Illinois CPA Exam & License Requirements [2024]

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Illinois Requirements Overview:

Illinois's (IL) CPA exam requirements are very specific relating to accounting and business courses that are required to be taken prior to sitting for the exam. Unfortunately you are required to take 150 credits prior to sitting but can obtain a provisional status 120 days prior to obtaining requirement.

Follow each caption below to ensure that you are qualified to sit for the exam.

Disclosure: Please note that I do my best to keep these requirements up to date but seeing as there are more than 50 states and nations with individual requirements it is difficult for me to keep up with them all. Please verify each requirement with your state board of accountancy to ensure 100% accuracy! 

 

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Education Requirements

What are the education requirements in Illinois?

150 Hours Requirement

IL requires a Bachelor degree or above and 150 credit hours in order to sit for the exam. 

Candidates will receive "provisional" approval to take the CPA exam while completing educational requirements. Candidates will have 120 days from the time they take the exam to submit final transcripts to clear their "provisional status."

Accounting Course Requirements

* Bachelor degree or above
* 150 Credit Hours from an accredited university
* Complete one of the following:

1) Obtain a graduate degree in accounting from school accredited by AACSB or ACBSP

2) Obtain a graduate degree in business from school accredited by the AACSB or ACBSP
* Requires 30 Credit Hours of Accounting Classes:
- Financial Accounting
- Auditing
- Tax
- Managerial Accounting
* 2 Credit Hours of Accounting Research (new requirement as of 7/2013)

3) Bachelor Degree in Business
* 30 Accounting Credit Hours at undergrad or grad level in at least one of each of the following classes:
- Financial Accounting
- Auditing
- Tax
- Managerial Accounting
- 2 Credit Hours of Accounting Research (new requirement as of 7/2013)
* 24 Business Credit Hours at the undergrad or graduate level

4) General Bachelor Degree
* Same as 3)

International Candidates NOTE:

Illinois State Board evaluates your foreign credentials themselves, i.e. there is no need to go through the third-party foreign credential evaluation agencies. They do require original transcript / marksheets and I don’t think there is any exception.

On whether Illinois State Board accepts other professional qualifications e.g. Indian CA and CIMA, there is no blanket answer, but the rule of thumb is that the qualification must have an academic component. The state board may accept part of the related courses. Candidates are encouraged to send in all of the transcripts and degrees related to the qualifications for them to research and evaluate.

Business Course Requirements

IL requires 24 semester hours excluding accounting hours. Courses eligible include: 
* Economics, 
* Business Law, 
* Marketing, 
* Finance, 
* Business and Technical Communication, 
* Business Ethics, 
* International Business, 
* Legal and Social Environment of Business, 
* Management, 
* Business/Management Information Systems, 
* Quantitative Methods and Statistic courses taught by an accounting department

Business Law Requirements

IL does not have a specific business law requirement.

Ethics Exam

Required to take AICPA Ethics Exam

Age & Residency Requirements

What are the age and residency requirements in Illinois?

US Citizenship Requirement

You are NOT Required for Illinois to be US Citizen to sit for the CPA exam

Residency Requirement

Illinois does NOT require you to be a resident, employee, OR have an office in the state for you to take the CPA exam.

Minimum Age to Sit for the CPA Exam

Illinois does not have a minimum age requirement to sit for the CPA exam

Illinois CPA Exam Fees

How much does it cost to take the CPA exam in Illinois?

Illinois CPA Exam Fees Illinois has a first time credentials fee for first time candidates which is unique.

Initial Application Fee:	$120.00
Audit:	$195.35
Financial:	$195.35
Regulation:	$176.25
Business:	$176.25
Total:	$863.20
Special Fees:	Credential evaluation fee for first-time candidates varies $175-$250

Already Passed The CPA Exam in Illinois? Here Are The CPA License Requirements

Education Requirements:
* Same as requirements to sit for exam 

Experience Requirements: 
To obtain your CPA license IL requires:
* At least 1 year of public accounting experience after passing the exam

Illinois State Board Contact Info

Illinois Board of Examiners
100 Trade Centre Drive - Suite 403
Champaign, IL
61820-7123

Web: www.ilboa.org
Phone: 217-531-0950
Fax: 217-531-0960
Email: help@ilboa.org

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