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. Michigan makes this easy: every CPA has a license number, and the state's free lookup shows whether it is active.
Why this matters
"CPA" is a state-issued license — a college degree, a four-part exam, supervised experience, and continuing education every renewal, enforced by the Michigan Board of Accountancy (opens in new tab). "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 legally responsible for every penny. A license check is your cheapest insurance.
Option 1: LARA's official license lookup
Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) runs the Verify a License (opens in new tab) page for every profession it regulates, CPAs included. It hands off to the MiPLUS lookup; there is no direct link to a single license, so search by name or license number and open the record. It is the legal source of record and the one to use before you sign an engagement letter. A name that comes back with no active Licensed Accountant license — nothing at all, a registered accountant certificate, or a status other than active — is your answer.
Option 2: This directory, by city
Every listing here comes from LARA's public license list of active licensed accountants as of September 14, 2026, filtered so that registered accountants and anything not active never appear. Open the city page for where they practice and scan the alphabetical list. Each profile shows the license number, the year it was first issued, and a link to LARA's lookup with the number to search on. A match confirms an active Michigan 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
If someone claims a license from another state, CPAverify (opens in new tab) — run by NASBA, the national association of state accountancy boards — searches official records from more than 50 licensing boards at once, including disciplinary flags for most states. Michigan's roster also includes 2,090 active licensees with addresses in other states, mostly Florida, Illinois, Texas, California, and Ohio; a Chicago CPA who works with Michigan clients may hold both.
Reading a Michigan license number
The Michigan Board of Accountancy issues three credentials, and the first four digits tell them apart:
- 1101 — Licensed Accountant. A CPA who may practice public accounting. These are the people listed here.
- 1103 — Registered Accountant. Holds the CPA certificate but may not offer accounting services to the public. Not listed on this site.
- 1102 — Accountancy Firm. A licensed business, not a person. Firms appear on city pages alongside the CPAs who practice there.
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 LARA's record. Exactly — not a similar name at the same firm.
- The number starts with 1101 and the status is active. Everything in this directory is; on LARA's lookup, anything else deserves questions.
- The board's record shows nothing you haven't asked about.
- 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 Michigan?
Yes. LARA’s Verify a 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 Michigan CPA’s license number?
Ask them — a licensed CPA will give it without hesitation — or look them up by name. Every profile on this directory shows the license number LARA publishes. Michigan CPA licenses start with 1101; a number starting 1103 is a registered accountant, who holds the certificate but may not offer services to the public.
What if I can’t find my accountant in the search?
First, try their legal name — someone who goes by “Bob” may be licensed as “Robert,” and married names sometimes differ from license records. Try the surname alone. If they still don’t appear, they may hold a license in another state (check CPAverify), they may be a registered rather than licensed accountant, or they may not be a CPA at all. Ask them directly which state licensed them.
Does my tax preparer have to be a CPA?
No — but anyone paid to prepare federal returns must have an IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) and is required to sign your return. CPAs and enrolled agents can additionally represent you before the IRS without limitation. What’s never okay is a preparer who refuses to sign your return or provide a PTIN.
How do I check whether a CPA has been disciplined?
Through the state, not here. This directory lists active licenses only and carries no discipline history; any board action against a license appears on the board’s own record, which you reach through LARA’s Verify a License page. If you find something, ask the CPA about it directly.
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.