New requirements effective Jan. 1, 2018!
All Pennsylvania CPAs are required to obtain 80 hours of CPE credits per biennial period, four of which must be in ethics. In addition, there is a minimum requirement of 20 credit hours per year. If you provide attest services, you must complete 24 credit hours of A&A and 52 credit hours of professional development. If you do not provide attest services, you must complete 76 credit hours of professional development. Professional development can be in any area related to your professional needs.
Individuals may take up to 40 credits (50% of the total CPE requirement) as self-study. Note: Gov. Tom Wolf suspended the 40 credit restriction during the 2021 biennial renewal period which ended on Dec. 31, 2021. The 40 credit limit is effective beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
The current reporting period started on Jan. 1, 2022, and ends on Dec. 31, 2023. For a breakdown of the professional education requirements by type of study, use PICPA's at-a-glance guide.
On Sept. 23, 2017 the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy published the above regulatory changes in The Pennsylvania Bulletin. The new regulations are now effective. Read a summary of the changes and listen to this podcast for more information.
On May 1, 2001, the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy implemented amended CPE program sponsor regulations that directly impacted licensees. The amendment included a stipulation that all individuals or entities offering a program for continuing education credit must apply to the Board for approval as a program sponsor. Licensees should confirm a sponsor's approval under the regulations prior to registering for a program.
Licensees who participate in programs provided by unapproved sponsors need to take additional steps and not assume the training qualifies for continuing education credits. Those steps include determining whether the program met all requirements of CPE and the program sponsor met all responsibilities under the regulations and maintaining documentation to support these claims. For more details on the CPE requirements and program sponsor responsibilities, review the regulations of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy.