CPA candidate application guide
How long do CPA Exam scores last?
Passed-section credit is controlled by your candidate jurisdiction. Find its researched window, then plan from the expiration shown in your official candidate record.
Published by Kesler CPA Review, a commercial CPA exam preparation company. This educational guide is not legal advice or an eligibility evaluation. The Board or designated application authority makes the final decision.
The short answer
Use your candidate jurisdiction's window and official expiration
The reviewed records do not use one national conditional-credit period. The clock's starting event can also vary. Use this lookup to find the researched jurisdiction rule, then treat the expiration displayed in your official candidate account or confirmed by the Board as the operational deadline.
Jurisdiction lookup
Find the researched passed-section credit window
Select the jurisdiction through which you applied, not the Prometric center where you tested.
Choose a jurisdiction to load its researched summary.
All reviewed records
CPA Exam credit windows by jurisdiction
These summaries are planning aids. Transitional rules, hardship orders, and individual candidate records can change the applicable date.
| Jurisdiction | Researched window | Official detail |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Alaska | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Arizona | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Arkansas | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| California | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Colorado | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands | Confirm the current credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Connecticut | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Delaware | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| District of Columbia | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Florida | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Georgia | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Guam | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Hawaii | 18-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Idaho | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Illinois | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Indiana | 36-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Iowa | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Kansas | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Kentucky | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Louisiana | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Maine | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Maryland | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Massachusetts | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Michigan | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Minnesota | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Mississippi | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Missouri | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Montana | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Nebraska | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Nevada | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| New Hampshire | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| New Jersey | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| New Mexico | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| New York | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| North Carolina | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| North Dakota | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Ohio | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Oklahoma | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Oregon | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Pennsylvania | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Puerto Rico | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Rhode Island | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| South Carolina | 36-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| South Dakota | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Tennessee | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Texas | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 18-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Utah | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Vermont | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Virginia | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Washington | 36-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| West Virginia | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Wisconsin | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
| Wyoming | 30-month passed-section credit window | Review the jurisdiction source trail |
Plan backward
Protect time before the official deadline
- Copy the expiration date exactly as displayed in the official candidate record.
- Leave a recovery buffer for a retake, score release, a new application, and appointment availability.
- Track NTS expiration separately; it can arrive before the passed-section credit deadline.
- If serious circumstances may support an extension, collect documentation and contact the Board before credit expires.
- Do not assume transferring credit restarts the clock.
Primary rule sources
- The Board, rule, and application sources linked on each jurisdiction page
- NASBA score information
- NASBA CPA Exam FAQ
Continue your CPA Exam plan