New Hampshire CPA Requirements 2027
Verify early admission under the April law. Build your 2027 application and study plan from dated official evidence.
Checkpoint 1
Can I take the exam?
120 + 30/24
New Hampshire’s exam instructions use a qualifying bachelor’s degree, 120 credits, 30 accounting credits, and 24 business credits.
Check exam entryCheckpoint 2
Can I obtain the license?
HB 1259, Chapter 34, was approved and became effective April 22, 2026. The law establishes three education and experience combinations.
Degree, concentration, qualifying experience, and any additional application conditions must be checked together.
Review license choicesYour 2027 application roadmap
Verify early admission under the April law
The April 2026 law can inform a 2027 plan today; detailed early-admission and experience decisions still require current implementation.
Before applying
Check New Hampshire exam entry and map your transcript. 120 + 30/24
Before choosing classes
Choose a licensing route and record the remaining accepted subjects. Extra credits help only when they meet that route’s conditions.
Before booking a section
Coordinate your NTS, study readiness, published 2027 testing windows, and the July exam-interface transition.
Before counting experience
Confirm the work, duration, supervisor, and documentation accepted for your New Hampshire license path.
What this edition adds to your 2026 reference
Use this edition to organize a 2027 application, choose your next evidence check, and connect it to an exam preparation schedule. Unchanged state rules retain their actual review dates. A new guide year does not itself change eligibility.
Your state-specific decision: Use the enacted April law for the available pathway outline and current board instructions for the implementation. Confirm the required experience evidence and concentration before choosing extra credits solely to satisfy the older summary.
Open the dated 2026 reference| Decision | What to save | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Exam entry | Degree status, transcript, course descriptions, and the official exam checklist. | New Hampshire’s exam instructions use a qualifying bachelor’s degree, 120 credits, 30 accounting credits, and 24 business credits. |
| License route | The chosen education and experience route, its effective date, and the authority’s instructions. | HB 1259, Chapter 34, was approved and became effective April 22, 2026. The law establishes three education and experience combinations. |
| Exceptions and transitions | Dated authority replies for disputed courses, foreign education, prior exam credit, or a new pathway. | Early-exam and experience implementation after HB 1259 remain confirmation items. |
| Application budget | Separate evaluation, section application, exam, and later license charges. | Confirm the amount payable when you apply. Dated fees in this guide are not a guaranteed 2027 tariff. |
Choose a realistic testing window
Check the published schedule and July transition before setting a target appointment.
Read the guidePlan practice around the exam format
Use the reviewed specification and its stated coverage limits to balance MCQs and simulations.
Read the guideConnect your license and career plan
Compare wage benchmarks, offer conditions, experience supervision, and preparation support.
Read the guidePermission to sit
New Hampshire CPA Exam eligibility
New Hampshire’s exam instructions use a qualifying bachelor’s degree, 120 credits, 30 accounting credits, and 24 business credits.
- Conditional early admission depends on the applicable rules; do not treat the 120-day provision as unconditional permission to test.
- Older NASBA 150-only licensing prose should not override the enacted 2026 law.
Map your transcript
New Hampshire accounting and business coursework
Read each row as a separate checkpoint. Course level, required subjects, degree status, and exceptions can matter as much as the total. The board or designated evaluator determines which courses qualify.
| Checkpoint | Accounting | Business / related subjects | Degree and other conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | 30 credits | 24 credits | Bachelor’s degree and 120 credits |
| License | Qualifying statutory concentration | Qualifying statutory concentration | Use current implementation for the selected degree route |
Collect the evidence
Degree award, official transcript, course descriptions, and any required evaluation.
Map accepted subjects
Separate accounting, business, ethics, and other required subjects without assuming overlap.
Resolve the exact gap
Ask about the disputed course or condition before paying for another class or application.
Education plus experience
New Hampshire CPA license pathways
HB 1259, Chapter 34, was approved and became effective April 22, 2026. The law establishes three education and experience combinations.
| Route / availability | Education | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s route | Qualifying bachelor’s degree | 2 years |
| Additional-30 route | Qualifying bachelor’s degree plus 30 credits | 1 year |
| Post-bachelor’s route | Qualifying post-bachelor’s degree | 1 year |
- The new bachelor’s route uses two years, while qualifying additional education and post-bachelor’s routes use one year.
