PocketCPA

CPA exam and license requirements in Connecticut

Connecticut requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Licensure requires 150. Administered under the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy. Last reviewed 2026-08-19.

Credit hours to sit
120
Credit hours to license
150
Exam fee per section
$262.64
Exam credit window
30 months
Notice to Schedule valid
6 months from issue
Transferring scores out
Through NASBA, free
State ethics requirement
See below

How many credit hours do you need to sit for the CPA exam in Connecticut?

Connecticut requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Candidates in Connecticut sit under the rules of the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy.

How many credit hours do you need for a CPA license in Connecticut?

Connecticut requires 150 semester credit hours for CPA licensure. That is 30 more than the 120 needed to sit, so candidates can begin testing before completing the licensure requirement.

How much does the CPA exam cost in Connecticut?

The CPA exam in Connecticut costs $262.64 per section, a $96 application fee, a $96 education evaluation fee. Four sections at $262.64 is $1,050.56 in section fees alone. These are Connecticut board and NASBA fees and exclude review course costs and any re-take fees.

How long do you have to pass all four CPA exam sections in Connecticut?

Connecticut gives candidates a 30-month window to pass all four CPA exam sections. The clock starts when the first section is passed.

How long is your Notice to Schedule valid in Connecticut?

Connecticut gives you 6 months from the date your Notice to Schedule is issued to sit the section it covers. If it expires you forfeit the fees already paid for that section and must reapply.

From the Validation Periods map in the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. That is NASBA's summary of the board's rule rather than a reading of the board itself, so confirm it with the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy before planning around it.

Can you appeal a failed CPA exam score in Connecticut?

Connecticut offers a score appeal. An appeal lets you view the multiple-choice questions or simulations you answered incorrectly and submit comments on them, under supervision, and it requires a formal request, board approval, a fee and a deadline that runs from the date your score was reported. A score review is separate and is available everywhere: it re-checks that the approved answer key was applied correctly to your responses, and it is not a way to have an alternative answer considered.

Appeal availability is listed in the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. See also what happens on test day.

How do you transfer CPA exam scores out of Connecticut?

Through NASBA, at no charge. Connecticut is one of the 36 jurisdictions NASBA is authorized to transfer scores out of, so the request goes to NASBA's own service rather than to the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy. Transferring INTO a jurisdiction is never the constraint, because every jurisdiction accepts an incoming transfer. The one you are leaving is what decides the route.

Route read from NASBA's transfer service and cross-checked against NASBA's Interstate Authorization Fee Schedule, 2026-09-20, and every route claim was handed to a pass instructed to refute it. How exam credit moves between jurisdictions sets out the whole picture, including what moving does to your credit window.

Do your CPA exam credits expire after you pass all four sections in Connecticut?

We did not find one. Connecticut's statutes and board rules were read for a deadline to apply for licensure after passing, and neither sets one, so the sections you have passed do not appear to go stale while you finish the experience requirement. That is a "not found" rather than a guarantee: confirm with the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy before relying on it.

Researched against Connecticut's own statutes and administrative rules on 2026-09-20, not against the board FAQ alone. What happens to CPA exam credit after you pass all four sets out all 55 jurisdictions and the clocks that are mistaken for deadlines.

Does Connecticut require a CPA ethics exam?

Connecticut: Pass the AICPA Professional Ethics comprehensive course exam with a score of at least 90 for licensure.

What work experience is required for a CPA license in Connecticut?

Connecticut requires two years of experience with a bachelor's (120 hrs), or one year with 150 hours or a master's, verified by a CPA who has held a license for at least three years.

Who regulates CPAs in Connecticut?

CPAs in Connecticut are regulated by the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy. Its published requirements are at https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/occupational-and-professional-division/occupational-boards/state-board-of-accountancy.

Can you become a CPA in Connecticut without 150 credit hours?

Yes. Connecticut has an alternative route to CPA licensure that does not require 150 semester hours, and it has been in force since 2025-10-01. The traditional 150-hour route remains available alongside it. The change came through Public Act 25-36 (HB 7020, 2025), amending Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-281c.

What the alternative route requires: A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent with an accounting concentration acceptable to the board, plus two years of experience and passage of the CPA exam.

Worth knowingThe old 150 hour language was not left standing alongside the new routes; it was confined to applicants before October 1, 2025 and replaced by a baccalaureate plus 30 additional semester hours option that reaches the same total. The statute leaves the accounting concentration definition to board regulation, and the Connecticut Society of CPAs reports that the State Board of Accountancy is still working through a wider regulation review. The 120 hour threshold to sit for the exam is unchanged.

Connecticut General Assembly, Public Act 25-36 (HB 7020): https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/act/pa/pdf/2025PA-00036-R00HB-07020-PA.pdf. Verified 2026-08-19, and independently re-checked against the cited source.

Recent changes and notes for Connecticut

Jurisdictions that changed around the same time as Connecticut

Connecticut's alternative route started on 1 October 2025. These started closest to it, which is the comparison that matters if you are choosing where to apply or holding a license in more than one.

The full picture, with every statute and the jurisdictions where the published trackers are behind, is on the 150-hour rule tracker.

Studying for the CPA exam

PocketCPA covers all six CPA exam sections with 11,896 questions, each cited to the specific standard or statute it tests, and 1,071 lesson pages written from primary source text. A nine-item sample of every section is open with no account, and a full-length FAR mock exam is free with one.

Source: https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/certified-public-accountant-initial-ct-registration-or-license. Requirements change; confirm with the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy before applying.