CPA / Accounting License from New Hampshire to Louisiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Louisiana accept a New Hampshire CPA license?
Yes — Louisiana recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including New Hampshire. Apply to the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) 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
Louisiana recognizes substantial equivalency, so your New Hampshire CPA license clears the bar on its own — the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from New Hampshire. What remains is Louisiana-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Louisiana ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Louisiana 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 Louisiana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Louisiana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Hampshire to Louisiana (this page): Full reciprocity.
Louisiana to New Hampshire (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: New Hampshire and Louisiana 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 other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Louisiana.
- Application fee
Louisiana lists $120 for an out-of-state applicant and New Hampshire lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
Louisiana'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
Louisiana and New Hampshire carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Louisiana (this move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; a license verification from the originating jurisdiction confirming your active CPA license is uploaded with the online application. The Board's reciprocal-license requirements do not list a separate state ethics examination.
- 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 → Louisiana
| New Hampshire (current) | Louisiana (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)) | $120 (reciprocal license application fee, submitted through the online Applicant Portal) |
| Processing time | OPLC does not publish a processing time; applications are processed through NASBA Licensing Services | the Board does not publish a processing time for reciprocal license applications |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Accountancy (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Louisiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active CPA license in good standing from any US (NASBA) jurisdiction.
- Upload a license verification from the originating jurisdiction with the online application.
- Obtain the reciprocal license if you establish your principal place of business in Louisiana.
- Apply through the Board's online Applicant Portal.
- 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 Louisiana?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
Do I need a Louisiana license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Louisiana becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (Louisiana State Board of CPAs) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Louisiana clients from New Hampshire, practice privilege usually covers you with no Louisiana license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my New Hampshire CPA license after licensing in Louisiana?
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.
- Louisiana State Board of CPAs — CPA Resources / CPA Reciprocity ($120 reciprocal license; active license from any NASBA jurisdiction; license verification upload; required when principal place of business is in Louisiana) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Louisiana State Board of CPAs — Becoming a CPA (Pathway 1: baccalaureate + 30 semester hours, or Pathway 2: post-baccalaureate degree, each with 1 year of experience; Pathway 3: baccalaureate with 2 years of experience) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Louisiana State Board of CPAs — CPE (CPE Reciprocity: a non-resident licensee may meet the CPE requirements of the state of principal place of business) ↗ (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