Washington CPA Exam & License Requirements

Washington requires 150 credit hours to earn a CPA license, however you may sit for the CPA exam up to 180 days prior to meeting this education requirement. The work experience requirements are more lenient than most states and allow qualifying part-time and volunteer work.

To be eligible to sit for the CPA exam students must first fulfill these qualifications and requirements:

1. Minimum age: None
2. U.S. Residency NOT Required
3. State Residency NOT required

Education Requirements

1. Bachelor degree or above
2. 150 semester units from an accredited university or educational institution
3. Accounting courses: 24 semester units (at least 15 units in upper level/division)
4. Business courses: 24 semester hours, which can include the following: Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Budgeting, Investments, Business Law, Statistics (Maximum of 6 undergraduate units), Banking, Finance, Management and Admin, Accounting courses in excess of the required 24 semester hours.

*Special note: Candidates may sit 180 days prior to meeting these education requirements

WA CPA License Requirements

Education

• Same as above

Work Experience

• 1 year (2,000 hours) of public accounting work experience
• Work can be in accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax ,tax advisory or consulting
• Experience must be verified by either a Washington CPA or any CPA who has had an active license for at least 5 years (Does not need to be your direct supervisor)
• Part-time and even volunteer work can be counted
• See Washington CPA Work Experience for more information

Ethics Exam

• Passing of the AICPA ethics exam (Cost of course is $149 or $119 for AICPA members)

Washington CPA Exam Fees

The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in Washington is $743 plus the initial $155 application fee.  The re-examination registration fee varies from $75 – $120 depending on the number of sections you are signing up for.

**Important Note: You should not apply and pay for exam sections that will not be taken within six months because your Notice to Schedule (NTS) in Washington expires 6 months after issuance.

Additional CPA License Requirements

1. Pass all 4 sections of the CPA exam with a score of 75% or higher
2. Complete verified accounting work experience
3. Pass AICPA Ethics Exam
4. Fill out and submit all required CPA license application paperwork
5. Pay the CPA license application fee

WA Exam Information and Resources

• Washington CPA Exam CandidatesWashington CPA Education Requirements
  
• WA CPA Examination FAQ
  

For more information, please contact:

• Washington State Board of Accountancy
  

PO Box 9131
Olympia, WA
98507-9131

Phone: 360-753-2586
Fax: 360-664-9190
Email: [email protected]

What’s Next?

Now that you have started the CPA exam application process, your next step is to find a CPA review course that fits your budget, learning style and schedule.

It can take several weeks for your application to be processed so don’t waste that valuable time waiting to hear back from your state board.  If you start studying now you will get a nice jump start on the material and will be better prepared to pass your first CPA exam!