA).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- MOSBA — Board of Accountancy Forms (Reciprocity via Licensure application) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MOSBA — Fee schedule ($165.00 reciprocity fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MOSBA — CPA Examination page (120 semester hours to sit; education overview) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NASBA — Substantial Equivalency and practice privilege (UAA Section 23) ↗ (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]