How to Transfer CPA Exam Scores Between States
Moving, changing your intended license state, and changing your CPA Exam jurisdiction are three different events. Use the correct transfer route without sacrificing active Exam credit.
The short answer
You can often have CPA Exam scores sent to another Board, but that does not automatically make you eligible for the remaining sections or for a license there. If you have active conditional credit, finish testing under the original jurisdiction unless the receiving Board confirms that a midstream change is necessary and explains exactly how it will treat your education and expiration dates.
Do you need a score transfer at all?
Select the event that triggered your question. This is a routing tool, not a Board determination.
What changed?
You may not need a score transfer.
A valid NTS generally lets you schedule at another U.S. Prometric center while remaining a candidate of the original jurisdiction. Confirm your address and identification records, then keep testing under the original Board unless it directs otherwise.
Read NASBA’s testing-location FAQ →Pause before changing jurisdictions.
The new jurisdiction may require a fresh education evaluation, new transcripts, a jurisdiction-specific foreign evaluation, fees, and approval before you can obtain another NTS. Ask both Boards how active credit and expiration dates will be treated before submitting anything.
Ask the destination Board for its initial-license route.
The destination may request an official score transfer plus education, experience, ethics, and other licensing evidence. Use NASBA’s score-transfer service only when the originating jurisdiction appears in its current menu; otherwise contact the originating Board.
Open NASBA Candidate Score Transfer →This is primarily a licensing or mobility question.
An Exam-score transfer is not the same as reciprocal licensure, endorsement, substantial equivalency, or practice privilege. Start with the destination Board’s licensing instructions and current mobility law.
Review NASBA substantial equivalency →How to transfer CPA Exam scores without guessing
- Identify the destination and the end goal.Are you trying to finish the Exam, obtain an initial license, or move an existing license?
- Read the receiving Board’s current instructions.Verify education, experience, ethics, residency, SSN, application, and transferred-credit rules.
- Get written answers about active credit.List every section, pass date, release date, and displayed expiration date. Ask whether each will be accepted unchanged.
- Confirm who may send the official score record.Use NASBA Candidate Score Transfer when authorized; otherwise request the record from the originating Board.
- Complete destination-specific forms.The receiving Board may require its own interstate exchange form, transcript package, or foreign evaluation.
- Pay only the confirmed fees.Score-transfer, application, education-evaluation, license, and verification charges are separate and jurisdiction-specific.
- Save delivery and acceptance proof.Keep the order confirmation, Board correspondence, portal status, and the receiving Board’s final decision.
A transfer does not reset the CPA Exam credit clock
Conditional credit is controlled by Boards, not by the mailing date of a transfer request.
New evaluation risk
A destination Board may re-evaluate education under its own rules before allowing additional sections.
Expiration risk
The time spent collecting transcripts, revising a foreign evaluation, and waiting for approval still consumes the active window.
Recognition risk
A passing score can be valid in the original record yet fail a destination Board’s rule for transferred credit or licensure.
“Transfer” can mean four unrelated things
| Transaction | What moves | Who controls it | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test somewhere else | Only your physical appointment | Prometric plus the NTS issuer | Change your candidate jurisdiction |
| Candidate score transfer | Official Exam history | Originating authority and receiving Board | Guarantee eligibility or licensure |
| Initial license by passed Exam | Scores plus application evidence | Destination Board | Waive education, experience, or ethics |
| Reciprocity or mobility | License recognition or practice privilege | Destination state law and Board | Equal a simple Exam-score order |
Your score-transfer checklist
Finish the verification steps before ordering a transfer.
Transfer readiness
Your transfer package is ready for the official authority.
Once the destination confirms the record, keep moving toward the Exam or license without buying study materials twice.
Choose a review course that fits how you actually learn.
Course features only matter if they support your learning style, schedule, and need for accountability. Take the short study-personality quiz first, then compare the leading CPA review courses with a clearer decision framework.
CPA Exam score-transfer FAQ
Can I transfer CPA Exam scores to another state?
Often, yes. The receiving Board decides whether it will accept the examination credits and whether you satisfy its education and licensing rules. NASBA can transmit scores for participating jurisdictions; if the originating jurisdiction is not offered in the NASBA Store, request the transfer directly from that Board.
Should I transfer CPA Exam scores before passing all four sections?
Usually not unless the receiving Board or a licensing issue makes the change necessary. NASBA specifically warns that changing jurisdictions while testing can require a new education evaluation and supporting documents, using time from active conditional credit. Finishing under the original jurisdiction and transferring after passing all four sections is often simpler.
Does moving to another state require me to transfer my CPA Exam scores immediately?
No. Physical residence and Prometric testing location do not automatically change the jurisdiction through which you are a candidate. With a valid NTS, candidates can generally test at another U.S. Prometric location while remaining a candidate of the original jurisdiction.
Is a CPA Exam score transfer the same as transferring a CPA license?
No. A score transfer sends examination history to another Board. A license application, reciprocal license, endorsement, and practice mobility involve separate education, experience, ethics, verification, and state-law questions.
Do transferred CPA Exam credits keep the same expiration date?
Do not assume the receiving jurisdiction creates a new credit window. The receiving Board controls recognition of transferred credit, and expired credit generally cannot be revived merely by transferring. Confirm every section and expiration date in writing before changing jurisdictions.
Sources and next steps
Verify before acting: This guide compares rules verified from official sources on August 8, 2026. Boards can change requirements, fees, accepted coursework, and interpretations without a widely distributed announcement. Confirm your individual situation with the controlling Board or its application designee before paying fees or enrolling in courses.
- NASBA CPA Exam FAQ — official guidance on switching jurisdictions mid-Exam, new education evaluations, testing outside the application state, and score transfers.
- NASBA Candidate Score Transfer — participating originating jurisdictions, destination delivery, forms, and current processing notice.
- NASBA Interstate Authorization Fee Schedule — jurisdiction-specific score-transfer and licensing-verification routes.
- NASBA Substantial Equivalency — why interstate practice privileges are different from Exam-score transfers.