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CPA exam and license requirements in Georgia

Georgia requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Licensure requires 150. Administered under the Georgia 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 Georgia?

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

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

Georgia 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 Georgia?

The CPA exam in Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia?

Georgia 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 Georgia?

Georgia 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 Georgia State Board of Accountancy before planning around it.

Can you appeal a failed CPA exam score in Georgia?

Georgia does not offer a score appeal. Georgia is one of the seven jurisdictions where appeals are not available, so viewing the items you answered incorrectly is not an option there. 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 Georgia?

Through NASBA, at no charge. Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia?

We did not find one. Georgia'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 Georgia State Board of Accountancy before relying on it.

Researched against Georgia'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 Georgia require a CPA ethics exam?

Georgia: No ethics exam or course is required for initial licensure; ethics is met only through CPE (4 ethics hours per 2-year renewal, including 1 hour on Georgia laws and rules).

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

Georgia requires one year (2,000 hours) in public accounting, industry, government, or academia verified by an active CPA; two years under the new bachelor's-in-accounting pathway.

Who regulates CPAs in Georgia?

CPAs in Georgia are regulated by the Georgia State Board of Accountancy. Its published requirements are at https://gsba.georgia.gov.

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

Yes. Georgia has an alternative route to CPA licensure that does not require 150 semester hours, and it has been in force since 2026-01-01. The traditional 150-hour route remains available alongside it. The change came through HB 148, the Public Accountancy Act of 2025, amending O.C.G.A. 43-3-9.

What the alternative route requires: A baccalaureate degree with an accounting concentration, defined by board rule as 30 semester hours of accounting and 18 semester hours of general business, plus two years of continuous qualifying experience totaling at least 4,000 hours.

Worth knowingThe board's public Licensure and Licensure FAQ pages, and the copy of Rule 20-3-.08 posted on rules.sos.ga.gov, still describe only the 150 hour route with one year of experience, so a candidate reading those pages will get outdated guidance. The pathway language was confirmed from the board's own Chapter 20-3 rules document, which cites Code Section 43-3-9 and carries the HB 148 drafting reference, and from the board's August 2025 rule synopsis stating the amendment conforms the rule to HB 148 effective January 1, 2026.

Georgia State Board of Accountancy, Rules, Laws and Policies (Chapter 20-3, Rule 20-3-.08): https://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/20-3. Verified 2026-08-19, and independently re-checked against the cited source. Recorded at medium confidence, so confirm with the board before planning around it.

Recent changes and notes for Georgia

Jurisdictions that changed around the same time as Georgia

Georgia's alternative route started on 1 January 2026. 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://gsba.georgia.gov/licensure. Requirements change; confirm with the Georgia State Board of Accountancy before applying.