A pair of Illinois representatives have introduced legislation supported by the Illinois CPA Society to create two additional pathways to CPA licensure and practice mobility in the state to alleviate the accountant shortage.
The Illinois Public Accounting Act and Uniform Accountancy Act currently require Illinois CPA candidates to pass all portions of the CPA exam, complete 150 credit hours of qualifying education, and gain one year of relevant work experience to become licensed in the state. The structure has remained in place since 2001, but the Illinois CPA Society believes it no longer supports the profession's current and future workforce.
For over a year, ICPAS has been reviewing licensure pathway proposals and exploring options to eliminate barriers to entry into the CPA profession, working closely with the Illinois Board of Examiners and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to draft legislation to evolve the state's CPA licensure model.
Two Illinois lawmakers who are also CPAs, Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, and Amy Elik, R-Edwardsville, now plan to introduce House Bill 2459, which amends the Illinois Public Accounting Act to create two additional pathways to CPA licensure in Illinois and enhance CPA practice privilege mobility. The new pathways include:
- Obtaining a bachelor's degree with 120 credit hours of qualifying education (including a concentration in accounting), completing at least two years of relevant work experience, and passing the CPA exam; and,
- Obtaining a master's degree, obtaining a bachelor's degree with 30 hours of concentration in accounting, completing at least one year of relevant work experience, and passing the CPA exam.
"To be clear, HB 2459 will not alter the state's existing route to licensure. Instead, this legislation establishes two additional pathways to obtain a CPA license in Illinois," said ICPAS president and CEO Geoffrey Brown in a statement. "Similar new pathways to licensure are also being explored or pursued legislatively in many of our neighboring states, including Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin."
HB 2459 also would set new requirements for out-of-state CPAs when it comes to practice privilege mobility. The bill would ensure that out-of-state CPAs could continue to serve clients in Illinois without needing to get an Illinois license if their issuing state's licensure requirements are equivalent to Illinois' requirements. The bill also would ensure Illinois CPAs would have the same practice privileges outside the state. While the existing mobility structure appears to be changing nationwide, ICPAS believes Illinois' alignment with a significant number of states would largely reduce any threats to Illinois-licensed CPAs' practice privileges and keep Illinois CPAs in the national business landscape.
Scholarship applications
Separately on Monday, ICPAS also opened its scholarship application window in conjunction with its charitable partner, the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, for the 2025-2026 academic year. More than 40 tuition scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 each, will be awarded to eligible upperclassmen accounting students.
Eligible applicants include accounting students attending Illinois colleges or universities who demonstrate financial need, academic excellence and leadership qualities.
With just
- Illinois CPA Society Accounting Scholarships for seniors and graduate students;
- Herman J. Neal Accounting Scholarships for Black or African American juniors, seniors and graduate students;
- James A. Sikich Visionary Scholarships for seniors and graduate students; and,
- Women's Executive Committee Advancing Women in Accounting Scholarships for female seniors and graduate students.
