First-Time CPA Licensees
Once you've passed the CPA Exam and obtained the required amount of work experience, you will need to complete an application for licensure by examination and submit it to the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy. The application consists of:
- Application for Licensure as a Certified Public Accountant (provided to candidates by the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy)
- Statement of Experience — Once you have completed the required one year of experience in public accounting, or its equivalent under the direction of an active licensee and the experience includes evidence of intensive and diversified experience in accounting or auditing, the Statement of Experience form must be completed by your employer.
- Criminal History Information
NOTE: The State Board offices have been closed since March 2020. As a result, do not mail your completed application to the Board’s office. Instead, email your completed Application for Licensure by Examination along with the completed Statement of Experience form to accountancy@dca.lps.state.nj.us.
Existing CPAs Seeking to Be Licensed in New Jersey
If you already hold a license issued by a board in another jurisdiction, you will need to submit the application for endorsement, which consists of:
- Application for Licensure by Endorsement
- Statement of Experience
- Criminal History Information
Complete the application
International Candidates
Chartered accountant status is not equivalent to a CPA license in the United States. Each country has its own set of rules and regulations. You can learn more about international requirements here. If you would like to obtain a CPA license in New Jersey, please contact the New Jersey State Board of Accountancy at 973-504-6380 for more information.
If you have completed all or part of your education outside the U.S., you may be required to send a copy of your university transcripts through NASBA’s International Evaluation Services.
You may contact NASBA’s International Evaluation Services at 1-855-468-5382 or nies@nasba.org to see if any of your academic credits earned internationally will count toward your education requirement to sit for the CPA exam. You may need to take additional courses in order to fulfill the education requirement to sit for the exam.
Once your transcripts have been evaluated and NIES, you must fulfill all of the regular requirements to sit for the CPA exam, including:
- obtaining a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university with at least 120 credits (a bachelor's degree internationally may not be equivalent to a bachelor's degree in the U.S.)
- 24 of these credits must be in business courses and 24 of these credits must be in accounting courses
Learn more about the education requirements for taking the CPA exam in New Jersey.