CPA Exam Score Release 2026: Official Dates and What to Check

Updated September 15, 2026: the current cpa exam score release 2026 calendar uses two different fields. For Core sections, start with the date the AICPA receives your Prometric exam data file. For Discipline sections, start with the quarterly testing window. The paired release dates are official target dates, not guaranteed posting times.

However, that distinction matters when you are choosing an exam date, protecting a credit deadline, or deciding whether a missing result is actually late. This page puts the current AICPA and NASBA schedule in one place, shows how to select the right row, and separates an advisory score from the later Score Notice.

Quick answer: Therefore, as checked on September 15, 2026, the remaining 2026 Core target dates are September 15, October 9, November 10, November 24, and December 16, plus January 12, 2027 for the December 31 receipt cutoff. The 2026 Discipline targets are September 11 for July testing and December 15 for October testing. Always reopen the official pages before relying on a future cycle.

For a broader preparation path, continue with our CPA Exam Study Guide.

CPA Exam Score Release 2026: The Current Answer

First, the decision is not “How many days should I wait?” It is “Which official schedule describes my section?” AUD, FAR, and REG are Core sections. BAR, ISC, and TCP are Discipline sections. The AICPA calendar treats those groups differently, so copying a date from the wrong section type can create a false deadline.

For Core, the controlling event is the AICPA’s receipt of the exam data file from Prometric. In practice, a test-center appointment date is useful for your own record, but it is not the same as the receipt timestamp. Also, for Discipline, the published 2026 table uses the July or October administration window and pairs it with a target release date.

What is confirmed right now

• The AICPA page dated August 31, 2026 lists the 2026 Core and Discipline target schedule.
• NASBA’s score page says its table reflects information available as of September 9, 2026.
• The dates can change, and NASBA may need additional processing after receiving results.
• The candidate should track the advisory score and Score Notice as separate statuses.

2026 Official CPA Exam Score Release Dates

Next, use the table below as a dated planning map. The first six rows are Core rows: “AICPA receives by” is the file-receipt cutoff, and “target release” is the paired target date. In contrast, the final two rows are Discipline rows: the first field is the testing window, not a Core-style receipt cutoff.

Official pages checked September 15, 2026. NASBA’s table reflects information available as of September 9, 2026. Target dates may change.

Therefore, use the target date for planning, not for predicting an exact posting hour. Keep the official link and check date with your reminder so a later revision is visible.

Which 2026 Schedule Applies to You?

Next, use a two-question sequence: identify the section, then use its matching field in the official calendar. This is safer than searching for a date that merely looks close to your appointment.

Step 1: identify Core or Discipline

In practice, Core means AUD, FAR, or REG. These sections are available through continuous testing, and their score-release rows are based on when AICPA receives the exam data file. In contrast, Discipline means BAR, ISC, or TCP. In the 2026 schedule, these sections are organized into the first month of the applicable quarter, so the relevant field is the testing window.

Step 2: write the schedule field in your record

Then, for Core, write the test-center date, closest AICPA receipt cutoff, paired target release, and page check date. The appointment itself does not prove the cutoff was met. For Discipline, write the July or October testing window, paired target, and processing jurisdiction.

For example, late-September FAR uses a Core row, not the July Discipline row; an October TCP attempt uses the October Discipline row and its December 15 target.

Target Date, Local Timing, and Pending Details

However, the official calendar contains confirmed published targets, but a target is not the same as a guarantee. AICPA says the file must arrive from Prometric before scoring can begin. Moreover, NASBA says the target date may change, and testing on the last cutoff day does not guarantee that the file will arrive in time.

Meanwhile, local processing is a second boundary. NASBA does not publish a state-by-state score-release order. In addition, after AICPA sends results, NASBA processes them and the applicable Board or jurisdiction may have its own release step. In other words, a friend’s result time or a commercial countdown is not a deadline for your Board.

Keep three labels in your notes

• Confirmed: the section type, the official row, the schedule field, the target listed on the official page, and the date you checked it.
• Target or variable: the precise file handoff timing, the time of day a portal updates, and any local Board processing window.
• Pending: the advisory score if it has not posted, or the separate Score Notice if the advisory score is already visible.

As a result, this labeling keeps an ordinary processing delay from turning into a performance theory. The score-release calendar can tell you when to check; it cannot tell you whether you passed.

How to Use the Calendar Around Your Exam

Before the appointment, use the calendar to choose a realistic check date. If a release window is important for an application, job start, or credit deadline, do not plan on the final possible day without a buffer. NASBA’s official guidance says that taking the cutoff day does not guarantee the file will reach AICPA in time.

After the appointment, save five pieces of evidence: section, appointment or testing window, relevant cutoff or window, target date, and the official page’s checked date. In addition, this makes a support question precise without pretending you can see the file-transfer timestamp.

Next, on the target date, check the NASBA Candidate Portal or CPA Mobile App where your jurisdiction participates. If the advisory score appears, treat the Score Notice as a second task. NASBA says the notice generally becomes available within 72 hours, and candidates should save or print it because it is not kept indefinitely.

