A lot of people study accounting and pursuing their career as an accountant in different firms and offices. Every accountant needs to the passed the CPA exam and have completed the required experience to become one of the licensed people as CPAs by a state board of accountancy. While working as a CPA and gaining experience every day.
Every state board of accountancy has some requirements for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) that you will need to renew your license. These requirements must have been completed within a period of time, anywhere from annually to every 3 years.
Matching up with your CPE demands and requirements can be challenging for yourself if you are a full- or part-time working person, so there are some simplified and easy general requirements from different states besides contacts to deeper resources you may need in your field.
There are some general rules and requirements are for CPE, many education hours needed to complete to keep a CPA license in good standing with the state board of accountancy, and it often required to complete these courses.
What Is CPE?
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is an education requirement that put in place by each state’s board of accountancy and it is responsible for CPA licensing. CPE works to keep Certified Public Accountants up to date with the latest industry rules and state rules related to accounting.
As a CPA, continuing education gives a chance to add to your professional development, allows you to better assist your clients, and helps you uphold your skillset over time.
Keeping up with CPE courses and requirements can be troublesome while you’re working full or part-time, but by knowing that what your required number, of course, hours are, you can plan a schedule for it and work the courses into your schedule at your accessibility over time.
How Many CPE Hours Are Required?
Every country has different requirements from others for the number of CPE hours required to keep a CPA license in a good position and avoid fees and fines. Only one state (Wisconsin) at this time does not require any CPE hours for license renewal.
Almost every state’s average requirement for CPE hours is up to 40 hours per year. The requirement of some states is that you complete 40 hours annually and some states required to complete 80 hours within a 2-year period of time.
There is an exception to completing the typical 40 hours of CPE annually in the state of New York, You can freely choose as an alternative to taking 24 hours of CPE in a single subject area. In the single subject area, the New York State Board of Public Accountancy describes (Accounting, attestation, taxation, auditing, specialized knowledge, advisory services, and applications related to specialized industries, or professional ethics).
The maximum hours required in CPE in any state is 120 hours, but with this high requirement, all states allow a 3-year period to complete the courses.
Although 120 hours in continuing education courses may look devastating, the 3-year requirement means you have a year to complete 40-course hours. Generally, approximately every states’ requirements require 40 CPE hours each year.
Can I Complete CPE Courses Virtually?
There is one more option to take CPE courses online. It is the most preferred option for many busy CPAs. As an alternative to traveling to and from a classroom on scheduled days, you can take courses online any time you have the convenience.
Online CPE courses range is from free to $125 for bundled courses that fulfill more of your CPE hour requirements.
While browsing online for the courses make sure to look for the seal of NASBA approval, through any third-party institutions. The seal is basically the logo of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors’. You’ll know it’s NASBA-approved when you see the logo on any CPE course and will count toward your required CPE credits.
How Often Are CPE Courses Required?
There is a must to take CPE courses within a state-specified time period that sometimes, but not always, agrees with the license renewal period. Your continuing education proof can be reported anytime during the year in many states.
The requirement of some states is to complete a percentage of your CPE courses within a certain time period. Colorado requires you to complete 50% or 40 hours of your total, 80 hours required of CPE courses each year, twice-yearly by 50% at once. These requirements make it necessary to plan your continuing education courses in advance so you’ll have the correct number of hours completed in the right time period.
