Montana offers the following types of accounting licenses and privileges. Click on the tabs above to learn more about the requirements and procedures for each type of license.

Initial License. Applicants who have passed the Uniform CPA Examination in Montana and are not licensed to practice public accounting in any jurisdiction may apply for a Montana Initial License.

License by Transfer of Grades and Permit to Practice. Applicants who have passed the Uniform CPA examination in another state may apply for a License by Transfer of Grades in Montana.

MONTANA IS NO LONGER TWO-TIER: All certificate-only licenses terminated on December 31, 2017, for certificate holders who failed to meet the 2,000-hour experience requirement and apply for an initial permit to practice by December 31, 2017.

MILITARY BENEFIT: Under Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.504, acceptable military training and experience apply toward the educational and/or experience requirements for CPA licensure.

Montana also offers a licensed public accountant (LPA) designation; however, the information for licensure as an LPA is not available on the Accountancy Licensing Library.

Click Initial Licensure in the menu bar at the top of this page for additional information.

Transfer of Licensure and Permit to Practice. Applicants having a current, active, unrestricted license from a substantially equivalent jurisdiction, or having an active license to practice from a professional credentialing institute that has a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with NASBA/AICPA, may apply for a License by Transfer of Licensure in Montana.

MILITARY BENEFIT: Under Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.504, acceptable military training and experience apply toward the educational and/or experience requirements for CPA licensure.

Click Reciprocal Licensure in the menu bar at the top of this page for additional information.

Practice Privileges.

Mobility is a practice privilege that generally permits a licensed CPA in good standing to practice in a state from outside of their principal place of business without obtaining another license, so long as the licensee meets certain state specific conditions.

For state accountancy boards that have adopted the Uniform Accountancy Act § 23 Safe Harbor Language for mobility, this will allow those licensees who had practice privileges prior to a specific date to proceed to practice, so long as they have a license in good standing and no other state specific restrictions apply. Currently, Delaware, Texas, and Pennsylvania have adopted the UAA Safe Harbor Language for Mobility. 

Effective October 1, 2009:

Individual Practice Privilege

• A person whose principal place of business is not in Montana and who holds a valid license as a CPA from any state that the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)'s National Qualification Appraisal Service (NQAS) or a successor organization has verified to be in substantial equivalence with the CPA licensure requirements of the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) or a subsequent act of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) or NASBA is presumed to have qualifications substantially equivalent to Montana requirements and has all the privileges of persons holding a Montana license without the need to obtain a license under Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-302.
  • A person who offers or renders professional services under this section, whether in person, by mail, by telephone, or by electronic means, is granted practice privileges in Montana and no notice, fee, or other submission is required.
• A CPA who is licensed in a jurisdiction that has licensing standards that are substantially equivalent to Montana's standards, or who meets the individual substantial equivalent standards, may practice under the practice privilege pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-325.
• The Montana Board of Public Accountants has determined that all jurisdictions approved by NASBA are deemed to be "substantially equivalent."
• A person whose principal place of business is not in Montana and who holds a valid license as a CPA from any state that NASBA's NQAS or a successor organization has not verified to be in substantial equivalence with the CPA licensure requirements of the UAA or a subsequent act of the AICPA/NASBA is presumed to have qualifications substantially equivalent to Montana requirements and has all the privileges of persons holding a Montana license without the need to obtain a license under Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-302 if the person obtains verification from NQAS that the person's CPA qualifications are substantially equivalent to the CPA licensure requirements of the UAA of the AICPA/NASBA.
  • A person who has passed the Uniform CPA Examination and holds a valid license issued by any other state prior to January 1, 2012, is exempt from the education requirements in the UAA or a subsequent act for purposes of this section.
  • A person who offers or renders professional services under this section, whether in person, by mail, by telephone, or by electronic means, is granted practice privileges in Montana and no notice, fee, or other submission is required unless the person is required to register pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-335. 

See Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-325 and Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.531

Firm Practice Privilege/Firm Registration Requirement

• Effective July 1, 2017, all firms that establish or maintain offices in Montana for the practice of public accounting shall register annually with the Montana Board of Public Accountants.
• A firm that does not have an office in Montana may use the title "CPA" or "CPA firm" in Montana without registering and may:

• • Offer or render attest services and compilations in Montana if the firm:
    • complies with Montana peer review and firm ownership qualifications;
    • performs the services through an individual with practice privileges under Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-325; and
    • has practice privileges that include offering or rendering attest and compilation services in the state where the firm has its principal place of business;

  • Perform professional services other than attest services or compilations in Montana if the firm:

    • performs the services through a person with practice privileges under Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-325; and

    • has practice privileges to perform the services in the state where the firm has its principal place of business.

See Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-335

Consent to Jurisdiction for Mobility

A licensee of another state exercising the privilege under this section and the firm that employs that person, as a condition of the grant of this privilege:

• are subject to the personal and subject matter jurisdiction and disciplinary authority of the Montana Board of Public Accountants;
• shall comply with this chapter and the Montana Board of Public Accountants' rules;
• shall cease offering or rendering professional services in Montana individually or on behalf of a firm if the license from the state of the person's principal place of business is no longer valid; and
• shall accept the appointment of the state board that issued the license as the agent upon whom process may be served in any action or proceeding by the Montana Board of Public Accountants against the licensee.

See Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-325(3)

Peer Review Requirement

• Firms required to be registered must comply with the Montana peer review requirement pursuant to Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.1103.
• Exemption of the Montana peer review requirement will apply to out-of-state firms that do not have a physical location in Montana, but perform attest or compilation services in Montana, and have a peer review in the state in which they are located, and are otherwise qualified for practice privileges.

See Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.1108

Additional Requirement

N/A

Restrictions

• A person who has been granted practice privileges under this section and who, for any client with its home office in Montana, performs any attest services or compilations may do so only through a firm in compliance with Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-335 as detailed above.

Definitions

• "Attest" means providing the following services:

  • an audit or other engagement to be performed in accordance with the Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS);

  • a review of a financial statement to be performed in accordance with the Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS);

  • an examination of prospective financial information to be performed in accordance with the Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE);

  • an engagement to be performed in accordance with the auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB); and

  • an examination, a review, or an agreed-upon procedures engagement to be performed in accordance with the SSAE.

• "Compilation" means providing a service to be performed in accordance with SSARS that presents, in the form of financial statements, information that is the representation of owners without undertaking to express any assurance on the statements.
• "Firm" means a sole practice, sole proprietorship, partnership, professional corporation, or limited liability company (LLC) engaged in the practice of public accounting.
• "Peer review" means a Montana Board of Public Accountants-approved study, appraisal, or review of one (1) or more aspects of the attest or compilation work of a permit holder of a registered firm in the practice of public accounting, by person(s) who hold licenses in this or another jurisdiction, and who are not affiliated with the person or firm being reviewed.
• "Practice privilege" means that privilege extended pursuant to 37-50-325, MCA, to a qualified individual whose principal place of business is not in Montana and who holds a valid license as a CPA.
  
• "Substantial equivalency" or "substantially equivalent" means a determination by the Montana Board of Public Accountants or its designee that the education, examination, and experience requirements contained in the statutes and rules of another jurisdiction are comparable to or exceed the education, examination, and experience requirements contained in the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) or subsequent acts or that an individual CPA's education, examination, and experience qualifications are comparable to or exceed the education, examination, and experience requirements contained in the UAA. In ascertaining substantial equivalency, the Montana Board of Public Accountants shall take into account the qualifications without regard to the sequence in which the experience, education, and examination requirements were attained.

See Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-101

Statute and/or Regulation Reference

Mont. Code Ann. § 37-50-101, § 37-50-325, § 37-50-330, § 37-50-335

Mont. Admin. R. 24.201.531, 24.201.1103, and 24.201.1108

Disclaimer: The information contained in NASBA’s Accountancy Licensing Library and CPAmobility.org is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion. The information is based on current state board of accountancy law and rules which are publicly available. Because board law and rules are continuously changing, there may be a slight delay in law or rule effective dates and the information reflected in these websites. NASBA cannot guarantee a mobility outcome based solely on the information contained in these websites, as additional state factors not listed here may be applicable. It is the responsibility of each CPA licensee or permit holder to be knowledgeable of each state board's current laws and rules in the state(s) in which the licensee intends to practice via mobility. 

Click Reciprocal Licensure and/or Firm Registration in the menu bar at the top of this page for additional information or if these practice privilege requirements do not apply to you or your firm.

Firm Registration. Any firm established or maintained for the practice of public accounting in the state of Montana must register with the Montana Board of Public Accountants.

Firms with multiple locations: The firm, not each individual office location, is required to register. The firm will include the location of each satellite office in the state. Each firm location is no longer required to register individually.

Click Firm Registration in the menu bar at the top of this page for additional information.

License Relinquishment: Any individual CPA licensed in Montana who no longer wishes to hold said license/permit to practice may voluntarily relinquish their CPA license to the Montana Board of Public Accountants.

Click Relinquish a License in the menu bar at the top of this page for additional information.