CPA / Accounting License from New Hampshire to District of Columbia: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does District of Columbia accept a New Hampshire CPA license?
Yes — District of Columbia recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including New Hampshire. 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire. 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's different between New Hampshire and District of Columbia
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into District of Columbia. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Hampshire to District of Columbia (this page): Full reciprocity.
District of Columbia to New Hampshire (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: New Hampshire and District of Columbia do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from New Hampshire matter?
Coming from New Hampshire does not change the answer: every origin (the 50 states) gets the same result for a move into District of Columbia.
- Application fee
District of Columbia lists $175 for an out-of-state applicant and New Hampshire lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
District of Columbia's first-time-applicant standard is 150 semester hours of education for initial licensure; New Hampshire's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
District of Columbia and New Hampshire carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- District of Columbia (this move): 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.
- New Hampshire (the reverse move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the reciprocity application documents when and where the exam was passed and relies on the existing certificate (national lookup at CPAverify.org). New Hampshire imposes no separate state ethics or rules-of-conduct exam on reciprocal applicants.
What changes, New Hampshire → District of Columbia
| New Hampshire (current) | District of Columbia (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester hours) | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $75 (OPLC fee schedule Plc 1002.01 sets the CPA initial/reciprocity application-and-licensing fee at $75; NASBA charges a separate application-processing fee; NASBA's New Hampshire licensing page lists the Reciprocal application at $201 (not itemized between NASBA and the state)) | $175 (DC CPA license fee (verified on the DLCP Board of Accountancy page); DC lists no separate initial-application fee. NASBA's DC page lists its own licensing-service fees (Initial $175, Transfer of Grades $175) and directs reciprocity applicants to the Board's OPLA portal instead.) |
| Processing time | OPLC does not publish a processing time; applications are processed through NASBA Licensing Services | The DLCP Board does not publish a processing time for reciprocity, and NASBA's DC page no longer states one |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Accountancy (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | 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 through the DLCP Board's OPLA online portal, as NASBA's DC page directs (the DLCP Board page says licensure applicants apply through NASBA, so confirm the route with the Board).
- 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 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 New Hampshire to District of Columbia?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
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 New Hampshire, practice privilege usually covers you with no District of Columbia license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my New Hampshire CPA license after licensing in District of Columbia?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the New Hampshire 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.
- DC DLCP — Board of Accountancy (no application fee; license $175; permit to practice $175; 150 hours for degrees after 1/1/2000; Board page directs licensure applicants through NASBA) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- DC DLCP — Board announces licensure updates (Dec 12, 2025 recognition of alternative-pathway reciprocity via substantial equivalency) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA — District of Columbia (reciprocity applicants apply directly to the DC Board at the OPLA portal; NASBA licensing-service fees Initial $175 / Transfer of Grades $175; lists a bachelor's + two-years-experience education route) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NH Admin Code Ac 301.05 — Application for Certification as CPA Through Reciprocity Form ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NH Admin Code Ac 304.03 — Domestic Reciprocity CPA Certificate Applicant Education (on or after July 1, 2014: baccalaureate of 120 hours + 30 additional hours; at least 30 accounting + 24 business) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NH Admin Code Ac 301.02 — CPA Certification Process Overview (reciprocity: education requirements in effect when the exam was passed; 4-of-10-years experience track) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NH Admin Code Plc 1002.01 — OPLC fee schedule (CPA $75 initial application/licensing) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA Licensing Services — New Hampshire (education for licensure: baccalaureate of 120 hours, total of 150 semester hours; Reciprocal application $201; proof of active licensure in good standing) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NASBA — New Hampshire Experience Requirements (updated 10.15.2026; 150 semester hours unless all exam sections passed before July 1, 2014) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com