CPA / Accounting License from California to Indiana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) ↗
Yes — Indiana recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
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Verdict
Full reciprocity
Indiana recognizes substantial equivalency, so your California CPA license clears the bar on its own — the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) cares that you are a CPA in good standing, not that your license came from California. What remains is Indiana-side: verification through CPAverify.org, the reciprocal application and fee, a background check, and any Indiana ethics or rules-of-conduct exam. Do the mobility math first, though — if Indiana is not becoming your principal place of business, practice privilege may let you work there without this application at all.
What changes, California → Indiana
| California (current) | Indiana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Training hours | 150 | 150 |
| Application fee | $650 ($250 initial application fee + $400 initial license fee (due on approval) = $650; $49 hard-copy fingerprint processing fee billed separately (Live Scan)) | $75–$105 ($75 nonrefundable application fee; $30 issuance fee paid after approval (total $105)) |
| Processing time | The CBA does not publish a fixed processing time; licensure cannot be completed until transcripts, transferred exam grades, experience verification, and fingerprint clearance are received | The board publishes no processing time. |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Accountancy (CBA) | Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Indiana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active CPA license/certificate in a state the Indiana Board has determined substantially equivalent.
- Submit verification of licensure from the issuing state.
- Substantially-equivalent reciprocal applicants do not complete Part II (experience) of the accountancy application.
- Pay the $30 issuance fee after approval.
- Pay the fees ($75–$105 ($75 nonrefundable application fee; $30 issuance fee paid after approval (total $105))) and allow The board publishes no processing time..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Indiana accept a California CPA license?
Yes — Indiana recognizes CPA licenses from all states, including California. Apply to the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) for a reciprocal license; you will not repeat the full exam or education.
Do I retake the CPA Exam moving from California to Indiana?
No — the Uniform CPA Exam transfers with your license. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; reciprocity requires an existing active CPA license, confirmed via licensure verification from the issuing state (national lookup at CPAverify.org). Indiana does not require a separate state ethics or rules exam for licensure..
Do I need a Indiana license, or does mobility cover the move?
If Indiana becomes your principal place of business, you apply to the Indiana Board of Accountancy (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) for a reciprocal license. If you are only serving Indiana clients from California, practice privilege usually covers you with no Indiana license, notice, or fee.
What does the California-to-Indiana move cost?
$75–$105 ($75 nonrefundable application fee; $30 issuance fee paid after approval (total $105)) ($75 nonrefundable application fee; $30 issuance fee paid after approval (total $105)).
Can I keep my California CPA license after licensing in Indiana?
Yes — CPA licenses stack, and many CPAs hold more than one. Keep the California 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.
- Indiana Board of Accountancy — Accountancy Licensing Information (Reciprocity: $75 application + $30 issuance; exam not retaken; active license in a substantially-equivalent state) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Indiana Board of Accountancy — Accountancy Application Part I (Reciprocity certificate option; substantially-equivalent applicants skip Part II; cites IC 25-2.1-4-4 and 872 IAC 1-1-10) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CBA — Initial Licensing FAQs ($250 application, $400 initial license, $49 hard-copy fingerprint fee; PETH ethics exam eliminated effective 7/1/2024) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CBA — Applying for a California CPA License (quick tips: 150 units incl. 24 accounting/24 business/20 accounting study/10 ethics study; 12 months experience; fingerprint clearance) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California Business and Professions Code 5087 (out-of-state licensee may be issued a CA license only if the other state's requirements are comparable to California's) ↗ (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]