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Transfer Your CPA / Accounting License to Pennsylvania: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Updated · Data verified · source: Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy ↗
Generated from a source-cited dataset with AI-assisted research; facts checked against official sources · How these pages are made

Does my CPA license transfer to Pennsylvania?

Reciprocity into Pennsylvania is conditional. Rather than license any good-standing CPA on sight, the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy weighs your license and experience against its own route (commonly a years-in-practice test). The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; verification of current licensure and examination grades is submitted directly to the board from the state where you hold a license and/or passed the exam. Pennsylvania imposes no separate state ethics examination (4 CPE credits in ethics are required each biennial renewal instead). Fee: $65 ($65 non-refundable initial-licensure application fee; biennial renewal is $100).

Moving to Pennsylvania from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Pennsylvania is one of the boards that does not simply hand a substantially-equivalent CPA its license. The Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy evaluates you individually — frequently through an experience test counted in years of recent practice — so read its route below before assuming the automatic path applies. What you keep either way: your CPA Exam passage transfers, and your existing license is the basis of the review, not a fresh start.

Pennsylvania issues a CPA license by domestic reciprocity to any CPA holding a certificate in full force and effect from another state (following passage of the Uniform CPA Examination); Act 41 also provides license portability/endorsement for out-of-state licensees in good standing. Applicants continuously licensed 5+ years without lapse need only verification of current licensure and exam grades; those licensed under 5 years must also document education, qualifying experience within the preceding 60 months, and 80 CPE hours. Practice privilege/mobility is separate; reciprocity is not restricted to named states. Pennsylvania now licenses through three pathways: 150 credits with a bachelor's degree plus 1 year/1,600 hours of experience, a bachelor's degree plus 2 years/3,200 hours, or a master's degree plus 1 year/1,600 hours.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

Out-of-state CPA license transfer requirements for Pennsylvania, verified 2026-10-29
Education (semester hours)150 semester hours of education for initial licensure
Fees$65 ($65 non-refundable initial-licensure application fee; biennial renewal is $100)
Processing timeThe Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy does not publish a processing time

Step by step

  1. Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a CPA certificate in full force and effect issued by another state following passage of the Uniform CPA Examination.
  5. Have current licensure and examination grades verified directly from your licensing state.
  6. If licensed less than 5 years (or lapsed within the last 5 years): verify qualifying experience within the preceding 60 months (1 year/1,600 hours with 150 credits or a master's degree; 2 years/3,200 hours with a bachelor's degree under 150 credits), submit transcripts, and document 80 CPE hours.
  7. Applicants licensed 5 or more years without lapse are exempt from the education, experience, and CPE documentation.
  8. Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.

Official links

Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy ↗Pennsylvania application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Pennsylvania:

Maryland → PennsylvaniaNew Jersey → PennsylvaniaVirginia → Pennsylvania

Nearby states

CPA / Accounting license transfer into the states bordering Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to retake the CPA Exam to get licensed in Pennsylvania?

No. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; verification of current licensure and examination grades is submitted directly to the board from the state where you hold a license and/or passed the exam.

Do I even need a Pennsylvania CPA license, or does mobility cover me?

If Pennsylvania is not your principal place of business, practice privilege (mobility) usually lets you serve Pennsylvania clients with no Pennsylvania license, notice, or fee. You apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy for a reciprocal license when Pennsylvania becomes where you are principally based.

How does Pennsylvania's education requirement affect a reciprocal CPA license?

Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-10-29.

Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-10-29

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