How to verify a CPA license

The official CPA lookup in each state

Each state board of accountancy runs its own license search and labels a practicing CPA in its own words. The board’s record is the primary source. National databases copy it on a delay.

California: the DCA License Search and the A or G field

The California Board of Accountancy’s License Lookup page links to the Department of Consumer Affairs License Search. Searches work only under the licensee’s present name. To search by number, the board says to type the digits only, without the “CPA”, “COR” or “PAR” prefix.

A California record lists the license type and number, license status, Experience Completed, issue date, expiration date, address of record, and a yes or no flag for disciplinary actions and license restrictions. A “yes” links to the board’s public enforcement documents.

What each California status means

“A” or “G”: who may sign an audit

The Experience Completed field shows A or G. An “A” CPA completed at least 500 hours of attest experience and may sign audit, review, prospective financial information and agreed-upon procedures reports. A “G” CPA may work on those engagements but may not sign the report. Compilations are not attest work in California, so any licensed CPA may sign one. If a lender wants reviewed or audited statements, check that the signing CPA has the A.

What the California record leaves out

Complaints are not public records. A complaint becomes public only when it leads to a citation or discipline. Enforcement summaries go up about 30 days after a final decision, and the board warns that a missing summary does not prove the licensee was never accused of anything.

A CPA licensed in another state can practice in California under a practice privilege without a California license. The board says a “no results” search for such a CPA does not mean they are unauthorized, and it keeps a separate out-of-state lookup.

California tax preparers: CTEC registration

California adds a register for paid preparers who are not CPAs, enrolled agents or attorneys. They must register with the California Tax Education Council as CTEC Registered Tax Preparers (CRTPs). A CRTP completed 60 hours of qualifying education, takes 20 hours of continuing education a year, keeps a $5,000 surety bond, holds an IRS PTIN and passed a Live Scan background check. The rule applies even to preparers who file only federal returns.

CTEC’s Find / Verify a Preparer tool searches by name or CTEC ID. The record shows a valid-through date (registrations run to 31 October), any disciplinary actions, and the bond details (surety company, bond number, effective and expiration dates), with a link to paid bond claims. A CRTP must give clients this bond information. Preparing returns for a fee while unregistered can cost up to $5,000 per violation.

Florida: the DBPR licensee search

Florida CPAs are licensed by the Board of Accountancy inside the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Open Verify a Licensee, pick Certified Public Accounting as the board, and search by name or license number.

Read the result list line by line. A name search we ran on 23 September 2026 returned people marked “Eligible for Exam” and “Application in Progress” under the license type “Certified Public Accountant”. They have no license number and are not CPAs. A licensed CPA has a license number (the ones we saw start with AC), the rank CPA and a two-part status.

The first part says whether the license is up to date. Current means the licensee meets the department’s requirements; Delinquent means it was not renewed on time; Null and Void means the licensee failed to renew and would have to reapply. The second part says whether the holder may work under it: Active allows practice, Inactive does not. The board adds that an inactive CPA may not use the CPA designation, and a retired CPA may not offer services that need a CPA signature.

Click the name for the detail page: licensure date, expiration date, related licenses such as the CPA’s firm, and “View License Complaint”. Florida requires CPA firms to hold their own license, and a CPA may practice only through a licensed firm.

Michigan: the MiPLUS licensee search

Michigan’s Board of Accountancy sits in the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and its lookup runs on MiPLUS. Choose the license type and search by name or license number. LARA refreshes the data once a day.

In Michigan the license type matters as much as the status. “Accountant - Licensed” allows the unrestricted practice of public accounting. “Accountant - Registered” lets the person use the CPA title but not practice public accountancy. The list also has temporary practice permits and accountancy firm licenses.

The detail page gives the issue date, expiration date, status and county, with a Disciplinary Action(s) tab and public documents. Every Michigan accountancy license and registration expires on July 31 on a two-year cycle, so a past expiration date means the license has lapsed. Records we pulled on 23 September 2026 showed the statuses Active, Lapsed, Revoked and Deceased.

