CPA / Accounting License from Rhode Island to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) ↗
Yes — Florida recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Rhode Island. Apply to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
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Verdict
Full reciprocity
Florida recognizes substantial equivalency, so your Rhode Island CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from Rhode Island. What remains is Florida-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Florida ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Florida is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, Rhode Island → Florida
| Rhode Island (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $375 (three-year CPA certificate/permit fee; RIGL 5-3.1-7 sets the permit fee at not less than $375 and the DBR fee schedule lists $375. No separate reciprocity-application surcharge is published) | $300 (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants)) |
| Processing time | The Board does not publish a processing time; however, upon filing a completed reciprocity application the applicant is deemed qualified to practice pending board review | the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement |
| Licensing authority | Rhode Island Board of Accountancy (Department of Business Regulation) | Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Florida sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Florida's current requirements on the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, active CPA license issued by another US state or territory and keep it active until Florida issues the license.
- Qualify under one endorsement pathway: other-state requirements substantially equivalent to Florida's with one year of experience; OR licensed and in practice at least ten years; OR five years of experience after licensure.
- Submit the DBPR CPA 3 Application for Licensure by Endorsement and the DBPR CPA 5012-1 Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination and Licensure Information.
- Have good moral character.
- Pay the fees ($300 (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants))) and allow the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept a Rhode Island CPA license?
Yes — Florida recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including Rhode Island. Apply to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from Rhode Island to Florida?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; the applicant files the DBPR CPA 5012-1 Authorization for Interstate Exchange of Examination and Licensure Information so Florida can confirm passage through the existing license. Florida requires no separate state ethics or law exam..
Do I need a Florida license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Florida becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Florida Board of Accountancy (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Florida clients from Rhode Island, practice privilege usually covers you with no Florida license, notice, or fee.
What does the Rhode Island-to-Florida move cost?
$300 (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants)) (non-refundable DBPR CPA 3 Licensure by Endorsement application fee; no fingerprint/background-check surcharge (Florida does not fingerprint CPA applicants)).
Can I keep my Rhode Island CPA license after licensing in Florida?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the Rhode Island 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 2026-07-21.
- Florida DBPR — CPA Licensure by Endorsement (experience pathways, other-state license issued on/after 8/15/2014, $300 fee, 150 hours) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Florida DBPR — CPA Initial Licensure Requirements (150 semester hours with accounting and business hour breakdown) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Rhode Island Board of Accountancy — Rules and Regulations (400-RICR-00-00-1): 150-hour education, one-year (1,820 hr) experience, AICPA Professional Ethics 90%, transfer of exam credit, CPE 120 hrs/3 yrs incl. 6 ethics ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- RI Dept. of Business Regulation — Board of Accountancy, Licenses/Applications & Renewals (Reciprocity Application for Rhode Island; $375 three-year fee; practice pending review after filing) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-3.1-7 — Permits for CPAs (substantial-equivalency standard; permit fee not less than $375) ↗ (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]