UPDATED JULY 2026, NEW NASBA FEES INCLUDED
How Much Does the CPA Exam Cost?
One schedule, every fee. Includes the section fee increase effective July 4, 2026. Notes at the bottom, the way a workpaper would do it.
| Description | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| A — MANDATORY, EVEN ON A PERFECT RUN | ||
| State board application fee(a) | $50 | $200 |
| Examination fee, $268.59 × 4 sections(b) | 1,074 | 1,074 |
| Mandatory total, pass 4 for 4 | 1,124 | 1,274 |
| B — EACH FAILED SECTION, AND HALF OF ALL ATTEMPTS FAIL(c) | ||
| Re-registration fee | 50 | 200 |
| Section fee, paid again | 269 | 269 |
| Extra study time, not billable to anyone but yourself | ~10 weeks | |
| Cost per failed section | 319 | 469 |
| C — STUDY MATERIALS, SELECT ONE(d) | ||
| Big-name full review course | 1,500 | 4,000 |
| Mid-tier course or question bank | 500 | 1,500 |
| ChatCPA lifetime access (ours, for scale) | 499 | 499 |
| AICPA free sample test and free resources | 0 | 0 |
| D — AFTER YOU PASS | ||
| Ethics exam, required in many states(e) | 150 | 320 |
| Initial license application | 50 | 500 |
| Post-exam total | 200 | 820 |
| REALISTIC ALL-IN SCENARIOS | ||
| Best case: 4 for 4, free materials | ~$1,200 | |
| Typical: one or two retakes, moderate materials | 2,300–3,500 | |
| Full-price big course plus two retakes | $5,000+ | |
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(a) Application and re-registration fees are set by each state board and vary. Check your board's schedule at nasba.org before budgeting.
(b) Per-section fee rose from $262.64 to $268.59 on July 4, 2026 in most jurisdictions. Texas, Arizona, Mississippi and Guam pay $265.57 starting August 1, 2026.
(c) The money is the small part. Ten more weeks of studying is the real price, and it is the one that pushes people past the credit window: in most jurisdictions, 30 months from your first passed section to finish the other three. Losing a passed section to the clock means paying its fees again, the most expensive outcome on this page.
(d) List prices. Several large providers run 30 to 35 percent discounts nearly year round; if a course is always on sale, the sale price is the price. The cheapest thing you can do is not fail sections. Every dollar saved on materials gets refunded to NASBA the first time an underprepared section comes back at 74.
(e) Required in many but not all states; format and fee vary by board.
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