If the target passes with no advisory score, confirm the row, allow for jurisdiction timing, and use the official support path. Therefore, do not infer a failed result from a delay; verify any credit-expiration rule with your Board.

Use This CPA Exam Score Release 2026 Checklist

Next, use the Release-Date Ledger below for each section. The goal is to keep the date source, the release status, and the next action in separate fields.

Release-Date Ledger: section type → appointment or testing window → AICPA receipt cutoff or applicable window → target release date → portal status → Score Notice status → Board or NASBA follow-up → next official-page check date. In other words, keep the source date and the follow-up status visible together.

Therefore, the ledger is intentionally simple. It does not promise that the target will hold, and it does not replace a Board’s credit guidance. It gives you a dated record that can be refreshed when AICPA or NASBA updates the page.

2026 Score-Release Row Check

Record the answer and the date you verified it on the official page.

1. Is my section Core or Discipline?
2. Which AICPA receipt cutoff or testing window covers my attempt?
3. Have I recorded the paired target date as a target, not a guarantee?
4. Am I waiting for the advisory score or the separate Score Notice?

Check your reasoning

Answer: Use the section-specific row, save the target date with the September 15, 2026 check date, and plan a separate portal and Score Notice check. If the target passes without an advisory score, allow for jurisdiction timing before contacting the Board or NASBA.

The calendar becomes useful only when the candidate applies the right row and records which status is still pending.

What Has Not Changed About Your Score

Importantly, the schedule update does not change the scoring boundary. AICPA and NASBA state that a section requires a score of at least 75 to pass. The reported number is a scaled score, not a percentage correct, and scores are not curved. A delayed portal result does not change those facts.

Likewise, the schedule does not replace the official Score Notice. If you fail a section, the Score Notice normally includes the Candidate Performance Report, which is the document to use for a more specific study diagnosis. The public calendar is a timing tool; your score and CPR are the performance evidence.

Finally, the 2026 table does not establish a state-by-state order, a guaranteed posting hour, or a personal probability of passing. For this reason, those details remain unconfirmed or jurisdiction-specific unless your official Board gives you a current instruction.

Common Questions About the 2026 Release Calendar

Do Core and Discipline sections use the same score-release table?

No. In particular, Core rows use the date AICPA receives the Prometric data file and pair it with a target release. Discipline rows in the 2026 schedule use the quarterly testing window and pair it with a target release.

Does taking the exam on a Core cutoff date guarantee the target release?

No. In fact, the file must reach AICPA by the cutoff, and NASBA says testing on the last possible day does not guarantee inclusion in that cycle.

Can two people who test on the same day receive scores at different times?

Yes. Similarly, NASBA notes that quality-control and Board processing can vary. A different posting time is not, by itself, evidence of a different score outcome.

Is the Score Notice the same thing as the advisory score?

No. In other words, the advisory score is the result shown during release. The Score Notice is the official document that reports it and may include the Candidate Performance Report after a failed section. Allow up to 72 hours for the notice after the advisory score appears.

How often should this calendar be refreshed?

Additionally, refresh it whenever AICPA posts a new schedule, NASBA changes its Score Information guidance, your Board changes local timing, or the delivery platform changes. Keep the old check date visible in an update log.

Official Verification and Change Log

As a result, this article was checked September 15, 2026. At that time, the AICPA page showed the 2026 Core and Discipline target dates listed above, and the NASBA page described the current receipt, processing, portal, and Score Notice boundaries. The dates remain targets and should be verified again before a future high-stakes deadline.

Update owner: CPA Exam Prep content team. The next review is triggered by a revised AICPA calendar, a NASBA process or portal update, a Board-level timing or credit change, or a change to exam delivery and scoring. When updating, replace the affected schedule rows, preserve the checked date, and add a short note describing what changed.

Finally, for a candidate today, the next action is concrete: identify the section type, select the matching 2026 row, save the target date as provisional, and set separate reminders for the advisory score and Score Notice. That is the safest way to use cpa exam score release 2026 information without turning a schedule into a promise.

Sources and Update Log

Official pages checked September 15, 2026:

• AICPA CPA Exam score-release schedule — 2026 Core and Discipline target dates and the Prometric file-receipt note.
• NASBA Score Information — target-date caveats, processing chain, portal access, Score Notice timing, and delay guidance.
• NASBA CPA Exam FAQ — Board timing variation, same-day differences, and cutoff-day guidance.
• AICPA scoring and pass rates — the unchanged 75-point and scaled-score context.

Change log: September 15, 2026 — initial 2026 schedule review. Next review: when an official page changes a date, process, portal instruction, or jurisdiction-related boundary.

CPA exam questions

Do Core and Discipline sections use the same score-release table?

No. Core uses AICPA receipt cutoffs; Discipline uses its 2026 testing windows.

Does taking the exam on a Core cutoff date guarantee the target release?

No. The file must reach AICPA by the cutoff, and the target date is not guaranteed.

Can two people who test on the same day receive scores at different times?

Yes. Quality-control and Board processing can vary.