- Confirm the experience and early-exam implementation with the board before treating the statutory outline as a complete application checklist.
Dates that affect your decision
Planning for New Hampshire CPA requirements in 2027
The April 2026 law can inform a 2027 plan today; detailed early-admission and experience decisions still require current implementation.
April 22, 2026
EffectiveHB 1259 becomes law
The enacted text supersedes an older universal 150-credit licensing summary.
Worked planning example
A bachelor’s graduate reading an older 150-only guide
Illustrative candidate scenario, not an eligibility determination.
Starting point
You are planning around two years of qualifying work but an older NASBA paragraph still says 150 credits for licensing.
What the rules mean
Use the enacted April law for the available pathway outline and current board instructions for the implementation.
Next action
Confirm the required experience evidence and concentration before choosing extra credits solely to satisfy the older summary.
From education to an appointment
How to apply and prepare in New Hampshire
- 1
Confirm the application owner
Use the official exam instructions linked above to identify the board or designated exam service. Exam and license applications may go to different owners.
- 2
Prepare the education record
Arrange official transcripts and any required evaluation, degree evidence, course descriptions, identity, and state-specific records. Resolve the exact eligibility question before paying.
- 3
Apply for a section you can prepare for
After the responsible authority confirms eligibility, follow its section application and payment instructions. Keep the actual application and examination charges separate.
- 4
Use the Notice to Schedule
Check the authorized section, name, and expiration on the NTS. Book the testing appointment through the official scheduling process within that authorization.
- 5
Complete the exam and license file
Pass AUD, FAR, REG, and one Discipline, then complete the selected license route’s education, experience, ethics, and documentation requirements. Track each official deadline separately.
This sequence organizes your planning. The state-specific facts and exceptions in the sections above take priority; the official application instructions establish the required filing order.
Budget separate charges
New Hampshire CPA exam and application fees
These are individually sourced charges, not a complete licensing budget or an official 2027 fee schedule. Evaluation, section applications, testing, ethics, background checks, international testing, rescheduling, and licensing can be separate costs.
| Charge | Published amount | What it covers | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education evaluation | $96.00 | Evaluation charge listed by NASBA. Foreign-education evaluation may be separate. | Verify this charge |
| Exam section application | $171.00 | Follow the jurisdiction’s section-application rules. Do not assume one application charge covers all four sections. | Verify this charge |
| Each exam section | $268.59 | One section’s examination charge, separate from its application charge. | Verify this charge |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How should I plan for New Hampshire CPA requirements in 2027?
- The April 2026 law can inform a 2027 plan today; detailed early-admission and experience decisions still require current implementation.
- What education should a 2027 New Hampshire CPA Exam candidate check?
- Based on the September 15, 2026 source review: New Hampshire’s exam instructions use a qualifying bachelor’s degree, 120 credits, 30 accounting credits, and 24 business credits. Conditional early admission depends on the applicable rules; do not treat the 120-day provision as unconditional permission to test. Older NASBA 150-only licensing prose should not override the enacted 2026 law.
- Which New Hampshire CPA license paths should I compare for 2027?
- HB 1259, Chapter 34, was approved and became effective April 22, 2026. The law establishes three education and experience combinations. Review the route-specific effective dates and experience conditions before applying.
- What changed in this 2027 New Hampshire guide?
- This edition adds a candidate decision roadmap, application evidence checklist, study milestones, and links to the 2027 exam schedule. Its state-specific focus is: Verify early admission under the April law. Unchanged rules retain their source dates.
- Are the fees in this guide guaranteed for 2027?
- No. Each listed charge retains its actual source review date. Confirm evaluation, application, exam-section, and licensing charges before payment.
- What still needs confirmation for a New Hampshire application?
- Early-exam and experience implementation after HB 1259 remain confirmation items.
- Does the guide guarantee that I qualify for a CPA license?
- No. The board or designated service decides eligibility. Use this guide to organize your evidence and prepare specific questions; CPAPass supports exam practice and study planning.
Evidence and review dates
Official New Hampshire requirements sources
Core research date: . Licensing review date: . Proposed rules, effective dates, and unresolved details remain labeled in the relevant sections. Official authorities decide eligibility; this guide helps you prepare the questions and records.