license
Certified Public Accountant
AICPA / State Boards of Accountancy
$1,500
exam fee · checked 2026-08
400 hrs
400 hours — about 40 weeks at 10 hrs/wk
1 yr
renewal cycle — this is a recurring cost
AICPA / State Boards of Accountancy — official page →
Where it is actually asked for
- Accountant or Auditor (national)68%19 of 28 postings
- Financial Manager (national)18%14 of 79 postings
- Computer Systems Analyst (national)16%3 of 19 postings
- Financial Manager in San Francisco14%4 of 28 postings
- Financial and Investment Analyst (national)13%3 of 23 postings
- Management Analyst in San Francisco12%2 of 17 postings
- Management Analyst (national)10%6 of 60 postings
- Financial Manager in New York7%1 of 15 postings
Where it barely came up
It appeared in these samples, but rarely. If one of these is the job you want, this credential is probably not the thing standing between you and it.
- General and Operations Manager in New York2%1 of 43 postings
- General and Operations Manager (national)1%3 of 258 postings
- General and Operations Manager in San Francisco1%1 of 88 postings
- Marketing Manager (national)1%2 of 272 postings
- Data Scientist (national)1%2 of 283 postings
- Computer and Information Systems Manager (national)1%2 of 342 postings
These percentages describe the samples we read, listed above with their sizes and dates. They are not a statement about the whole labour market, and absence from this page means we have no evidence either way — not that the credential is worthless. How we know →