CPA Exam · Fees
CPA Exam fees — and a calculator that refuses to guess
The number now
$1,174.36
California first-time applicant, all four sections, one attempt per section
Fees as published; California page last updated Oct 8, 2026. No effective start dates are stated on either fee page.
Tennessee first run, evaluation fee not yet paid: $1,554.36 — tables below.
Last verified Oct 13, 2026 · Source: California Board of Accountancy, Exam FAQs, Exam Fees & Payment Options.
These are official group figures, copied by hand from the source shown and checked on the date shown. They describe past candidates, not your chances. Always confirm fees and rules with the official organization before you pay.
California — California Board of Accountancy
| Initial application feePaid to: California Board of AccountancyFor applicants qualifying to sit as a California candidate for the first time | $100 |
|---|---|
| Reapplication feePaid to: California Board of AccountancyFor applicants previously approved; also used to re-select sections after an application expires | $50 |
| Exam fee per sectionPaid to: NASBAApplies to AUD, FAR, REG and the one Discipline section; the CBA states the all-four-sections total as $1,074.36 | $268.59 |
The CBA states the total paid to NASBA for all four sections as $1,074.36.
Last verified Oct 13, 2026 · Source: California Board of Accountancy, Exam FAQs, Exam Fees & Payment Options.
Tennessee — NASBA
| Education evaluation application feePaid to: NASBAPaid once, before applying for exam sections | $96 |
|---|---|
| Exam application fee per sectionPaid to: NASBAOne exam section per application, so each attempt pays this again | $96 |
| Exam section fee per sectionPaid to: NASBA | $268.59 |
First run through all four sections, evaluation fee not yet paid: $1,554.36.
Last verified Oct 13, 2026 · Source: NASBA, Tennessee — Applying for the Uniform CPA Examination, Fees.
Cost calculator — California and Tennessee only
Exam fees only — excludes review courses, ethics exam, licensing and international testing.
Other states: fees and application rules differ — we only total states we have verified. Find yours on NASBA's CPA Exam state pages (the state board finder) and add its application fees to the per-section exam fee.
| Fee | Paid to | Each × count | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial application fee — California | California Board of Accountancy | $100 × 1 | $100 |
| Exam fee per section — California (paid to NASBA) | NASBA | $268.59 × 4 | $1,074.36 |
Subtotal: $1,174.36
What the official body does not publish
- A national CPA Exam total cost — the exam has no single nationwide price.
- A state-by-state fee table from AICPA or NASBA — each state board page carries its own numbers, which is why this calculator totals only the two states verified fee-by-fee.
What changed
Oct 8, 2026
California's Exam FAQs page carried this 'last updated' stamp when checked; the fee amounts were unchanged at that update.
Jan 15, 2027
Next scheduled full re-check of both fee pages, and whenever NASBA announces a section-fee change.
How to read these numbers
Two kinds of fee stack up: your state board's application fees and the per-section exam fees collected through NASBA. In Tennessee, each section application also carries its own application fee, so retakes cost more than the section fee alone.
The calculator never estimates: pick “Another state” and it shows you the official links instead of a number. Guessing a state's application fee would be exactly the stale-table problem this page exists to fix.