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How to use the Florida CPA license lookup before you hire

Florida CPA license lookup takes two searches of the Florida DBPR records: one for the CPA by name or license number, and one for the firm, which must hold its own Florida firm license if it has a Florida office. [1][3]

Who counts as a tax pro in this state

Ask which credential the person holds, then confirm it in the state records.

Florida CPAs are licensed by the Florida DBPR Division of Certified Public Accounting. [1]

To be licensed as a Florida CPA, an applicant needs at least 150 semester hours of college education including a bachelor's degree with an accounting and business concentration, must pass the CPA exam, and needs 1 year of work experience (s. 473.308, Florida Statutes, 2026). [2]

A firm with a Florida office that performs public accounting services or uses the CPA title must hold a Florida firm license, renew it every 2 years, and tell the department within 1 month of any change to its application details (s. 473.3101, Florida Statutes, 2026). [3]

While the Board of Accountancy decides whether a firm meets the practice requirements, it may certify the firm for a provisional license (s. 473.3101, Florida Statutes, 2026). [3]

Florida CPA license lookup, step by step

  1. Search the Florida DBPR records for the CPA by name or license number [1].
  2. Search the firm as well, since a firm with a Florida office must hold its own firm license [3].
  3. Check that the license is active; a license that went delinquent because CPE was not reported has to go back through the board [8].
  4. Ask the CPA when the current CPE period ends and whether the hours are reported [7].

Anyone can search Florida DBPR records to check a CPA license by name or license number. [1]

The state CPA society is the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA). [4]

Census counted 4,664 CPA establishments with paid employees in Florida in 2023. The three metro areas with the most held 3,090 of them, about 66%, and the largest alone had 1,999. [5][6]

What the state board does and does not cover

Ask whether the CPA's continuing education is reported and whether the license is active rather than delinquent, inactive or retired.

Each Florida CPA has a two-year CPE reestablishment period: the first ends at the end of the third June after the date on the CPA's Florida certificate, and each later one runs two years and ends in June of the year the license expires (Rule 61H1-33.003, F.A.C., in force for 2026). General example for 2026: a CPA certified March 1, 2026 has a first period ending June 30, 2028, and the next runs July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2030. [7]

Florida CPAs report CPE completion in the DBPR online portal by the end of the calendar year in which their reestablishment period ends, and before their license renewal (Rule 61H1-33.003, F.A.C., in force for 2026). General example for 2026: a period ending June 30, 2026 must be reported by December 31, 2026. [7]

A Florida CPA license that is delinquent at the start of a year because CPE was not reported needs a complete application to the board by mid-March right after the delinquent period (s. 473.313, Florida Statutes, 2026). General example: a license delinquent on January 1, 2027 needs the application by March 15, 2027. [8]

To reactivate an inactive or delinquent Florida CPA license, the board can require up to 120 hours of CPE, with at least 30 in accounting and auditing, no more than 30 in behavioral subjects and at least 8 in board-approved ethics (s. 473.313, Florida Statutes, 2026). General example for 2026: a CPA reactivating with the full 120 hours can count at most 30 behavioral hours, so at least 90 come from other subjects. [8]

A Florida CPA aged 65 or older with an active or inactive license in good standing and no sanctions can ask for retired status; reactivating later needs the latest biennium's CPE plus half the CPE requirement for each biennium spent retired (s. 473.313, Florida Statutes, 2026). [8]

Questions to ask a local pro

Ask how long the CPA has been licensed and how the firm keeps its people current.

Florida caps the combined CPA application and exam fees at $250 plus the department's actual cost per applicant of buying the exam from the AICPA or a similar national body (s. 473.305, Florida Statutes, 2026). [9]

A Florida CPA candidate who passes a section of the CPA exam with a grade released on or after January 1, 2024 keeps credit for that section for 30 months from the NASBA grade release date; sections released before 2024 kept credit for 18 months (Rule 61H1-28.0052, F.A.C., in force for 2026). General example for 2026: a section with a grade released March 1, 2026 stays credited until September 1, 2028. [10]

Florida CPA candidates can take the four exam sections one at a time and in any order, but must pass all four within the rolling credit period that starts on the grade release date for the first section passed (Rule 61H1-28.0052, F.A.C., in force for 2026). [10]

What local knowledge actually buys you

Ask whether the firm will track your local business tax receipt along with your returns.

