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LicenseReciprocity

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

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) ↗

Texas is a substantial-equivalency state — hold a good-standing CPA license anywhere in the US and the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) will issue a reciprocal license without retesting. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the letter of good standing from your current board. Texas additionally requires a board-approved 4-credit ethics course and passage of an open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.. Expect $100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately) in application fees.

Moving to Texas from a specific state?

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

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Full reciprocity — honors all states

Because Texas recognizes substantial equivalency, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) looks at your standing, not your origin: a CPA in good standing from any state qualifies for a reciprocal license, and the Uniform CPA Exam does not come back. Read the requirements below as the destination's own layer — a background check, a state ethics or rules-of-conduct exam where one applies, and proof your CPE is current — rather than a re-credentialing.

Settle the mobility question before you file. If Texas is not becoming your principal place of business — you are serving Texas clients from elsewhere, or the work is temporary — practice privilege usually lets you work there with no Texas license at all. Apply for the reciprocal license when Texas is where you will actually be based.

Texas issues a reciprocal CPA license to any CPA in good standing from a substantially-equivalent US jurisdiction (all 55 jurisdictions are substantially equivalent). Separate from this license transfer, an out-of-state CPA may already PRACTICE in Texas under practice privilege/mobility with no Texas license; the reciprocal license is what is needed when Texas becomes the principal place of business. CPE due at application is tiered by length of prior licensure (0 hours if licensed under a year, 40 at 1-2 years, 80 at 2-3 years, 120 at 3+ years). Texas adopted the additional 120-hour + two-years-experience initial-licensure pathway in September 2025 (initial licensure only; it does not change the reciprocal path).

Texas requirements at a glance

Out-of-state CPA license transfer requirements for Texas, verified 2026-07-21
ExamThe Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the letter of good standing from your current board. Texas additionally requires a board-approved 4-credit ethics course and passage of an open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.
Training hours150 hours
Additional requirements
  • Hold a CPA license in good standing from another US jurisdiction (letter of good standing required)
  • Complete a Texas board-approved 4-credit ethics course within the last six months
  • Pass the open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Fingerprint-based FBI and Texas DPS background check
  • Meet Texas CPE requirements scaled to length of prior licensure (up to 120 hours)
Fees$100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately)
Processing timeTSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears

Step by step

  1. Confirm Texas's current requirements on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a CPA license in good standing from another US jurisdiction (letter of good standing required).
  5. Complete a Texas board-approved 4-credit ethics course within the last six months.
  6. Pass the open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.
  7. Fingerprint-based FBI and Texas DPS background check.
  8. Meet Texas CPE requirements scaled to length of prior licensure (up to 120 hours).
  9. Pay the fees ($100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately)) and allow TSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears.

Official links

Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) ↗Texas application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

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

Alabama → TexasAlaska → TexasArizona → TexasArkansas → TexasCalifornia → TexasColorado → TexasConnecticut → TexasDelaware → TexasDistrict of Columbia → TexasFlorida → TexasGeorgia → TexasHawaii → TexasIdaho → TexasIllinois → TexasIndiana → TexasIowa → TexasKansas → TexasKentucky → TexasLouisiana → TexasMaine → Texas
All 50 origin states
Maryland → TexasMassachusetts → TexasMichigan → TexasMinnesota → TexasMississippi → TexasMissouri → TexasMontana → TexasNebraska → TexasNevada → TexasNew Hampshire → TexasNew Jersey → TexasNew Mexico → TexasNew York → TexasNorth Carolina → TexasNorth Dakota → TexasOhio → TexasOklahoma → TexasOregon → TexasPennsylvania → TexasRhode Island → TexasSouth Carolina → TexasSouth Dakota → TexasTennessee → TexasUtah → TexasVermont → TexasVirginia → TexasWashington → TexasWest Virginia → TexasWisconsin → TexasWyoming → Texas

Frequently asked questions

Does my CPA license transfer to Texas?

Texas is a substantial-equivalency state — hold a good-standing CPA license anywhere in the US and the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA) will issue a reciprocal license without retesting. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the letter of good standing from your current board. Texas additionally requires a board-approved 4-credit ethics course and passage of an open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct.. Expect $100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately) in application fees.

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

No. The Uniform CPA Examination is not retaken; passage is confirmed through the letter of good standing from your current board. Texas additionally requires a board-approved 4-credit ethics course and passage of an open-book examination on the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct..

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

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

What does a Texas reciprocal CPA license cost?

$100 (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately) (reciprocal application fee; fingerprint vendor fee paid separately).

How long does the Texas reciprocity process take?

TSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears — TSBPA does not publish a processing time; approval cannot be finalized until the fingerprint background check clears.

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

Texas'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 Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA).

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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]