Illinois CPA Requirements - CPA Credits: The Best Way to 150 (2024)

• Meet education requirements
• Create anonline account
• Apply for acredentials evaluation
• Submit officialtranscriptsfrom every post-secondary institution you attended
• Create an account with NASBA throughCPA Central
• Once approved, purchase an NTS payment coupon

Illinois has a credit requirement of 150 credits to sit the exam. The applicant must also have a bachelor’s degree or higher from a Board-recognized accrediting college or university. Additionally, the will need to meet on of the accepted educational pathway lists below.

The three educational routes

1. A graduate degree in Accounting from an institution accredited through CHEA and either AACSB or ACBSP. There are no specific accounting or educational requirements for this option.
2. A graduate degree in Business from an institution accredited through CHEA and either AACSB or ACBSP. There are no specific accounting or educational requirements for this option.
   1. Accounting – 30 semester hours, including:
      1. Managerial Accounting
      1. Taxation
      1. Financial Accounting
      1. Audit
      1. Research & Analysis (at least 2 hours)
   1. Business – no specific requirements
3. Any bachelor’s degree along with the following course requirements:
   1. Accounting – 30 credit hours, including:
      1. Managerial Accounting
      1. Taxation
      1. Financial Accounting
      1. Audit
      1. Research & Analysis (at least 2 hours)
   1. Business – 24 credit hours, including:
      1. Business Communication (at least 2 hours)
      1. Business Ethics (at least 3 hours)

Quarter credit hours may be converted to semester credit hours by multiplying quarter credit hours by two-thirds

Transferring CPA exam results from another state

Illinois allows for the transference of results from another jurisdiction. If you have passed up to 3 parts, you are considered a Partial Candidate, and if you have passed all 4, you are a Total Transfer Candidate. You will need to create an account as above, and then submit the Interstate Exchange of Uniform CPA Exam Scores form.

Recognized accreditation

Credits from graduate schools must be issued by accredited institutions the are part of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA,) or which are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB,) the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE.)

Non-recognized accreditation

Education received from institutions that were not part of an accredited institution as stipulated above will not be accepted by the Board.

Illinois Board of Examiners processes the CPA exam applications for Illinois. To apply, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• You will first need to open an online account with the Board. You should register with your full name a it applies on your ID
• Request the Registrar of each college or university you attended to submit copies of your transcripts directly to the Board
• Submit international transcript o the Board where relevant
• Fill in the online application form
• Pay the relevant fees

Fees are non-refundable. Most exams can be rescheduled.

The license application is in two parts. Firstly, you must:

• Request the Registrar of each college or university you attended to submit copies of your transcripts directly to the Board
• Request AICPA to submit your Ethics exam results directly to the Board
• Submit proof of meeting the work experience requirements
• When approved, you will then receive a Letter of Authorization from the ILBOE. You can then move on to the next part.

Secondly, the Illinois CPA license is actually issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). To apply, you must:

• Set up an online account with the IDFPR and complete the four-page application form
• Pay the $120.00 licensing fee

If you have completed part or all of the Uniform CPA exam in another state and wish to complete it in Illinois, you must request the licensing authority of that state to transfer your transcripts to the Board.

If you have completed none of the exam, you can apply as above and take the Uniform CPA exam at any Prometric testing center in any state.

Interstate License Reciprocity

Illinois recognizes interstate reciprocity for licenses that are considered to be substantially equivalent to that of Illinois’. In order to apply for CPA license conversion, you will need to create an online account with the board, submit the online form and pay the relevant fees. The licensee must also have acquired 4 years worth of experience within the ten years prior to application for reciprocity.

International License Reciprocity

Illinois recognizes the NASBA’s International Qualification Exam (IQEX) in lieu of the full Uniform CPA exam. This means that although Illinois is not part of NABSA’s Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), license holders from those institutions will still be able to receive their Illinois licensure upon applying to the ILBOE and requesting NASBA to submit the results. The IQEX exam fee is $835, and the Illinois IQEX application fee is $345.

Once all four parts of the Uniform CPA have been passed in any state, the results will not expire according to the ILBOE. However, you will be required to reregister every 3 years through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Generally, each registration period lasts from October 1^st of the first year to September 30^th of the third. However, these dates were extended in 2021 due to COVID. You should therefore confirm the exact expiration dates here. In order to renew your license, you will need to meet the following Continued Professional Education (CPE) requirements:

• 120 hours total CE, which must include:
  • Ethics – 4 hours
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention Training – 1 hour
  • Verifiable CPE refers to courses which are developed and presented by persons with education and/or experience in the subject matter of the CPA
  • Up to 60 hours may comprise of non-verifiable activities. Theseare independent or informal learning activities that are not confirmed by a recognized educational or professional sponsor.These qualifying activities will allow you to obtain the credit you deserve for completing education that is relevant to your specific job. However, you will need to track and provide evidence of these non-verifiable learning activities.
• Courses, programs or activities shall include as their subject matter one or more of the following fields of study:
  • Accounting
  • Accounting (Governmental)
  • Auditing
  • Auditing (Governmental)
  • Behavioral Ethics
  • Business Law
  • Business Management & Organization (including practice development)
  • Communications and Marketing
  • Computer Software and Applications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Information Technology
  • Management Services
  • Personal Development (e.g., principle-centered leadership, career planning, time management)
  • Personnel/HR
  • Production
  • Regulatory Ethics
  • Specialized Knowledge
  • Statistics
  • Taxes
• Each approved CPE course, program or activity will be measured as each 50 minutes being equal to one CPE credit. Courses that are part of the curriculum of a university, college or other educational institution shall be awarded CPE course credit at the rate of 15 credit hours for each semester hour, or 10 credit hours for each quarter hour of school credit awarded.
• Further details can be found here.

Renewal Fee: $120

Inactive License Holders

In active or expired licenses that have been inactive for less than 5 years can request for it to be reinstated by the restoration from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) without a renewal package. However, if it has expired or been placed on inactive 5 years or more, you must contact IDFPR for a restoration packet to be mailed to you.

In order to reactivate an expired license, you will need to send the IDFPR a letter containing:

• You license number
• Proof of 120 hours of CPE as above taken within the last 3 years
• You will need to supply proof that you are not in arrears of child support or any other misdemeanors
• Pay the reinstatement fees of $170 (this includes the $120 renewal fee)

Illinois Board of Examiners

• Address: 1120 E. Diehl Rd Suite 107, Naperville, IL. 60563
• Phone: 815-753-8900
• Fax: 217-782-8953
• Email:help@ilboe.org
• Website:https://www.ilboe.org/
• Resources:
  • CPA Candidate Bulletin
  • The Illinois CPA Exam Pamphlet
  • Application forms
  • State board CPA job listings
  • Administrative Code
  • Public Accountant Act
  • Public Accounting Rules
  • Illinois CPA Application Checklist