Within Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the Division of Certified Public Accounting is responsible for the regulation of certified public accountants (CPAs) and accounting firms. The division processes applications to sit for the CPA exam, original Florida licensure applications, licensure by endorsement applications, reactivation of a delinquent or inactive CPA license, temporary permit applications, accountancy firm licensure, and continuing education reporting forms. In addition, the division provides administrative support to the Board of Accountancy. The Board consists of nine members. Seven members are licensed CPAs, and two are consumer members. The board meets approximately 10 times a year at various locations throughout the state. Meetings are open to the public.
There are currently over 36,000 Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and 5,000 CPA firms licensed in the State of Florida pursuant to Chapter 473, Florida Statutes. Certified Public Accountants provide accounting, auditing, tax, financial planning, and management consulting services.
Mission: To promote consumer protection by ensuring that certified public accountants and firms meet and adhere to the statutory requirements for licensure.
IMPORTANT: Florida Board of Accountancy Office:
Due to limited office personnel, we ask that applicants contact staff by email and reference your application number. The email address is CPA.Applications@myfloridalicense.com . If you have any questions regarding the reporting of continuing professional education please email cpa.reportingtool@myfloridalicense.com . Please allow at least 48 hours for response time.
A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is someone who has passed the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Uniform CPA examination, met educational, and licensure requirements in the state of Florida and have been issued a license to practice public accounting. CPAs provide accounting, auditing, tax, financial planning, and management consulting services. Florida CPA firms must be licensed and CPAs can only practice in a licensed firm.
Certified Public Accountant firms, “CPA Firm“, practicing public accounting in Florida must be licensed. For purposes of firm licensure, practicing public accounting is defined in Florida Statute 473.302(8)(a)(b)(c):
(8)“Practice of,” “practicing public accountancy,” or “public accounting” means:
(a)Offering to perform or performing for the public one or more types of services involving the expression of an opinion on financial statements, the attestation as an expert in accountancy to the reliability or fairness of presentation of financial information, the utilization of any form of opinion or financial statements that provide a level of assurance, the utilization of any form of disclaimer of opinion which conveys an assurance of reliability as to matters not specifically disclaimed, or the expression of an opinion on the reliability of an assertion by one party for the use by a third party;
(b)Offering to perform or performing for the public one or more types of services involving the use of accounting skills, or one or more types of tax, management advisory, or consulting services, by any person who is a certified public accountant who holds an active license, issued pursuant to this chapter, or who is authorized to practice public accounting pursuant to the practice privileges granted in s. 473.3141, including the performance of such services by a certified public accountant in the employ of a person or firm; or
(c)Offering to perform or performing for the public one or more types of service involving the preparation of financial statements not included within paragraph (a), by a certified public accountant who holds an active license, issued pursuant to this chapter, or who is authorized to practice public accounting pursuant to the practice privileges granted in s. 473.3141; by a firm of certified public accountants; or by a firm in which a certified public accountant has an ownership interest, including the performance of such services in the employ of another person. The board shall adopt rules establishing standards of practice for such reports and financial statements; provided, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to permit the board to adopt rules that have the result of prohibiting Florida certified public accountants employed by unlicensed firms from preparing financial statements as authorized by this paragraph.
CPA Firms that provide services as described in s. 473.302(8)(a)(b)(c), F.S., as listed above, must obtain a firm license. To license a multi-owner firm in an even year requires a fee of $150 (for a two-year license) and $75 in an odd year (such as 2005, 2007 and 2009) for a one-year license.
