In order to renew the license to practice, all CPAs are required to complete continuing professional education (CPE) during their reporting period which is always the two calendar years prior to the renewal year.
CPAs with odd-numbered licenses renew in July of 2025
Reporting period - CPE must be taken between January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
CPAs with even-numbered licenses renew in July of 2026
Reporting period - CPE must be taken between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025
If the licensee fails to complete the required CPE during their reporting period, and they plan to renew their license, they should contact the board prior to the renewal period.
Acceptable Courses and Documents
Prior approval of courses and/or providers is not required for the program to qualify for CPE credit. Programs qualify for CPE only if the following criteria is met by the course provider:
Records shall be kept by the sponsor for a period of 5 years
An outline of the program is prepared in advance and preserved
- The program is at least one (1) CPE hour in length (50 minutes) excluding meals and breaks. Credit shall be awarded for a course less than fifty (50) minutes in length if it is part of a continuing professional education program where at least one (1) fifty (50) minute course is also being offered.
The program is conducted by a qualified instructor. A qualified instructor is one whose background training, education or experience makes it appropriate for them to lead a discussion on the subject matter of the particular course.
A record of registration or attendance is maintained by the sponsor
The course topic is an acceptable field of study
A course completion document is provided to each attendee which must contain the following [no handwritten information]:
Name of the licensee
Title of course
Field of study (ex. tax, ethics, accounting)
Dates attended
Number of CPE hours awarded
Program sponsor and signature
Only those providers that adhere to all of the guidelines above should be considered as a CPA CPE source.
The overriding consideration in determining whether a specific course qualifies as acceptable continuing professional education shall be whether it is a formal program of learning which contributes directly to the professional competence of an individual licensed to practice as a certified public accountant in this state. The following fields of study shall be considered acceptable if the courses satisfy all of the criteria established above:
1. Accounting 2. Auditing 3. Taxation 4. Business management services 5. Information technology 6. Business communications 7. Statistics 8. Professional Ethics
9. Economics 10. Finance 11. Business law 12. Securities 13. Marketing 14. Specialized areas of industry that contribute directly to the professional competence of a licensee
15. Personal development (Only eligible for renewals or reinstatements requiring 80 or 60 total hours. Limited amount - see new REGS below).
Programs that deal with the following subject areas
shall not be considered acceptable continuing education:
1. Self-realization 2. Spirituality 3. Personal health or fitness 4. Sports and recreation 5. Foreign languages or cultures
6. Any other subjects that do not contribute directly to the professional competence of the licensee.
The responsibility for substantiating that a particular course is acceptable and meets the requirements of the administrative regulation for CPE shall be the obligation of the licensee. Be sure courses offer a completion certificate that includes the criteria listed above.
CPE credits can also be obtained through the following avenues if completed during the reporting period, however, there are specific requirements and are limited in the number of eligible credits per reporting period. Please review 201 KAR 1:100 for details:
Taking university or college courses
Service as lecturer, discussion leader, or speaker
Published articles and books
Certifications and licenses (nationally organized business organization or a federal governmental entity only)
Requirements
A licensee who worked 3,000 hours or more in a public accounting firm licensed with the board during the two (2) calendar years prior to the renewal date of his or her license shall complete eighty (80) CPE hours. The eighty (80) hours shall be completed during the preceding two (2) calendar years. All other licensees shall complete sixty (60) CPE hours. All licenses must complete
2 hours of ethics during their reporting period and adhere to the
new regulations listed below.
If you did not operate or work in an office in this state during your reporting period, as you are licensed in another state and your principal place of business is located in another state, you may satisfy the CPE requirements in Kentucky by indicating that you are meeting the CPE requirements for renewal of your CPA license in the state in which your principal place of business is located. If the state in which your principal office is located has no CPE requirement for renewal, you must comply with all CPE requirements for renewal of the license in this state.
Reminder of January 1, 2021 Changes to CPE Requirements
Beginning January 1, 2021, 50% of the CPE hours required of all licensed CPAs must be comprised of “technical standards” courses.
- Technical standards courses include those with the subject matters of accounting, auditing, business law, economics, finance, information technology, management
services, professional ethics, statistics, securities, tax, or specialized areas of industry that contribute directly to the professional competence of a licensee.
Beginning January 1, 2021, CPAs in public accounting firms who perform (a) attest services, as defined in KRS 325.220; or (b) compilation or preparation of financial statement engagements subject to SSARS, must complete 8 hours of CPE in the subject matter of accounting or auditing each year, for a total of 16 hours over the two-year reporting period.
Beginning January 1, 2021, CPAs required to complete 80 hours of CPE per every two-year reporting period may include up to 8 hours of personal development courses toward their requirement, and CPAs required to complete 60 hours of CPE may include up to 12 hours of personal development courses.
- An acceptable personal development course improves time management, leadership, team building, goal setting and similar soft skills related to working in an office or professional setting. Human resources courses also qualify under personal development hours.
. FAQS ON RECENT CHANGES TO KY CPE REQUIREMENTS.pdf
CPE Waivers
In some instances, CPAs may not be required to report CPE to renew their license. CPAs who meet certain criteria may request a waiver from the CPE requirements. While the Board understands that some situations are unpredictable, licensees are encouraged to submit the waiver request as soon as possible. Do not wait until renewal time to submit the request. Doing so can result in delays in the renewal process. CPE waivers are eligible to be granted for the following reasons:
- Physically or psychologically unable to complete the CPE requirements documented by a written statement from a licensed physician or other appropriate authority.
- A severe personal hardship which has made it extremely difficult or impossible to meet the CPE requirement. The hardship must be described in writing. Changing employers or heavy workloads is not considered to be a severe personal hardship.
- Completely retired from public practice and is 55 years of age or older. Completely retired means not performing *accounting services in the practice of public accounting, education, government or industry except for management of personal assets or investments. *With the waiver you may “not engage in regulated activities," which is defined as the performance “of one (1) or more types of services involving the use of accounting, attest, or compilation services, including the issuance of reports on financial statements, or one (1) or more types of management advisory, financial advisory, or consulting services, or the preparation of tax returns or the furnishing of advice on tax matters." See KRS 325.290; KRS 325.220 (9) (a).
In each instance, a CPE Waiver Application must be submitted along with any other necessary documentation. If you think you qualify for a CPE waiver, download the
Initial Request for CPE Waiver (2024) and submit it to the Board at least 7 working days prior to any monthly Board meeting. You should request the waiver prior to the expiration of your license to insure your ability to continue to practice.
If the circumstances which form the basis of the waiver change, the licensee shall notify the board within thirty (30) days from the date of the change and resume compliance with the continuing professional education requirements from the date of the change.
Maintaining Records
Licensees are responsible for insuring that completion documents are obtained, meet the guidelines as outlined above and are kept for a period of five (5) years. The Board conducts an audit for each renewal year. If selected for the audit the licensee must send completion documents to the Board office verifying their CPE was completed during their reporting period. If completion documents cannot be provided to the Board upon request, those CPE hours will not be accepted.
NASBA offers a CPE tracking service to manage your CPE records. It is a free service for licensed CPAs and enrollment is strictly voluntary. The Kentucky State Board of Accountancy does not require that you use this service. For details visit cpeauditservice.nasba.org.
CPE Credit Allowed
Licensees may claim one (1) hour of CPE for each fifty (50) minutes of technical session attended.
Self-study programs qualify on an hour-for-hour basis.