1. Meet the Eligibility and Education Requirements to Sit for the CPA Exam
Applicants who wish to be qualified to take the CPA exam will first need to pass the eligibility and Georgia CPA education requirements. Effective January 1, 2026, Georgia first-time CPA Exam applicants must be of good moral character and meet the current accounting education requirement, including 24 semester hours in accounting. Candidates should verify their education through NASBA’s Georgia CPA Exam application process before applying.
Georgia now has multiple licensure education pathways:
(1) A master’s degree in accounting or tax, 30 semester hours in accounting and 18 semester hours in business, with 1 year or 2,000 hours of work experience;
(2) A bachelor’s degree in any major, 150 semester hours of education, 30 semester hours in accounting, 18 semester hours in business, with 1 year or 2,000 hours of work experience;
(3) Or a bachelor’s degree in any major, 30 semester hours in accounting, 18 semester hours in business, with 2 years or 4,000 hours of work experience.
Georgia now has multiple licensure education pathways:
(1) A master’s degree in accounting or tax, 30 semester hours in accounting and 18 semester hours in business, with 1 year or 2,000 hours of work experience;
(2) A bachelor’s degree in any major, 150 semester hours of education, 30 semester hours in accounting, 18 semester hours in business, with 1 year or 2,000 hours of work experience;
(3) Or a bachelor’s degree in any major, 30 semester hours in accounting, 18 semester hours in business, with 2 years or 4,000 hours of work experience.
2. Apply for the Uniform CPA Exam
When you’ve met the education requirements, sign up for an Okta account through NASBA’s dashboard, then access CPA Portal to submit your Georgia CPA Exam application, payments, exam-section applications, Notice to Schedule documents, and score notices.
Have all your official transcripts sent directly from your college or university to :
Georgia Coordinator
CPA Examination Services
PO Box 198469
Nashville, Tennessee 37219-8469.
If your school offers official electronic transcripts, they may be emailed to etranscript@nasba.org.
Have all your official transcripts sent directly from your college or university to :
Georgia Coordinator
CPA Examination Services
PO Box 198469
Nashville, Tennessee 37219-8469.
If your school offers official electronic transcripts, they may be emailed to etranscript@nasba.org.
3. Pay for the Uniform CPA Exam
Pay all fees at the time of application to NASBA. Georgia’s current NASBA fees include a $96.00 education evaluation application fee, a $96.00 exam application fee, and a $262.64 exam section fee.
Click here to see a breakdown of the Georgia CPA exam costs.
Click here to see a breakdown of the Georgia CPA exam costs.
4. Notice to Schedule (NTS)
Wait for your application to be approved and once accepted, NASBA will email or mail you the Notice to Schedule (NTS). Upon receiving the NTS, schedule your exam online through Prometric.
Candidates should only apply for an exam section if they are ready to take it within the next six months, and the Notice to Schedule is valid for a limited time.
Candidates should only apply for an exam section if they are ready to take it within the next six months, and the Notice to Schedule is valid for a limited time.
5. Pass the Uniform CPA Exam
The CPA exam consists of the three core sections and candidates would need to select one of the three discipline to demonstrate deeper skills and knowledge, allowing candidates to choose a specialization. There is no set order in which the exam portions must be completed.
You must pass all four CPA Exam sections within a rolling 30-month period beginning on the score-release date of the first passed section.
You must pass all four CPA Exam sections within a rolling 30-month period beginning on the score-release date of the first passed section.
6. Gain Necessary Experience
In order to qualify for a license, applicants are required to comply with the Georgia CPA work experience requirements. The work experience must either be 1 year and 2,000 hours in public accounting or 1 year and 2,000 hours in business, industry, government or college teaching; or a combination of both. Under the bachelor’s degree pathway, the required work experience is two years / 4,000 hours.
The experience must be full-time, part-time does not count, and experience must be supervised by a CPA or other qualifying licensee depending on the experience category.
The experience must be full-time, part-time does not count, and experience must be supervised by a CPA or other qualifying licensee depending on the experience category.
7. Apply for a CPA License
To obtain a Georgia CPA license, applicants need to apply through NASBA. Applicants need to make sure they have completed the 150-semester-hour education requirement and fulfill the work experience requirement. Submit complete transcripts and documents to avoid delays on the license approval.
While most states require ethics before licensing, Georgia candidates can become a CPA without it as there are no Georgia CPA ethics exam requirements, but licensed CPAs must complete ethics CPE as part of renewal, including one Georgia-specific ethics credit approved by the Board.
While most states require ethics before licensing, Georgia candidates can become a CPA without it as there are no Georgia CPA ethics exam requirements, but licensed CPAs must complete ethics CPE as part of renewal, including one Georgia-specific ethics credit approved by the Board.
8. CPA License Renewal
Georgia CPA licenses must be renewed biennially. Licenses will expire on December 31 of each odd-numbered year. To be eligible for renewal, licensee holders will have to accomplish the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirement.
9. Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
Georgia CPA licensees generally must complete 80 CPE hours every two years after the first renewal period, including 4 ethics credits, 1 of which must be Georgia-specific ethics approved by the Board. A minimum of 20 hours must be earned each year.
If licensed less than one year before the first renewal date, no CPE is required; if licensed one year but less than two years before the first renewal date, 40 hours are required.
If licensed less than one year before the first renewal date, no CPE is required; if licensed one year but less than two years before the first renewal date, 40 hours are required.
