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Virginia CPA Requirements (Rules on Exam and Licensing)

Virginia CPA requirementsThe Virginia CPA requirements changed in 2026! The Virginia State Board does not require 150 credit hours to sit for the exam, and your experience can be verified by an actively licensed CPA from any jurisdiction.

This means VA is one of the state boards with more flexible licensing requirements.

The catch: Virginia strictly requires either a valid Social Security Number or a Virginia Control Number ( i.e. Driver’s License or Learners Permit number) to sit for the exam.

Virginia CPA Requirements

1. Pathways to Become a CPA in Virginia

Virginia now has three pathways to become a CPA.

Pathway 1: Bachelor’s Degree (120 Hours of Education) + 2 Years of Experience

If you have a bachelor’s degree (basically, 120 hours of higher education), then you need 2 years of experience to become a CPA.

  • Bachelor’s degree or above with an accounting concentration or equivalent with at least 120 credit hours.
    • Accounting course requirement: 24 credit hours, including auditing, financial accounting, management accounting, and taxation. The courses’ curriculum must go beyond introductory accounting.
    • Business courses: 24 hours. As many as 6 hours of accounting courses (not included in the 24 hours of accounting courses) may be considered for the business course requirements.
    • A pre-evaluation service is available to help you make sure that you meet the education requirements.
  • 2 years of experience

Pathway 2: Bachelor’s Degree + Additional Education (150 Hours of Education) + 1 Year of Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree or above with additional coursework (such as a master’s degree in accounting) with at least 150 credit hours.
    • Accounting course requirement: 24 credit hours, including auditing, financial accounting, management accounting, and taxation. The courses’ curriculum must go beyond introductory accounting.
    • Business courses: 24 hours. As many as 6 hours of accounting courses (not included in the 24 hours of accounting courses) may be considered for the business course requirements.
    • A pre-evaluation service is available to help you make sure that you meet the education requirements.
  • 1 year of experience

Pathway 3: Advanced Degree (150 Hours of Education) + 1 Year of Experience

  • Master’s degree or above in accounting with at least 150 credit hours.
    • Accounting course requirement: 24 credit hours, including auditing, financial accounting, management accounting, and taxation. The courses’ curriculum must go beyond introductory accounting.
    • Business courses: 24 hours. As many as 6 hours of accounting courses (not included in the 24 hours of accounting courses) may be considered for the business course requirements.
  • 1 year of experience

2. Additional Requirements to Get the CPA License in Virginia

Information about the VA Work Experience Requirements

  • The Virginia state board of accountancy considers 1 year of full-time experience at least 2,080 hours of employment in academia, a firm, government, or an industry position. Candidates cannot count self-employment.
  • Your experience must include the substantial use of accounting, financial, tax, or other relevant skills.
  • The experience must be certified by an actively licensed U.S. CPA, but the CPA-holder can have a license from any jurisdiction.
  • The Virginia work experience requirements do not state that the person who verifies your experience must be your supervisor.

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3. Virginia CPA Requirements on Residency & Age

  • US citizenship is required
  • VA residency is not required
  • Minimum age: 18
  • A Social Security Number or Virginia Control Number is required for both sitting for the exam and obtaining the license.

4. CPA Exam Fees in Virginia

5. Continuing Education

CPE is required for license holders. Please click here for Virginia CPA CPE requirements.

6. Other Useful Information

7. Contact

Virginia Board of Accountancy
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 402
Henrico, Virginia 23233

  • Phone:
    • General Information: (804) 367-8505
    • CPA Examination Services: (804) 367-1111
  • Fax: (804) 527-4409
  • Email: boa@boa.virginia.gov

What if the Virginia CPA Requirements don’t Work?

Check out these pages to learn about the educational and experience requirements, with my recommendation at the end of the posts:

If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or visit my Facebook page.

About the Author Stephanie Ng

I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley), and I also passed all 4 sections of the CPA Exam on my first try. Additionally, I have led webinars, such as for the Institute of Management Accountants, authored featured articles on websites like Going Concern and AccountingWeb, and I'm also the CFO for the charity New Sight. Finally, I have created other accounting certification websites to help mentor non-CPA candidates. I have already mentored thousands of CPA, CMA, CIA, EA, and CFA candidates, and I can help you too!

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