CPA Exam Credit Expiration Calculator
Calculate an 18, 30, or 36-month estimate from the date basis in your current jurisdiction rule. Always verify the result with the board.
Quick answer
There is no universal 30-month CPA Exam rule. The May 2026 NASBA Candidate Guide shows 18, 30, and 36-month jurisdictions, with windows beginning from either an exam date or a score-release date. Select the jurisdiction before calculating.
Before calculating, find these three facts
1. Jurisdiction
Use the candidate jurisdiction
Do not substitute current residence, employer location, licensing destination, or the Prometric center. The credit rule follows the jurisdiction holding the exam credit.
2. Earliest active credit
Find the first credit still driving the window
A later passing score does not normally restart a rolling window. Begin with the earliest active passed section unless the official record shows an extension, transfer, or corrected date.
3. Date basis
Use exam date or score release exactly
The current map uses different starting-date bases. Copy the date required by the selected rule, not whichever passing date is easiest to find.
Credit expiration is not the same as four other deadlines
Score-release date
The date an exam result is released. Some credit rules use it as the starting date.
NTS expiration
The last date an authorization can be used for its exam section. It does not define passed-credit life.
Exam credit expiration
The date a passed section may stop counting toward completion of all four sections.
Licensure deadline
A separate jurisdiction rule, if any, for education, experience, ethics, or a license application.
Three dated examples that produce different answers
The jurisdiction changes both the window length and which date starts the clock. These current examples show why copying another candidate's deadline can produce the wrong result. Each is a planning estimate and still requires verification against the candidate's official record.
Hawaii
18 months from the exam date
January 31, 2026 + 18 calendar months = July 31, 2027.
New Jersey
30 months from the score-release date
January 15, 2026 + 30 calendar months = July 15, 2028.
Washington
36 months from the score-release date
February 28, 2026 + 36 calendar months = February 28, 2029.
How a rolling credit window works
The earliest active passed section normally drives the deadline for completing the remaining sections. Passing a later section adds another credit, but it does not generally move the original deadline forward. If the earliest credit expires before all four sections are passed, the official record determines which credit is lost and what must be retaken.
This calculator estimates one window from one rule and one starting date. It is not a complete ledger for multiple credits with separately recorded dates. A candidate with transferred credit, an extension, or a corrected portal record should use the individually displayed expirations rather than forcing every section into one calculated date.
How to interpret the estimate
The tool adds calendar months to the applicable date and clamps a date that does not exist in the target month to that month's final day. The result is a planning estimate, not a replacement for the expiration attached to each passed section in the board or CPA Portal record.
Recheck the official record before choosing an appointment near the estimate. An extension, transfer, rule change, or individually recorded date can change the usable deadline.
Common inputs that need correction
- Use the candidate jurisdiction, not the test-center location or current residence.
- Use the first passing section's exam date or score-release date, whichever the rule specifies.
- Do not substitute the most recent passing score when the window began with an earlier section.
- Use manual entry for a rule the current map cannot state, including Northern Mariana Islands.
When the estimate and the portal do not match
The portal shows a later date
Possible reason: An extension, transition policy, or individually recorded correction may apply.
Next action: Save the portal record and ask the board or responsible exam service to confirm the governing date before scheduling near it.
Transferred credit has a different expiration
Possible reason: The receiving jurisdiction may preserve or evaluate credit under transfer rules that a one-date calculator cannot model.
Next action: Use the transferred-credit record and obtain written clarification from the jurisdiction holding the credit.
The calculator starts from the wrong pass
Possible reason: The latest passing date was entered instead of the earliest active credit, or the wrong exam-date versus score-release basis was selected.
Next action: Return to the official score history, identify the earliest active credit, and recalculate with the rule's required date basis.
The jurisdiction rule changed after review
Possible reason: The embedded map reflects the source review date, while a board can later adopt or implement a different rule.
Next action: Use manual entry only after verifying the current rule, then treat the board or portal record as controlling.
Before scheduling near an estimated deadline
Compare the estimate with every active credit shown in the board or CPA Portal record. Confirm the appointment date is before the controlling expiration and leave room for seat changes, weather, illness, or another disruption. An NTS that remains valid after a passed credit expires does not make that earlier credit valid again.
If the dates conflict, stop planning from this calculator and ask the jurisdiction holding the credit to identify the controlling record. Preserve the written answer with the score history. The purpose of the estimate is to reveal urgency early, not to overrule an individually recorded deadline.
Why this is not just a 30-month calculator
The current NASBA map shows different window lengths and different starting-date rules. Transfers, extensions, rule changes, and board records can also affect an individual credit. The calculator therefore exposes the rule and equation instead of presenting one universal deadline.
Stop and confirm the rule manually when the portal conflicts with this estimate, a credit was transferred from another jurisdiction, an extension was granted, or the board changed its rule after the review date. The board record controls the candidate's actual credit.
Need the overall journey? Use the CPA Exam FAQ.