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Washington CPA Requirements (Rules on Exam and Licensing)
The Washington state board follows the “3E” CPA requirements, but the rules related to verification of experience is among the most flexible among all states.
Washington CPA Requirements
1. Pathways to Become a CPA in Washington
The rules to become a CPA in Washington changed in 2025, and the state board of accountancy now offers two pathways to licensure. Basically, the paths are defined by the amount of higher education you gain (either 120 hours with a bachelor’s degree or 150 hours with a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree with additional coursework).
Pathway 1: Bachelor’s degree + 2 years of experience (12o hours of higher education)
- Bachelor’s degree with an accounting concentration
- 24 hours in accounting
- 24 hours in business administration
- 2 years of work experience (minimum of 24 months and 4,000 hours)
- Work experience can be gained in a public accounting, industry, or government setting working full- or part-time
Pathway 2: Master’s degree + 1 year of experience (150 hours of higher education)
- Post-baccalaureate degree (like a master’s) with an accounting concentration
- 24 hours in accounting at the graduate or undergraduate levels
- 24 hours in business administration at the graduate or undergraduate levels
- 1 year of work experience (minimum of 12 months and 2,000 hours)
- Work experience can be gained in a public accounting, industry, or government setting working full- or part-time
2. Additional Washington CPA Requirements to Obtain the CPA License
Ethics Qualification
- Passing of the CPA Ethics Exam administered by the AICPA.
3. Washington CPA Requirements on Residency & Age
- US citizenship not required
- Washington residency not required
- Minimum age: 18
4. Washington CPA Exam Fees
- Education Evaluation Application Fee: $96.00
- Exam Application Fee: $103
- Exam Section Fee (per section): $262.64
5. Continuing Education
CPE is needed for license holders. Click here for Washington CPA CPE requirements.
6. Other Useful Information
- Washington CPA Exam Application Instruction
- Useful info on educational requirement from the Washington State Board website
- WA CPA Licensing Information
7. Contact
Washington State Board of Accountancy
PO Box 9131
Olympia, WA 98507-9131
- Email: customerservice@acb.wa.gov
- Phone: (360) 753-2586
- Fax: (360) 664-919
What if the Washington 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:
- CPA educational requirements: Rules, Obstacles and Solutions
- States with more flexible CPA experience requirements
- How to get extra credit hours for the 150-hour rule
If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or visit my Facebook page.
* Photograph courtesy of stuseeger
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!
