Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Certification Process

AICPA Ethics Exam

Illinois candidates seeking certification after January 1, 2005 are required to pass a separate examination on the rules of professional conduct.

This separate exam is the AICPA Ethics Exam.You can take this exam at any point during the process of taking the Uniform CPA Exam; it never expires and there is no deadline date associated with finishing it.

The AICPA Ethics Exam is taken after completing a course called Professional Ethics: The AICPA’s Comprehensive Course (For Licensure). You must earn a minimum score of 90% to qualify for certification.

As part of the test process, indicate that you want Illinois to receive your test score. The AICPA will electronically send your score to the ILBOE. However, if you do not see in your score history that we have received your score, you can send it in yourself. Go to the AICPA Store to obtain a copy of your certificate. Then, scan your copy to ethics@ilboe.org.

The Illinois CPA Society offers discounted pricing for the Ethics Exam. Visit Future CPA at their CPA Exam Resources page.

Certification Timeline

You have passed all four sections of the Uniform CPA exam and the AICPA Ethics exam score appears in your online account. Congratulations!

Your Certification Letter

If all your exam scores were posted to your online account before submitting the Ethics Exam score, we will email your official certification letter approximately 3 days after we receive your Ethics Exam score.

If you have submitted the Ethics Exam score, but we are still waiting for the score of your fourth exam section, we will email your official certification letter approximately 3 days after the score release date of that fourth exam.

Your certification letter contains your certificate number and important information about applying for an Illinois license. Until you get a license, you cannot legally identify yourself as a CPA. With a certificate, you can only say “Successfully completed the CPA Exam.”

Physical Certificate

Upon issuance of your certification letter, you will also receive an emailed attachment containing your certificate. This can be printed on the cardstock of your choice. If you would like the ILBOE to produce your certificate on 100 lb. white cardstock and mail it to you, please log in to your online account and submit the Duplicate Certificate request found under the “Certified Public Accountant” link.

We do not mail printed certificates to countries outside the United States. If you would still like a duplicate certificate, please arrange a carrier of your choice to pick up the certificate at our office and deliver it to you.

Candidates who were certified in the past can also request a certificate by logging in and selecting “Duplicate Certificate” under the Certified Public Accountant Link. 

Notice

Until you are certified, the Re-Exam link applications will remain under the Online Applications options in your online account. Also, after you have been certified, expiration dates will appear next to passed exams in the Complete Examination History even though they now no longer expire.

Please understand this is an idiosyncrasy of our computer system and there is no need to call the office.

Frequently Asked Questions

I took the AICPA Ethics Exam but I don’t see my score in my online account. What should I do?

The most efficient solution is to go to the AICPA store, obtain a copy of your certificate, and email it to ethics@ilboe.org.

I have finished all four exam sections and the ethics exam. What happens now?

Congratulations. As soon as we have a record of all five scores, we will email you a certification letter. With the certificate number in that letter, you can apply for a license.

I applied for a license at the IDFPR, but I got a deficiency letter stating they need my certificate number. How do I make that happen?

If you were recently certified, it may be that you applied too early- before we sent your certificate number to them. If you were certified months or years ago, you can go to your online account, click on the “Certified Public Accountant” link, and make a free request called “Verification of Certification.”

Now that I am certified, how do I describe myself on a resume?

Until you get a license, you cannot legally identify yourself as a CPA. With a certificate, you can only say “Successfully completed the CPA Exam.”