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Certified Public Accountant (CPA), not just a job title or career stream but a responsibility in itself in the field of accounting and audit. In order to uphold this responsibility a CPA has to ensure effective completion of CPE(Continuing Professional Education) credits requirements provided by NASBA.

This comprehensive guide will take you on a journey to easily understand all the CPA CPE requirements by State and how to ensure proper completion of the same in a less burdensome manner.

So, let's discuss step-by-step about the CPA CPE requirements:

What are the CPA CPE requirements?

The CPA CPE requirements provided by NASBA require a CPA to ensure effective completion of certain CPE credits (varying from state to state) each year in which CPE credits can only be obtained by attending a CPE program provided by a NASBA-approved CPE provider.

Additionally, each state board has set its own additional CPA continuing education requirements based on NASBA guidelines.

Here are the Top 10 states with the highest number of registered CPAs and their additional CPE requirements provided by their state boards:

Texas CPA CPE Requirements 

120 hours in each three-year period, with a minimum of 20 hours in each one-year period, click here to know more.

California CPA CPE Requirements

80 hours every two years, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, in which at least 40 hours in technical subjects, with a minimum of 12 hours per year, and at least 2 hours in regulatory review every 6 years, click here to know more.

New York CPA CPE Requirements

CPAs can choose either the 24-hour or 40-hour rule each year

40-hour rule-

40 hours of CPE in any combination of fields of study

At least 4 hours of New York-specific ethics every 3 years

24-hour rule-

24 hours of CPE in a single field of study

At least 4 hours of New York-specific ethics every 3 years, click here to know more.

Virginia CPA CPE Requirements

120 hours in a rolling three-year period, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, click here to know more.

Ohio CPA CPE Requirements

120 hours every 3 years, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, click here to know more.

New-Jersey CPA CPE Requirements

120 hours every 3 years, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, click here to know more.

Illinois CPA CPE Requirements

120 hours every 3 years. Click here to know more, click here to know more.

Georgia CPA CPE Requirements

80 hours every 2 years, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, click here to know more.

North Carolina CPA CPE Requirements

 40 hours/ 2000 CPE minutes every year, click here to know more

Pennsylvania CPA CPE Requirements

80 hours every 2 years, with a minimum of 20 hours per year, click here to know more.

If you are registered in some other state then you can also check for your state board’s CPE requirements.

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Acceptable Subject Areas for CPA CPE Requirements   

In order to complete CPE requirements for CPA one must adhere to only those subjects which are approved by NASBA. These subjects are categorized into technical and non-technical subjects, which are as follows:

subject area for cpa cpe requirements

Technical Subjects in order to complete CPE requirements for CPA

  • Accounting 
  • Information Technology 
  • Accounting (Governmental)
  • Management Services 
  • Auditing 
  • Regulatory Ethics 
  • Auditing (Governmental) 
  • Specialized Knowledge 
  • Business Law 
  • Statistics 
  • Economics 
  • Taxes 
  • Finance

Non-technical Subjects in order to complete CPE requirements for CPA

  • Behavioral Ethics
  • Personal Development
  • Business Management & Organization
  • Personnel/Human Resources
  • Communications & Marketing
  • Production
  • Computer Software & Applications

Also, acceptable subject areas differ from state to state, but every state Board of Accountancy has determined its own subject area which more or less matches with the subjects provided by NASBA.

cta

CPA CPE Courses with AI, Taxation and A&A

The importance of AI, especially in taxation and audit, is not an unknown topic to anyone, be it in the field of accounting or be it in taxation and audit. 

Choosing to obtain CPE credits for CPA by opting CPE courses with AI, taxation and A&A gets you an edge over other competitors as it gets you updated with the latest trends and the technologies involved in order to provide the best possible services to the client.

It also increases the effectiveness and efficiency of CPAs as you would be able to spend less time on simple routine tasks and more time on value-adding services, making better use of the professional knowledge and skills that you have.

