CPA / Accounting License from South Carolina to Florida: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Florida accept a South Carolina CPA license?
Yes — Florida recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including South Carolina. 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.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Full reciprocity
Florida recognizes substantial equivalency, so your South Carolina 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 South Carolina. 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's different between South Carolina and Florida
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Florida. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
South Carolina to Florida (this page): Full reciprocity.
Florida to South Carolina (the reverse move): Full reciprocity.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from South Carolina matter?
Coming from South Carolina does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Florida.
- Application fee
Florida lists $300 for an out-of-state applicant and South Carolina lists $165 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Education (semester hours)
Florida's first-time-applicant standard is 150 semester hours of education for initial licensure; South Carolina's is 150.
The two standards are the same.
- Exam rules on record
Florida and South Carolina carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Florida (this move): 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.
- South Carolina (the reverse move): The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is verified through the Interstate Exchange of Examination and License Information (Form 2106) forwarded from a jurisdiction where you hold an active license (national lookup at CPAverify.org). South Carolina imposes no separate state ethics or rules examination on reciprocal applicants, although licensees must later meet ongoing CPE that includes 2 hours in a SC Board-approved Rules & Regulations course.
What changes, South Carolina → Florida
| South Carolina (current) | Florida (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education (semester hours) | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $165 (Reciprocity Application (Form 2103) total $165 = $50 application fee + $95 one-year licensing fee + $20 certificate fee; non-refundable. Criminal-background-check vendor fee paid separately.) | $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; licensure cannot be finalized until the criminal background check clears and Form 2106 is received from the issuing board | the Florida Board of Accountancy / DBPR does not publish a processing time for endorsement |
| Licensing authority | South Carolina Board of Accountancy (SC Department of Labor, Licensing and 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 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 South Carolina to Florida?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license.
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 South Carolina, practice privilege usually covers you with no Florida license, notice, or fee.
Can I keep my South Carolina CPA license after licensing in Florida?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the South Carolina 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)
- SC Board of Accountancy — CPA Licensure Application by Reciprocity (Form 2103, rev. 07/03/2025): $165 fee breakdown, Form 2106 interstate exchange, criminal background check, any US state/territory ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- S.C. Code Ann. Title 40 Chapter 2 (Sec. 40-2-240 reciprocity: passed Uniform CPA Exam, hold active out-of-state license, CPE compliance; rewritten by 2025 Act No. 34) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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