Tennessee Certified Public Accountant (CPA) License Requirements
Requirements, fees, and renewal timing for this license, sourced from state board records.
Provides accounting and auditing services. Requires Uniform CPA Exam.
What the Tennessee data shows for Certified Public Accountant (CPA)s
Tennessee sets the entry bar for certified public accountant (cpa)s at board-approved training and a passing score on Uniform CPA Examination, with 1 year of supervised work experience expected. A background check is a standard part of the process, and applicants must be 18 or older. The credential is administered under Tennessee's licensing regime, which classifies the training track as "Bachelors Degree with 150 credit hours".
The initial price tag is $220, and renewal costs $182 every 2 years. Maintaining the license requires 80 hours of continuing education per 2-year cycle, an ongoing cost applicants often underestimate when budgeting the career.
For certified public accountant (cpa)s, the reciprocity picture is: CPA mobility: practice rights in all 55 US jurisdictions.
Licensing Ease Score
A higher score means this specific license is LESS burdensome to obtain and maintain here than the national requirement corpus, based on education hours, fees, continuing education, and experience requirements, not an overall judgment of the profession or the state.
Licensing Requirements in Tennessee
Frequently Asked Questions
What license do I need for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Tennessee? ▼
How do I get certified as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Tennessee? ▼
Can I transfer my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license to Tennessee from another state? ▼
Does Tennessee require a background check for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensing? ▼
What are the continuing education requirements for Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Tennessee? ▼
Related Guides
What to do with this certified public accountant (cpa) license
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Tennessee, with a documented reciprocity path, is one requirement row in a certified public accountant (cpa)-wide, 50-state comparison.
- See how Tennessee's certified public accountant (cpa) requirements compare to every other state before relocating. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in every state
- Confirm whether your out-of-state certified public accountant (cpa) license transfers under an interstate compact before starting a new application. Reciprocity guide
- See how Tennessee's overall licensing burden compares to other states, not just this one profession. Tennessee overview
Requirements shown are compiled from NCSL and Institute for Justice research; verify current rules with the Tennessee licensing board before making career decisions.
Source: NCSL Occupational Licensing Database, Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Ed.), state licensing board websites
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice, the PlainCredential comparison corpus (current as of May 15, 2026) maps 4,947 state licensing requirement records; see the methodology.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.