Delaware: the DELPROS License Look-Up

Delaware’s Division of Professional Regulation runs DELPROS. Select Individual and the profession, then type the name exactly as the system stores it, or the record may not come up. The division treats DELPROS results as primary source verification with real-time data, free of charge.

A number that begins with “L2K” or “APP” belongs to an application, not an issued license. Delaware also separates the CPA Certificate from the CPA Permit to Practice. Only a permit holder, or a CPA with practice privilege from another state, may practice or present as a practicing CPA in Delaware. Certificate holders may not use the CPA title at all. A CPA whose permit is inactive must write “CPA Inactive” and may not practice in Delaware.

The DELPROS status legend says which statuses allow practice: Active and Probation. Expired, Inactive, Expired Inactive, Suspended, Revoked and Non Disciplinary Suspension (for unpaid tax or child support) do not. A “Yes” in the Discipline column opens the orders.

CPAverify: one search across states

CPAverify is the public search of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). State boards supply the data, and California, Florida, Michigan and Delaware all participate. Hawaii and New Mexico do not.

Boards send updates anywhere from daily to quarterly, and each record shows the date its data arrived. Use it to find which state licensed a CPA, then confirm the current status on that state’s own lookup.

How to check an enrolled agent or other tax preparer

Enrolled agents are licensed by the IRS, so no state board lists them. Use the IRS Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications. It lists attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries and enrolled retirement plan agents with a valid PTIN, plus holders of an Annual Filing Season Program Record of Completion. You can search by ZIP code and radius, by the first three letters of a last name, and by credential.

On 23 September 2026 the directory was current as of 1 September 2026, and the IRS says changes can take up to four weeks to appear. Preparers with only a PTIN are not in it. CPA and attorney entries are self-reported: the IRS checks them before listing but tells users to rely on the state board or state bar for current status. A CPA who does not prepare returns for pay may be absent, because attorneys and CPAs need a PTIN only when they prepare all or substantially all of a return for compensation.

If an enrolled agent is missing, the IRS Office of Enrollment answers verification requests sent through its contact form. Its stated policy is a reply within 72 hours.

Red flags when checking a CPA or tax preparer

• The preparer will not sign the return or enter a PTIN on it. Every paid preparer must do both; the IRS calls one who does not a ghost preparer.
• The fee is a percentage of your refund, or the preparer promises a bigger refund than others can get.
• The refund is set to go into the preparer’s bank account instead of yours.
• You are asked to sign a blank return, or the preparer files from your last pay stub instead of a Form W-2.
• Payment is cash only, with no receipt.
• “CPA” appears on the website, but the lookup shows Inactive, Delinquent or Lapsed, a Michigan registration, or a Delaware certificate. None of these allows practice.
• In California, a preparer who is not a CPA, enrolled agent or attorney has no CTEC registration, or will not give you the bond details.

What to do if the license is not found

1. 1.
   Search again with less

   Check the spelling, then try the license number instead of the name. California notes that the address on file can be a mailing address, so leave the city out.
2. 2.
   Ask which state issued the license

   An out-of-state CPA may practice in California or Delaware under practice privilege without a local license. Search the home state's board or CPAverify.
3. 3.
   Check the other credentials

   The person may be an enrolled agent, an attorney, or in California a CTEC registrant. Try the IRS directory, the state bar, or CTEC.
4. 4.
   Report a false CPA claim

   California’s board takes reports of unlicensed activity; Florida’s board investigates unlicensed people holding out as CPAs; Michigan and Delaware take complaints through LARA and the Division of Professional Regulation. Preparer misconduct goes to the IRS on Form 14157.

To decide which credential you need, see CPA vs enrolled agent vs tax preparer. Firms in the directory are listed by state for California, Florida, Michigan and Delaware.