Florida local business tax receipts last no more than a year and all expire at the end of September each year, so the next expiry date is September 30, 2027 (s. 205.033, F.S.). General example: a receipt bought in March 2027 still expires September 30, 2027. [11]

When a Florida business is sold, or moves within the same county, its local business tax receipt can be transferred for a fee of up to 10% of the annual tax, at least $3 and at most $25 (s. 205.033, F.S., 2026). General example for 2026: on a $150 annual receipt the transfer fee is up to $15. [11]

Counties that raise a flat-rate local business tax above the 1971 level are capped: up to 100% more for taxes of $100 or less, 50% for $101 to $300, and 25% for over $300 (s. 205.033, F.S., 2026). General example: a $200 tax can rise by at most $100. [11]

Checking a tax preparer who is not a CPA

Ask for the preparer's PTIN and any credential, and ask whether they can speak for you if the IRS writes.

Other paid preparers may hold no professional credential, but anyone paid to prepare federal returns must have an IRS preparer tax identification number (PTIN). [18]

The IRS Annual Filing Season Program is voluntary for non-credentialed preparers: they complete 18 hours of continuing education, including a six-hour federal tax law refresher course with a test, renew their PTIN and agree to Circular 230 duties, and receive a record of completion. PTIN holders without it or another credential can prepare returns but cannot represent clients before the IRS (rule in force for 2026). [19]

License and filing rules by industry

Give your CPA your own license renewal dates so tax and license deadlines do not collide.

Florida dentists must renew by midnight Eastern Time on February 28, 2028 for the current two-year cycle. [12]

Florida physician licenses renew every two years in two groups: Group 2 licenses next expire January 31, 2027 and Group 1 licenses January 31, 2028. [13]

Along with annual Bar fees, Florida lawyers file a trust account certificate and a pro bono report, and a lawyer who fails to file the trust account certificate is delinquent and cannot practice. [14]

Certified contractor licenses expire in even years, so the next renewal is due by August 31, 2028; registered contractor licenses expire in odd years, next by August 31, 2027. [15]

Florida real estate licenses expire on one of two yearly dates set by license group; the next renewal deadlines are March 31, 2027 and September 30, 2027; the renewal fee and education must be done by midnight that day, and a weekend or holiday deadline moves to the next business day. [16]

Florida IFTA licenses cover one calendar year and must be renewed each year; current licenses expire December 31, 2026, and the 2027 licenses run January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. Renewal notices and decals go out each September. [17]

Certified plumbing and air conditioning contractors hold construction industry licenses that expire in even years, so the next renewal is due by August 31, 2028. [15]

Get connected with a firm

Tell us about the business and we look for a tax firm that works with owners like you, then introduce you if there is a fit.

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Tax firms in Florida can tell us about the firm ahead of the directory.

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General information from the official sources listed below, checked October 27, 2026. Not tax or legal advice.

Sources

  1. https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/certified-public-accounting/ Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (checked October 27, 2026)
  2. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/473.308 Florida Senate (checked October 27, 2026)
  3. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/473.3101 Florida Senate (checked October 27, 2026)
  4. https://www.ficpa.org/ ficpa.org (checked October 27, 2026)
  5. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip U.S. Census Bureau (checked October 27, 2026)
  6. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23msa.zip U.S. Census Bureau (checked October 27, 2026)
  7. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=31362348&type=1&file=61H1-33.003.doc Florida Administrative Code (checked October 27, 2026)
  8. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/473.313 Florida Senate (checked October 27, 2026)
  9. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/473.305 Florida Senate (checked October 27, 2026)
  10. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=27798083&type=1&file=61H1-28.0052.doc Florida Administrative Code (checked October 27, 2026)
  11. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/205.033 Florida Senate (checked October 27, 2026)
  12. https://floridasdentistry.gov/dentist-renewal/ Florida Board of Dentistry (checked October 27, 2026)
  13. https://flboardofmedicine.gov/medical-doctor-renewal/ flboardofmedicine.gov (checked October 27, 2026)
  14. https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-news/florida-bar-fee-season-underway-online-payment-encouraged/ floridabar.org (checked October 27, 2026)
  15. https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/ Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (checked October 27, 2026)
  16. https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/real-estate-commission/ Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (checked October 27, 2026)
  17. https://www.flhsmv.gov/pdf/cmv/ifta_user-guide.pdf flhsmv.gov (checked October 27, 2026)
  18. https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/understanding-tax-return-preparer-credentials-and-qualifications Internal Revenue Service (checked October 27, 2026)
  19. https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/annual-filing-season-program Internal Revenue Service (checked October 27, 2026)