How to transfer your Accountant licence to Washington (2026)

Accountant work in Washington is licensed at state level, by the Washington Board of Accountancy. This page says what a accountant licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Washington, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

Bookkeepers and non-CPA accountants are not licensed. CPAs have substantial equivalency in every state, which means a CPA licensed in one state can practise in Washington under mobility without a second licence, and applies for a Washington licence by reciprocity when Washington becomes the principal place of business.

Exam: CPA exam, taken once.

How long: four to eight weeks for reciprocity. Fee: $100 to $300; the current figure is on the licensing body's own site.

What to have ready before you move

• Licence verification
• CPA exam score transfer through NASBA
• Continuing education record

Start the paperwork before you give notice. Every week the licence is not done is a week you are not paid, and nothing in the process needs you to be in Washington already.

What people get wrong

• Assuming mobility covers a firm; firm registration is separate

Who hires accountants in Washington

Accountants in Washington are hired by public accounting firms, corporate finance departments, government and non-profits. The metros with the most of that work are Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Washington openings page.

For the money side: the median accountant in Washington earned $96,180 a year ($46 an hour) in May 2024 across 37,400 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Washington has no state income tax on wages. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Washington, on one page

The Washington page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Washington employers hiring from out of state.