CPA Exam Dates 2026 and 2027: Score Release Schedule
Kyle Ashcraft, CPA · 2019 CPA Exam Scores · 95 FAR · 98 BEC · 91 REG · 90 AUD
Two different scheduling systems run side by side, and mixing them up is the most common planning mistake candidates make.
Core sections are continuous. AUD, FAR and REG can be scheduled at any point in the year, and scores are released on a rolling basis roughly every two to three weeks. Discipline sections are not. BAR, ISC and TCP are administered only during the first month of each quarter, with one score release per window.
That difference drives everything below. If you need a Discipline score by a particular date, you have four chances a year, and missing a window costs you three months.
In this guide
All dates on this page are taken from the AICPA's published score release schedule, last updated 31 August 2026 and verified here on 10 September 2026.
Read this before you plan around any date below. These are target dates and the AICPA states plainly that they are subject to change.
More importantly, the Core cutoff is not the date you sit the exam. It is the date the AICPA receives your exam data file from Prometric, and your exam cannot be scored until that file arrives. Sitting on the cutoff date itself does not guarantee your file gets there in time. If a particular score release matters to you, test one or two days early.
When are 2026 Core scores released?
For AUD, FAR and REG. Sixteen release dates across the year.
| If the AICPA receives your file by | Target score release |
|---|---|
| January 23 | February 10 |
| February 14 | February 24 |
| March 9 | March 17 |
| March 31 | April 9 |
| April 23 | May 7 |
| May 16 | May 27 |
| June 8 | June 16 |
| June 30 | July 10 |
| July 23 | August 7 |
| August 15 | August 25 |
| September 7 | September 15 |
| September 30 | October 9 |
| October 23 | November 10 |
| November 15 | November 24 |
| December 8 | December 16 |
| December 31 | January 12, 2027 |
Note the two long gaps. A file received on 23 October waits until 10 November, and one received on 31 December waits until 12 January. Everywhere else the turnaround is eight to fifteen days. If you are choosing between two nearby test dates in late October or late December, the earlier one can save you well over a week of waiting.
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When are 2026 Discipline scores released?
For BAR, ISC and TCP. Four windows, four releases.
| Testing window | Target score release |
|---|---|
| January 1 to 31 | March 13 |
| April 1 to 30 | June 16 |
| July 1 to 31 | September 11 |
| October 1 to 31 | December 15 |
The wait is the part people underestimate. Sit a Discipline in early July and you wait until 11 September. That is roughly ten weeks with no idea whether you passed, and if you did not, the next window opens in October with a score arriving in December.
This is the strongest practical argument for taking your Discipline earlier in your campaign rather than saving it for last. A failed Core section costs you a few weeks. A failed Discipline can cost you a quarter.
When are 2027 Core scores released?
The AICPA has published the first half of 2027. The pattern continues as normal through June, then changes substantially, which is covered below.
| If the AICPA receives your file by | Target score release |
|---|---|
| January 23 | February 9 |
| February 14 | February 23 |
| March 9 | March 17 |
| March 31 | April 9 |
| April 23 | May 11 |
| May 16 | May 25 |
| June 8 | June 16 |
| June 30 | July 13 |
When are 2027 Discipline scores released?
| Testing window | Target score release |
|---|---|
| January 1 to 31 | March 16 |
| April 1 to 30 | June 9 |
Only two windows are published, because the second half of 2027 works differently.
What changes in July 2027?
This is the part of the schedule worth planning around now, well before it arrives.
Beginning in July 2027 the CPA Exam moves to a new technology delivery platform, with changes to the user interface. That transition requires an adjusted administration and score release schedule, and the adjustment is significant: continuous Core testing with rolling releases gives way to fixed testing windows with a single release date, the way Disciplines already work.
Core sections, Q3 2027 through Q2 2028
| Testing window | Target score release |
|---|---|
| July 12 to September 30, 2027 | October 19, 2027 |
| October 1 to December 15, 2027 | December 28, 2027 |
| January 1 to March 15, 2028 | March 28, 2028 |
| April 1 to June 15, 2028 | June 27, 2028 |
Discipline sections, Q3 2027 through Q2 2028
| Testing window | Target score release |
|---|---|
| July 12 to August 12, 2027 | September 28, 2027 |
| October 1 to October 31, 2027 | December 17, 2027 |
| January 1 to January 31, 2028 | March 17, 2028 |
| April 1 to April 30, 2028 | June 16, 2028 |
What this does to a study plan, and why it matters before 2027 arrives. Sit a Core section on 20 July 2027 and your score does not arrive until 19 October. Under the current system, a file received on 23 July 2026 is scored by 7 August. The same wait goes from roughly two weeks to roughly three months.
If you are working through a 30-month credit window that runs into late 2027, build that in. A failed section under the new schedule costs you a full quarter before you even learn you failed, and there is no earlier release date to aim for.
There is also a gap. Between 30 June 2027 and 12 July 2027 no Core testing dates are published, so treat early July 2027 as unavailable until the AICPA says otherwise.
The AICPA marks the entire 2027 and 2028 portion of the schedule as subject to change, which is worth taking seriously for a transition of this size. Check before you book anything past June 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take the Core sections at any time of year?
Yes. AUD, FAR and REG are offered on a continuous basis and can be scheduled throughout the year, with scores released on a rolling basis. That changes in July 2027, when Core testing moves to fixed windows.
When can I take a Discipline section?
During the first month of each quarter only. In 2026 that means January, April, July and October, with one score release per window.
Why is my score release date based on a file rather than my test date?
Your exam cannot be scored until the AICPA receives your exam data file from Prometric, which administers the exam. Sitting on a cutoff date does not guarantee the file arrives in time, so test one or two days earlier if a specific release date matters.
How long do I wait for a Discipline score?
Around six to ten weeks. A July 2026 sitting releases on 11 September, and an October sitting releases on 15 December.
What is changing in July 2027?
The CPA Exam moves to a new technology delivery platform, and the schedule changes with it. Core sections shift from continuous testing with rolling releases to fixed testing windows with a single release date. The first Core window runs 12 July to 30 September 2027, releasing 19 October 2027.
Are these score release dates guaranteed?
No. The AICPA publishes them as target dates and states that they are subject to change, with that caveat applied especially to the 2027 and 2028 schedule.
How long do I have to pass all four sections?
Generally 30 months from sitting your first section, and in some states as long as three years. Individual state boards set their own rules, so confirm the window with yours.
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Kyle Ashcraft, CPA scored 90 or above on every section of the CPA exam in 2019, including a 95 on FAR. He is the founder and sole instructor of Maxwell CPA Review, a complete CPA review course covering all six sections, where he creates every lecture, textbook and study outline himself.
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