CPA exam and license requirements in Wisconsin
Wisconsin requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Licensure requires 150. Administered under the Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board. Last reviewed 2026-08-10.
- Credit hours to sit
- 120
- Credit hours to license
- 150
- Exam fee per section
- $262.64
- Exam credit window
- 30 months
- State ethics requirement
- Statutes & rules exam
How many credit hours do you need to sit for the CPA exam in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Candidates in Wisconsin sit under the rules of the Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board.
How many credit hours do you need for a CPA license in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
The CPA exam in Wisconsin costs $262.64 per section, a $146 application fee, a $96 education evaluation fee. Four sections at $262.64 is $1,050.56 in section fees alone. These are Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
Wisconsin gives candidates a 30-month window to pass all four CPA exam sections. The clock starts when the first section is passed.
Does Wisconsin require a CPA ethics exam?
Wisconsin: Pass Wisconsin's own open-book exam on the state statutes and administrative rules governing public accounting (not the AICPA ethics exam), with a passing grade of 80.
What work experience is required for a CPA license in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin requires one year of qualifying accounting experience (two years under the new bachelor's-only pathway), earned within the five years before applying and accepted by the board.
Who regulates CPAs in Wisconsin?
CPAs in Wisconsin are regulated by the Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board. Its published requirements are at https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/Accountant/Default.aspx.
Recent changes and notes for Wisconsin
- 2025 Wisconsin Act 166 (AB696), effective April 4, 2026, added a bachelor's-degree-plus-2-years pathway with no 150-hour requirement; master's and bachelor's-plus-150 routes need 1 year.
- Sit with a bachelor's or 120 semester hours including 24 accounting plus 24 business/economics hours.
- The $75 open-book statutes-and-rules ethics exam is taken online through DSPS after the license application is filed.
- No residency, citizenship, or Social Security number required to sit; exam credit window is 30 months.
Studying for the CPA exam
PocketCPA covers all six CPA exam sections with 5,443 questions, each cited to the specific standard or statute it tests, and 1,012 lesson pages written from primary source text. A full-length FAR mock exam is free and needs no account.
Source: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/Accountant/Default.aspx. Requirements change; confirm with the Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board before applying.