CPA / Accounting License from New Hampshire to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Montana accept a New Hampshire CPA license?
Yes — Montana recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including New Hampshire. Apply to the Montana Board of Public Accountants 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
Montana recognizes substantial equivalency, so your New Hampshire CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Montana Board of Public Accountants cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from New Hampshire. What remains is Montana-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Montana ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Montana 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 Montana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Montana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New Hampshire to Montana (this page): Full reciprocity.
Montana to New Hampshire (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: New Hampshire and Montana 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 Montana.
- Application fee
Montana lists $200 for an out-of-state applicant and New Hampshire lists $75 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
Montana'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
Montana and New Hampshire carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Montana (this move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through verification of your existing license (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Montana requires completion of the AICPA comprehensive ethics course rather than a Montana-specific rules exam.
- 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 → Montana
| New Hampshire (current) | Montana (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)) | $200 (license by credentialing (transfer of grades and licensure) application fee per ARM 24.201.410) |
| Processing time | OPLC does not publish a processing time; applications are processed through NASBA Licensing Services | no processing time published; a complete application must be received at least 15 business days before a scheduled board meeting, and applications not completed within 12 months are void |
| Licensing authority | New Hampshire Board of Accountancy (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification) | Montana Board of Public Accountants |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Public Accountants website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Montana Board of Public Accountants (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, current, unrestricted CPA license from a substantially-equivalent jurisdiction.
- Provide verification of licensure from every jurisdiction where you hold or have ever held a professional license.
- Complete the AICPA comprehensive ethics course.
- Meet Montana's experience requirement (ARM 24.201.502).
- 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 Montana?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
Do I need a Montana license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Montana becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Montana Board of Public Accountants for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Montana clients from New Hampshire, practice privilege usually covers you with no Montana license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my New Hampshire CPA license after licensing in Montana?
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 New Hampshire 2026-10-29, Montana 2026-07-21.
- Montana Board of Public Accountants — Becoming a CPA by Transfer of Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana Administrative Rules 24.201.410 — Fee Schedule ($200 license by credentialing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana Board of Public Accountants — Education Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 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 New Hampshire 2026-10-29, Montana 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com