Washington CPA requirements
Washington no longer ties licensure to a fixed 150-hour credit total. You can become a fully licensed CPA with just a bachelor’s degree (about 120 hours) plus 2 years (4,000 hours) of supervised experience, or take the traditional route with a graduate degree and a shorter 1 year (2,000 hours) of experience instead.
Education
Washington no longer ties licensure to a fixed credit-hour total. You need a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 120 semester hours) with the required accounting and business coursework to sit for the exam, and that same degree qualifies you for full licensure once you’ve completed the matching experience requirement below — no extra 30 hours required.
| Requirement | Washington | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total semester hours to sit | 120 | Bachelor’s degree with required coursework |
| Upper-level accounting | 24 semester hours of accounting subjects (no upper-division split required) | |
| Upper-level business | 24 semester hours of business administration coursework (undergraduate or graduate level) | |
| Degree level | Bachelor’s minimum | Regionally accredited institution |
Community college credits generally count toward the total but not toward the upper-level accounting requirement. Get a transcript evaluation from the board before you pay for extra coursework.
Foreign-educated candidates
Foreign-educated candidates must have their credentials evaluated by NASBA International Evaluation Services — the board does not perform evaluations itself.
Sitting versus licensing
Washington is one of a small but growing group of states that has eliminated the flat 150-hour licensure rule entirely. There are now two ways to get fully licensed: a bachelor’s degree plus 2 years (4,000 hours) of supervised experience, or a graduate degree plus a shorter 1 year (2,000 hours) of experience. Neither route requires you to rack up 30 “extra” credit hours that don’t count toward a degree.
Plan the extra hours into your degree rather than bolting them on afterwards. A fifth-year master's or an integrated program is almost always cheaper than taking individual courses later, and it keeps you eligible for student course pricing.
Experience
2 years (4,000 hours) of supervised experience with just a bachelor’s degree, or 1 year (2,000 hours) with a master’s degree or 150 total hours. Experience can be earned in public accounting, industry, government, or (in limited cases) academia, and must be verified by a CPA who has held an active license for at least 5 years.
The experience can typically be earned before, during, or after you pass the exam sections. Your supervisor submits the verification directly to the board, so keep the relationship intact — chasing a signature from a former manager years later is the most common avoidable delay at this stage.
Ethics
You need to complete the AICPA’s 8-hour “Professional Ethics: Comprehensive Course (For Licensure)” and score 90% or better. Ongoing CPE also requires a 4-hour Washington-specific ethics and regulations course each renewal period.
How to apply, step by step
The order matters less than it looks — experience and exam sections can overlap — but this is the sequence that avoids the most common delays.
At least 120 semester hours, including the required upper-level coursework, to sit.
Have your school send official transcripts directly to Washington State Board of Accountancy. Unofficial or self-submitted transcripts are not accepted.
Filed with Washington State Board of Accountancy along with the application fee. This is the board's first review of your eligibility.
Once the board approves your application, it notifies NASBA, which issues your Authorization to Test (ATT).
NASBA issues one NTS per section you've paid for. Schedule promptly — an expired NTS means paying the exam fee again.
Schedule at a Prometric test center. All four sections must be passed within a rolling 30-month window that starts when you pass your first section.
2 years (4,000 hours) of supervised experience with just a bachelor's degree, or 1 year (2,000 hours) with a master's degree or 150 total hours. Experience can be earned in public accounting, industry, government, or (in limited cases) academia, and must be verified by a CPA who has held an active license for at least 5 years. This can run before, during, or after your exam sections.
You need to complete the AICPA's 8-hour "Professional Ethics: Comprehensive Course (For Licensure)" and score 90% or better. Ongoing CPE also requires a 4-hour Washington-specific ethics and regulations course each renewal period.
With your experience verification and ethics requirement on file, submit the final application and initial license fee.
Fees
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application | $330 (combined application and initial license fee) | Before anything else |
| Exam fee, per section | $268.59 | Paid to NASBA (national rate) |
| Initial license | Included in the $330 combined application fee | On approval |
| Renewal | $230 every 3 years | Ongoing |
After you’re licensed: staying current
Getting licensed is not the end of the paperwork. Washington requires ongoing continuing professional education to keep your license active, and it is easy to lose track of once you’re working full time.
120 hours of CPE every 3-year renewal period, with a minimum of 20 hours each year, including a 4-hour Washington-specific ethics and regulations course. No more than half the hours may come from non-technical subjects.
What changed recently
Effective November 20, 2025, Washington replaced its flat 150-hour licensure rule with three pathways: a bachelor’s degree (120 hours) plus 2 years of experience, a master’s degree plus 1 year, or the traditional bachelor’s plus 30 extra hours plus 1 year (this last option is scheduled to sunset after 2035). This followed 2024 legislation giving the board authority to set its own equivalent standard.
Most states have also aligned their credit window with the national thirty-month rule, which gives candidates six more months than the old eighteen-month window to finish all four sections. If you were planning around the old rule, replan.
Common questions
Can I sit in Washington if I studied out of state?
Usually yes — most states, including Washington, don’t require residency to sit for the exam. Your transcripts still have to satisfy the upper-level accounting and business hours, which is where out-of-state applicants most often fall short.
Do online courses count toward the credit hours?
They typically do, provided the institution is accredited and the course is genuinely upper-level. Get it confirmed in writing by the board before enrolling — this is one of the most expensive assumptions candidates make.
Do I need to be a US citizen or a resident of Washington?
No Washington residency or US citizenship requirement identified for sitting the exam or becoming licensed.
What happens right after I pass all four sections?
Passing the exam doesn’t license you on its own. You still need your experience requirement on file and the ethics requirement satisfied before you can submit a license application. You may be able to complete the experience requirement in parallel with the exam, so there’s often little or no extra wait.
Should I license in a state with easier rules instead?
Rarely worth it. Mobility means a license from another state generally lets you practice in Washington, but if you live and work here you will eventually want a local license anyway, and transferring adds cost and paperwork.
Is there anything unusual about Washington's process?
Washington was one of the first states to make the 120-hour path a route to full licensure rather than just exam eligibility. Experience must have been earned within 8 years of a complete application, and the verifying CPA must have held an active license for at least 5 years — an unusually explicit seniority bar. The traditional “bachelor’s plus 30 extra hours” option is being phased out entirely after 2035.
Next step
Washington State Board of Accountancy — 711 Capitol Way S, Suite 400, Olympia, WA 98501 — (360) 753-2586.
Five courses compared, with entry prices and access lengths.
See the best CPA coursesAll 50 states, each with its own reform status and requirements.
Choose your state