Pennsylvania · CPA Licensing · Official Lookup Guide
Pennsylvania CPA license lookup: checking a license on PALS, and what it shows.
Pennsylvania licenses CPAs through its State Board of Accountancy and publishes licence numbers and status in PALS, the state licensing database. This guide explains what the Department of State says PALS shows.
Use PALS, the Pennsylvania Licensing System, which the Department of State links as its "Search for a professional's license" tool. The Department says you can search for a professional or occupational licensee's license number and status at any time, and that PALS shows whether the licensee has faced disciplinary action from a licensing board, such as suspension or fines.
What the official source says
The Department of State page says you can search for a licensee's license number and status, and that PALS shows whether the licensee has ever faced disciplinary action from their licensing board. It separately links to a "Professional licensing disciplinary actions" notices page for the disciplinary detail.
The page does not list the search fields and does not state how current the data is or whether PALS is the primary source of record, so treat the live PALS result as the record and ask the Board where it matters.
Open PALS
The lookup runs on the official site. TNAADO republishes no records and receives nothing you type.
Where the Accountancy Board fits
The State Board of Accountancy's own page points licensees to PALS through its "Apply or Renew Your License" link and gives the Department of State line, 1-833-DOS-BPOA. It also names an email address, St-Accountancy@pa.gov, and says that address is reserved for documentation such as letters of good standing and exam information, not for license lookups. That is useful to know: do not email the Board to ask whether someone is licensed; use PALS.
PALS is a statewide database for many professions, not only accountancy. The same Department of State page is the entry point for nurses, engineers and others, which is why a search needs the profession or board selected where the tool asks for it.
What a lookup settles and what it does not
A PALS result can settle two questions: does this person hold a Pennsylvania license, and is it active? The Department says discipline appears, so a clean result is more informative than a bare "active". It cannot tell you whether the person is competent for your engagement, whether a firm (rather than an individual) is registered, or whether a CPA holds licences in other states, which are separate records. For the national route see CPA license lookup by state, and for how PALS works across professions see the PALS verification guide.
A worked example (hypothetical)
Maya (made up) runs a small business in Pittsburgh and is about to hire a CPA recommended by a friend. This describes no real person.
Maya opens PALS, searches by the CPA's name with the accountancy profession selected, and reads the license number and status. She then opens the Department's disciplinary actions notices page to see whether any action involves the same name. Because the Department's page says PALS shows discipline but does not state a refresh schedule, Maya asks the CPA for the license number and compares it to the PALS record, and phones the Department's line for anything that does not match.
What this page does not cover
- It does not run the search or store anything you type; there is no form on this page.
- It does not copy or republish licensee records or disciplinary notices.
- It does not explain how to become a Pennsylvania CPA, renewal rules or continuing-education requirements.
- It does not say how current the PALS data is; the Department's page does not state it.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I look up a Pennsylvania CPA license?
On PALS, the Pennsylvania Licensing System, linked from this page.
What does PALS show?
The Department of State says you can search a licensee's license number and status, and see whether the licensee has faced disciplinary action.
Does PALS show discipline?
The Department says it shows whether a licensee has ever faced disciplinary action from their licensing board, such as suspension, fines or other penalties.
Is there a separate list of disciplinary actions?
Yes. The Department links a "Professional licensing disciplinary actions" notices page.
Can I email the Accountancy Board to ask if someone is licensed?
The Board's page says its email address is reserved for documentation such as letters of good standing and exam information, not license lookups.
How current is the data?
The Department's page does not state a refresh schedule, so rely on the live PALS result and confirm important facts with the Board.
Does TNAADO verify CPAs?
No. This page explains the official system and links to it. It does not look anyone up or collect anything.
Sources
Retrieved
- Pennsylvania Department of State: Verify a professional or occupational license
- Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy
- Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS)
Official government pages only. Each link was opened on the retrieval date and the facts above were read from it, except where the page says a page could not be read. The official site is the authority.
Unofficial guide — not a verification tool
This is an unofficial guide to a public government service. TNAADO is not affiliated with Pennsylvania Department of State, does not search or verify anything for you, does not copy or proxy any register, and sends nothing you type to its servers. Nothing here is an official verification, legal or financial advice. Details above were read from the official websites on 1 November 2026 and can change; always rely on the official site.