What are Advanced Certification Courses in order to obtain CPE hours for CPA?

Advanced certification courses are a series of integrated modules specially designed by a subject matter expert in order to enhance your skill set portfolio and provide you with in-depth knowledge of the latest concepts.

Some of the major benefits of opting for advanced certification courses are as follows:

  • You get an additional designation along with continuous education credits.
  • You get expertise on the subject and get paid more
  • You get practical insight and case study-driven program
  • You get assignment-based modules

How to get CPE Credits for CPA?

Before you understand the process of getting CPE credits for CPA, you must become cautious in choosing your CPE provider and make sure they are an authorized CPE provider by NASBA. 
Example: myCPE is an approved CPE provider with registry id: 143597

So, basically, there are various ways of obtaining CPE credits, which are as follows: 

  • Conferences
  • Classroom-based teaching
  • Self-learning online courses
  • Live-Webinars
  • Seminars
  • Workshops
  • College courses
  • Professional development events

Once you obtain your CPE credits, it is also mandatory to maintain a record of the same by keeping it documented for at least five years. 

A CPA should keep Certificate of completion which contains the following details:-

  • CPE program sponsor name
  • Participant’s name
  • Course title
  • Date offered or completed
  • If applicable, location
  • Type of instructional delivery method used
  • Amount of CPE credit recommended by field(s) of study
  • Sponsor identification number
  • State registration number, if required by the state boards
  • NASBA time statement stating that CPE credits have been granted on a 50-minute hour
  • Any other statements required by boards of accountancy

Lastly, in this whole process never ever forget to accurately report your CPE credits that you have obtained and all the CPE activity that you have done in lieu of CPA continuing professional education requirements.

How much does a Subscription plan of myCPE costs for CPE courses?

Generally, there are two types of subscription plans for CPE courses:

  • Individual Subscription
  • Enterprise Subscription (if you are buying the courses for your organization)

myCPE offers the most affordable packages and user-friendly CPE plans, making it easier for every CPA to get through their CPE credit process effortlessly.

CTA

How to Calculate CPE Hours?

To calculate the CPE requirements, one must adhere to the current CPE standards. CPE credit is given based on the NASBA word-count formula or pilot testing method. In self-paced courses, normally, an individual obtains 1 credit for a runtime of 50 minutes of an approved CPE course.

So, for example, if you have achieved a runtime of 500 minutes in an approved CPE program then you will be awarded with 10 credits of CPE.

How to complete CPA CPE Requirements in one go?

In order to complete CPA CPE requirements in one go an individual may either opt for individual courses or a combination of combined advanced course packages provided by myCPE. 

It is always advisable to go with an annual subscription plan in which myCPE takes care of all the CPE requirements to be fulfilled annually so as to make the CPE credit attainment way easier than it feels.

These packages involve professional skill development on various topics and learning needs which are aligned with the latest industrial requirements. Additionally, they are also beneficial as these state-specific packages will comply with all the state-specific requirements.

How to Track your CPE Credits?

myCPE provides a CPE credit tracker for each of our users. Once a user enrolls in a subscription plan and finishes their CPE course, they earn their credits, then they would be able to track their earned CPE credits on the tracker. They can also download their certificates which can be kept as evidence for the CPE course completed.

FAQs

How many CPE credits are required by CPA?

There are different CPE credit requirements by all 55 state boards for CPA. One can check them here: State-wise CPA CPE Requirements.

During what time period must CPE be completed? 

It is not the same for all states as it differs from state to state. For many states, it is yearly (40 hours) or for some it is biennially (80 hours) and for some states, it is triannually (120 hours).

Allen Smith
Allen Smith
Learning Consultant

The Authors, Allen Smith is a Practicing Certified public accountant and senior vice president at myCPE – Continuing Education Platform for Professionals. He understands the current needs of the education domain and strategies for the presenters to adapt the new changes.

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