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United States · Licensing exam

How to register for the CPA Exam

You register through the state board you want your license from, not through the AICPA. In the 37 jurisdictions NASBA lists for its CPA Portal, you apply there; the others, like California, Texas and Illinois, run their own application. Once the board finds you eligible, you pay for a section and get a Notice to Schedule, the last step to register for the CPA Exam before you book a date.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you register for the CPA Exam?

  1. Pick your board and check its rules to sit. Each board sets its own education requirements.
  2. Apply for an eligibility or education evaluation, either in the CPA Portal at dashboard.nasba.org or on your board's own site, and send official transcripts.
  3. Once you're eligible, apply and pay for each section. In New York, for example, each exam section application covers one section.
  4. Wait for your Notice to Schedule (NTS). It's what lets you book.
  5. Book your seat with Prometric using the NTS.
CPA Exam requirements by state →How to schedule with Prometric →

Which states use NASBA's CPA Portal

As of October 2026, NASBA lists these jurisdictions as applying through the CPA Portal: Alaska, CNMI, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Everywhere else you apply on the board's own site: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, the Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Florida is a mix: you send the first application to the Florida board, then use the CPA Portal for sections.

How long it takes

Boards don't all publish processing times. The Texas board says it usually processes eligibility applications within 24 to 48 hours, and then you have 180 days to pay, schedule and test, with no extensions. In California you have one year from approval to choose sections, then 90 days to pay the coupon and nine months to sit for the sections on your NTS.

There's no deadline for applying, NASBA says, but you can't book a date until your NTS arrives.

Your NTS and CPA Portal login

In Portal states you log in at dashboard.nasba.org with an Okta account, which you can also reach through the NASBA CPA Mobile app. New York's NASBA page asks you to use a personal email address for it. That's where your NTS, scores and section applications live.

Need testing accommodations? NASBA says to send that request to your state board, which approves it before it shows on your NTS.

Can you apply before you finish school?

Some boards allow it. California's Option C lets you apply while you're within 180 days of finishing your education, and Illinois approves eligible candidates provisionally while they finish classes. Your scores may stay advisory until the board sees your final transcript.

Sources: NASBA · Texas State Board of Public Accountancy · California Board of Accountancy and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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