GENERAL INFORMATION
CPE REGULATIONS
Below is a summary of key North Carolina State Board of CPA Examiners (State Board) regulations. For a complete list of North Carolina State Board of Accountancy rules, click here.
CPE OVERVIEW
All active North Carolina CPAs are required to complete 40 hours of CPE hours by December 31 of each year. CPE must annually include two hours of ethics and conduct.
To receive CPE credit, the course must meet the requirements of the State Board's CPE rules and increase the professional competency of the CPA. Each CPA must maintain records that substantiate the CPE credits claimed for the current year as well as the four previous calendar years (five years total).
The Board does not approve specific CPE courses, but does register sponsors of CPE courses.
CALCULATING CPE HOURS
CPE hours must be calculated in accordance with the State Board's rule on the computation of CPE credits.
A contact hour is equal to 50 minutes of instruction. Half-hour credits, equaling 25 minutes of contact time, are allowed only after the first full credit hour has been earned. CPE credit is only granted for actual time spent in the classroom. Participants are expected to adjust their credits should they arrive late and/or leave early, or spend time outside the classroom during course instruction.
The Board does not allow CPE credit for reading or researching accounting journals, periodicals, or reference guides and manuals, even if testing mechanism are available to assess the comprehension of reading material to count as CPE credit.
CARRY FORWARD CPE
When a CPA has completed more than the required number of CPE hours in one calendar year, the extra hours, not to exceed 20 hours, may be carried forward and treated as hours earned in the following year. Please note that carry-forward hours may not be used to satisfy the ethics CPE requirement or the non-self-study CPE requirement. You may access your carry-forward CPE hours, via the State Board’s website “Licensee Search” function.
ETHICS REQUIREMENT
21 NCAC 08G .0410, Professional Ethics and Conduct CPE, states: (Revised/Effective 1/2012)
(a) As part of the annual CPE requirement, all active CPAs shall complete CPE on professional ethics and conduct. They shall complete either two hours in a group study format or in a self-study format of a course on regulatory or behavioral professional ethis and conduct. This CPE shall be offered by a CPE sponsor registered with the Board, or with NASBA pursuant to 21 NCAC 08G .0403(a) or (b).
(b) A non-resident licensee whose primary office is in North Carolina must comply with Paragraph (a) of this Rule. All other non-resident licensees may satisfy Paragraph (a) of this Rule by completing the ethics requirements in the jurisdiction in which he or she is licensed as a CPA and works or resides. If there is no ethics CPE requirement in the jurisdiction where he or she is licensed and currently works or resides, he or she must comply with Paragraph (a) of this Rule.
Effective January 24, 2011, any ethics CPE course (regulatory or behavioral) offered by a CPE sponsor registered with the Board or registered with the NASBA National CPE Sponsor Registry will be accepted for compliance with the Board’s annual ethics CPE course requirement.
NCACPA CPE SPONSORSHIP
NCACPA is a registered CPE sponsor with the NC State Board of CPA Examiners. Questions or comments may be submitted to the NC State Board of CPA Examiners at PO Box 12827, Raleigh, NC 27605.
NCACPA has signed an agreement with the State Board stipulating that they will comply with the Board's rules. As part of our agreement, we will maintain NCACPA member records for five years.
QUESTIONS CONCERNING CPE?
State Board contacts:
Licensing Manager, Buck Winslow, (919) 733-1421
Licensing Assistant, Cammie Emery, (919) 733-1423
www.nccpaboard.gov
NCACPA contacts:
Attendance verification, Lisa Harrison, Ext. 133
Seminars, Chrissy Davidson, Ext. 156
Online Learning, Amanda Davis, Ext. 140
Onsite Programs, Marie Little, Ext. 150
Conferences, Ashley Squier, Ext. 158