The amount of fees prescribed by this chapter is as follows:

(a) The fee to be charged to each applicant for the certified public accountant examination shall be fixed by the board at an amount not to exceed six hundred dollars ($600). The board may charge a reexamination fee not to exceed seventy-five dollars ($75) for each part that is subject to reexamination.

Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 5134

  • board: means any entity listed in Section 101, the entities referred to in Sections 1000 and 3600, the State Bar, the Department of Real Estate, and any other state agency that issues a license, certificate, or registration authorizing a person to engage in a business or profession. See California Business and Professions Code 31
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • license: includes certificate or permit. See California Business and Professions Code 5096.7
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15

(b) The application fee to be charged to each applicant for issuance of a certified public accountant certificate shall be fixed by the board at an amount not to exceed seven hundred dollars ($700).

(c) After June 30, 2024, the fee to be charged to each applicant for registration as a partnership or professional corporation shall not be less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) and shall not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000).

(d) (1) The biennial renewal fee for a certified public accountant to engage in the practice of public accountancy, as specified in Section 5070, shall be three hundred forty dollars ($340) for permits expiring after June 30, 2024.

(2) The biennial renewal fee for a certified public accountant to engage in the practice of public accountancy, as specified in Section 5070, shall be four hundred dollars ($400) for permits expiring after June 30, 2026.

(e) (1) The biennial renewal fee for a partnership or professional corporation shall be four hundred dollars ($400) for permits expiring after June 30, 2024.

(2) The biennial renewal fee for a partnership or professional corporation shall be five hundred twenty dollars ($520) for permits expiring after June 30, 2026.

(f) If the board has unencumbered funds in an amount that is equal to more than the board’s operating budget for the next two fiscal years, the board may fix the biennial renewal fees by regulation at an amount less than those identified in subdivision (d) for certified public accountants and subdivision (e) for partnerships and professional corporations.

(g) The application fee to be charged to each applicant for a retired status license, as described in Section 5070.1, shall be fixed by the board at an amount not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250).

(h) The application fee to be charged to each applicant for restoration of a license in a retired status to an active status pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 5070.1 shall be fixed by the board at an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(i) The delinquency fee shall be 50 percent of the accrued renewal fee.

(j) The initial permit fee is an amount equal to the renewal fee in effect on the last regular renewal date before the date on which the permit is issued, except that, if the permit is issued one year or less before it will expire, then the initial permit fee is an amount equal to 50 percent of the renewal fee in effect on the last regular renewal date before the date on which the permit is issued. The board may, by regulation, provide for the waiver or refund of the initial permit fee where the permit is issued less than 45 days before the date on which it will expire.

(k) The fee to be charged for the certification of documents evidencing passage of the certified public accountant examination, the certification of documents evidencing the grades received on the certified public accountant examination, or the certification of documents evidencing licensure shall be twenty-five dollars ($25).

(l) The board shall fix the fees in accordance with the limits of this section and any increase in a fee fixed by the board shall be pursuant to regulation duly adopted by the board in accordance with the limits of this section.

(m) It is the intent of the Legislature that, to ease entry into the public accounting profession in California, any administrative cost to the board related to the certified public accountant examination or issuance of the certified public accountant certificate that exceeds the maximum fees authorized by this section shall be covered by the fees charged for the biennial renewal of the permit to practice.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 723, Sec. 20.5. (SB 816) Effective January 1, 2024.)

  Previous section
Next section  
 Article 8 Contents