State Requirements

Illinois

State & Territory Requirements

Last Updated 2/24/2020

Requirements

Age Requirement No
Citizenship Requirement No
Residency Requirement No
Social Security # Requirement Not required to take exam and get a CPA certificate from ILBOE, but required to get licensed through IDFPR.
Education Requirement for Licensure 150 hours (including B.A. or graduate degree)
Participates in International Examination Program Yes
Hours in Accounting: *OPTION 1: If you earn at least a graduate degree in accounting from a regionally accredited institution or approved equivalent institution and AACSB or ACBSP accredited accounting program, there are no specific requirements for accounting or business hours. *OPTION 2* If you earn at least a graduate degree in business from a regionally accredited institution or approved equivalent institution and AACSB or ACBSP accredited business program, you must have completed 30 Semester Credit Hours (SCH) in accounting including Managerial Accounting, Taxation, Financial Accounting, Audit (no specific business hours requirement). *OPTION 3* If you earn at least a baccalaureate degree in any concentration or graduate degree with a concentration other than accounting or business from a regionally accredited institution or approved equivalent institution, you must have completed 30 SCH in accounting including Managerial Accounting, Taxation, Financial Accounting, Audit. You must also have completed 24 SCH in business including 2 SCH of Business Communication and 3 SCH of Business Ethics.
Exam sitting requirements: 150 hours (including Bachelor's or higher)
Experience Requirements: 1 year of full-time experience, or its equivalent, providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills, which may be gained through employment in government, industry, academia, or public practice.
Ethics Exam: Must pass AICPA Professional Ethics Exam for initial licensure
State Society

Illinois CPA Society


Member Outreach Coordinator

312-517-7652

550 W. Jackson

Suite 900

Chicago, IL

60661


Email: student@icpas.org

State Board

Illinois Board of Examiners


815-753-8900

1120 E Diehl Rd.

Suite 107

Naperville, IL

60563


Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation

Notes


Illinois is a two-tier state. This means that the ILBOE issues an Illinois Certificate of CPA Exam Completion upon successful completion of the CPA examination and ethics course, for which a social security number is not required. A social security number is required when applying for licensure through the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR). A license is required in order to hold oneself out as a CPA.

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