New Jersey governor signs CPA licensure changes into law

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill into law on Jan. 12 that adds a pathway to CPA licensure.

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In addition to the existing 150-credit-hour path, CPA candidates can qualify with a bachelor’s degree, two years of experience and passing the CPA Exam. The law also ensures practice mobility, enabling CPAs licensed in other states to practice in New Jersey. The legislation goes into effect Feb. 11, 2026.

The New Jersey Society of CPAs worked with bill sponsors Assemblyman Sterley Stanley (D-18) and Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25) on the bill. It passed unanimously in the Assembly on May 22 and unanimously passed the Senate on Dec. 18. 

New Jersey is now one of more than 20 other states that have made similar changes to offer additional pathways to licensure in an effort to address the talent shortage of accountants.

“We could not be more pleased with Governor Murphy’s signing of the additional CPA pathway bill,” NJCPA CEO and executive director Aiysha Johnson said in a statement Tuesday. “We are grateful for the support of the Governor, significant support from Assemblyman Stanley, Senator Bucco and the entire New Jersey Legislature as well as our knowledgeable members and the business community that understands the challenges faced if we lack the pipeline for future talent. Accounting enrollments are trending higher at various institutions, so this will cast a wider net of options for those individuals looking to become CPAs.”  

The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, the Commerce & Industry Association of New Jersey, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Bankers Association, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey also supported the bill.