Transfer Your CPA / Accounting License to Nevada: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Nevada State Board of Accountancy ↗
Nevada is a substantial-equivalency state — hold a good-standing CPA license anywhere in the US and the Nevada State Board of Accountancy will issue a reciprocal license without retesting. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the Board may accept the applicant's Uniform CPA Examination scores from another state and waive the manner in which they were obtained (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Nevada additionally requires an applicant for certification to have passed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (AICPA ethics exam) no earlier than three years before filing.. Expect $100 (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately)) in application fees.
Moving to Nevada from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Full reciprocity — honors all states
Because Nevada recognizes substantial equivalency, the Nevada State Board of Accountancy 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 Nevada is not becoming your principal place of business — you are serving Nevada clients from elsewhere, or the work is temporary — practice privilege usually lets you work there with no Nevada license at all. Apply for the reciprocal license when Nevada is where you will actually be based.
Under NRS 628.310 the Board may grant a certificate by reciprocity to any holder of a CPA certificate then in effect from any US state or jurisdiction (or a foreign equivalent), so reciprocity runs on the national substantial-equivalency framework rather than a partner list. Distinctive requirement: at least 20 hours of continuing education within the 12 months before applying. This is the license transfer, separate from practice privilege/mobility (an out-of-state CPA whose license is substantially equivalent may already practice in Nevada with no Nevada certificate). The NAC-set reciprocity application fee is $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation; aggregator listings citing '$240' conflate this with the initial certificate/licensing fee. Nevada requires 150 semester hours for certification, which reciprocal applicants normally satisfy through their existing certificate.
Nevada requirements at a glance
| Exam | The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the Board may accept the applicant's Uniform CPA Examination scores from another state and waive the manner in which they were obtained (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Nevada additionally requires an applicant for certification to have passed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (AICPA ethics exam) no earlier than three years before filing. |
|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 hours |
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $100 (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately)) |
| Processing time | the Board does not publish a processing time for certificate-by-reciprocity applications |
Step by step
- Confirm Nevada's current requirements on the Nevada State Board of Accountancy website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Nevada State Board of Accountancy.
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a valid CPA certificate then in effect issued under the laws of another US state or jurisdiction.
- Submit proof of at least 20 hours of continuing education completed within the 12 months before filing the reciprocity application.
- Have passed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board within the prior three years.
- Undergo the Board's required background investigation.
- Pay the fees ($100 (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately))) and allow the Board does not publish a processing time for certificate-by-reciprocity applications.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Nevada:
Frequently asked questions
Does my CPA license transfer to Nevada?
Nevada is a substantial-equivalency state — hold a good-standing CPA license anywhere in the US and the Nevada State Board of Accountancy will issue a reciprocal license without retesting. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the Board may accept the applicant's Uniform CPA Examination scores from another state and waive the manner in which they were obtained (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Nevada additionally requires an applicant for certification to have passed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (AICPA ethics exam) no earlier than three years before filing.. Expect $100 (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately)) in application fees.
Do I have to retake the CPA Exam to get licensed in Nevada?
No. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the Board may accept the applicant's Uniform CPA Examination scores from another state and waive the manner in which they were obtained (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Nevada additionally requires an applicant for certification to have passed an examination in professional ethics acceptable to the Board (AICPA ethics exam) no earlier than three years before filing..
Do I even need a Nevada CPA license, or does mobility cover me?
If Nevada is not your principal place of business, practice privilege (mobility) usually lets you serve Nevada clients with no Nevada license, notice, or fee. You apply to the Nevada State Board of Accountancy for a reciprocal license when Nevada becomes where you are principally based.
What does a Nevada reciprocal CPA license cost?
$100 (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately)) (NAC 628 sets the certificate-by-reciprocity application fee at $100 plus the actual cost of the required investigation (billed separately)).
How long does the Nevada reciprocity process take?
the Board does not publish a processing time for certificate-by-reciprocity applications — the Board does not publish a processing time for certificate-by-reciprocity applications.
How does Nevada's education requirement affect a reciprocal CPA license?
Nevada'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 Nevada State Board of Accountancy.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 628 (NRS 628.310 — certificate by reciprocity) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 628 (reciprocity fee $100 + investigation; 20 hours CE within 12 months; professional-ethics exam) ↗ (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]