Accountant, Certified Public - Renewal After 5 Years

You must meet two (2) requirements to Renew your CPA license that has been expired for 5 years or more:

Verification of Continuing Education (CE)

• You must have 120 continuing professional development credits. These credits must fall within the one-year period immediately prior to the day you submitted your application on our website.

• Example: Application submitted 4/17/2026, one-year period of acceptance is 4/16/2025 through 4/16/2026. You will need to upload a statement summarizing the CE. Please include specific dates, subject matter, course titles, CE hours, and formal certificates of completion for the formal hours completed.

Wisconsin Statutes & Rules (JP) Ethics Examination.

• This requirement can be met by passing the Wisconsin Statutes & Rules (JP) Ethics Examination

  OR

• By verifying 150 Credit Hours of education on your transcripts. To qualify by education, you will need to meet the current standards (150 Credit Hours), not the standards at the time your first license was issued.

• If you do not have 150 Credit Hours of education on your transcripts, then you will need to take the Wisconsin Statutes & Rules (JP) Ethics Examination.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. 

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging into your LicensE account, select Apply for a License and choose:

• Category: Business

• License Type: Accountant, Certified Public

• Application Method: Renewal After 5 Years

Please Note: You are not required to provide all documents before initial application submission. You do not need to upload documents to every available category.

Please have NASBA send your file through the secured network -or- upload a copy of your official transcripts to your application.

Use Form 3178 to submit evidence of your required course work. This course work must meet the current Wisconsin 150-credit hour education requirement.

At least one (1) course must be provided in each of the required subjects to meet 24 undergraduate or 15 graduate semester hours of the 150 required total hours. Additional courses may be listed in each subject to reach the minimum required.

Required subjects are:

• Financial Accounting

• Cost or Managerial Accounting

• Taxation

• Auditing

• Accounting Information Systems

• Accounting Electives (optional)

Courses are generally expected to be beyond the introductory level. Introductory courses can be listed if needed to demonstrate sufficient semester hours. Transcripts, course catalog descriptions, and/or syllabi may be requested in support of this form.

You must have 120 continuing professional development credits meeting the requirements under Wisconsin Statute.

These credits must fall within the one-year period immediately prior to the day you submitted your application on our website.

Example: Application submitted 4/17/2026, one-year period of acceptance is 4/16/2025 through 4/16/2026.

Upload a statement summarizing the CE. Upload verification for each item that is listed. Please include specific dates, subject matter, course titles, CE hours, and formal certificates of completion.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
(608) 266-2112

(877) 617-1565

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.