Anyone can print "accountant" on a business card. Before you hand someone your Social Security number and bank statements, spend sixty seconds confirming they hold the license they claim. Every Maine CPA has a license number, and the state's lookup shows its status, expiration and any disciplinary history on one record.
Why this matters
"CPA" is a state-issued license. In Maine it takes 150 semester hours of education with a degree, the four-part CPA exam, two years of experience under a licensed CPA, and continuing education every year to keep, all enforced by the Maine Board of Accountancy. "Accountant" and "tax expert" are just words. Every filing season the IRS warns about "ghost preparers" (opens in new tab) who file inflated returns, take a cut of the refund, and vanish — leaving you responsible for every penny. A license check is your cheapest insurance.
Option 1: The board's official license lookup
The Maine Board of Accountancy, part of the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, publishes every license through its online license search (opens in new tab). It is the legal source of record and the one to use before you sign an engagement letter.
- Open the search and choose to search individuals.
- Enter the license number — Maine CPA numbers start with CP — or the surname.
- Open the matching result.
The record shows what this directory deliberately doesn't carry: the current status, the expiration date, continuing-education status, the license history, any firm the CPA is responsible for, and any disciplinary actions. If a "CPA" appears there with anything other than an active status, you have your answer.
One quirk: the address of a record changes every time anyone searches, so a link someone sends you to a Maine license record may stop working. That is the lookup, not a sign of anything wrong — search the number yourself.
Option 2: This directory, by city
Every listing here comes from the board's list of active licenses as of September 25, 2026. Open the city page for where they practice and scan the alphabetical list. Each profile shows the license number to search on the board's lookup, and each city page lists the licensed firms there along with the CPA the board holds responsible for each one. A match confirms an active Maine license on that date; a miss is a reason to check the board directly, not a verdict.
Option 3: CPAverify, for out-of-state CPAs
Maine law lets a CPA whose main office is in another state with equivalent licensing standards work for Maine clients without registering here. To check one, CPAverify (opens in new tab) — run by NASBA, the national association of state accountancy boards, and linked from the Maine board's own site — searches official records from most state boards at once. Maine's roster also includes licensees based in other states and abroad.
CPA or Public Accountant?
Maine still has a handful of Public Accountant licenses, an older class the board no longer issues but continues to renew. Public Accountants are licensed for accounting, tax and advisory work, but the title is not "CPA". The lookup shows which license a person holds; make sure it is the one they told you.
Bonus: checking a tax preparer who isn't a CPA
Plenty of honest preparers aren't CPAs — but every paid preparer must hold an IRS PTIN and sign your return. Check credentials in the IRS directory of credentialed preparers (opens in new tab). A preparer who won't sign or share a PTIN is the classic ghost preparer — walk away. What each credential actually means.
What to check, in 60 seconds
- Name and license number match the board's record. Exactly — not a similar name at the same firm.
- The license is a CPA license and the status is active. Everything in this directory is; on the board's lookup, anything else deserves questions.
- Any disciplinary section is empty — or, if it isn't, you have read what is there and asked about it.
- City lines up with where they claim to practice.
- They answered without hesitation when you asked for the number. Reluctance is data.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to verify a CPA license in Maine?
Yes. The Maine Board of Accountancy’s official license lookup, this directory, and NASBA’s CPAverify are all free and take under a minute. There is never a fee to check whether someone is licensed.
Where do I find a Maine CPA’s license number?
Ask them — a licensed CPA will give it without hesitation — or look them up by name. Maine CPA license numbers start with CP. Every profile on this directory shows the number the board publishes, so you can search it on the board’s lookup.
Why doesn’t this directory link straight to the board’s record?
Because Maine’s lookup has no permanent address for a single license: the link to a record changes every time someone searches. Searching the license number on the board’s lookup takes a few seconds and always reaches the current record.
What is a Maine “Public Accountant”?
An older Maine license class. The board no longer issues Public Accountant licenses but still renews the existing ones, and holders are licensed for accounting, tax and advisory work. It is not a CPA license, so this directory does not list them.
Can a CPA licensed in another state work for me in Maine?
Usually, yes. Maine law lets a CPA whose principal place of business is in another state with substantially equivalent licensing practice in Maine with no notice, registration or fee. Check their home-state license on CPAverify.
How do I check whether a CPA has been disciplined?
Open the license on the board’s lookup. The record shows the current status, the expiration date and any disciplinary actions. This directory does not republish that history — it lists active licenses only and points you to the board’s record, which is the authoritative source.
Verify a CPA right now
Every listing in this directory is on the state board's active roster. Free to browse, free to get matched.