CPE Reporting and Record Keeping
For active CPAs, you must report your CPE annually to the Minnesota Board of Accountancy (BOA). When you report is determined by the BOA’s Renewal & Reporting Cycle, which groups CPAs by the first letter of your last name.
| Last name begins with |
Report CPE by |
| A-H |
Dec. 31, 2012 |
| I-P |
July 31, 2012 |
| Q-Z |
July 31, 2012 |
Because inactive CPAs do not have a CPE requirement, no CPE reporting is necessary. You are, however, still required to renew your certificate based on the BOA’s Renewal & Reporting Cycle.
How are you impacted by the BOA's CPE reporting deadlines?
Last names I-P and Q-Z: report by July 31
If your last name begins with I-P or Q-Z and you hold an active certificate, you will need to report your CPE between July 1-31, 2012. There is no cost for reporting your CPE in July. All reporting must be done online through the BOA.
Last names A-H: report by Dec. 31
If your last name begins with A-H, you will report your CPE when you renew your CPA certificate by Dec. 31, 2012. The BOA’s online certificate renewal system is typically made available mid-October through Dec. 31, 2012. You will pay a fee in conjunction with renewing your CPA certificate. The renewal and reporting form may be submitted online or by mail.
How do I report my CPE?
To get started online, you will need your five-digit certificate number as well as the last four digits of your social security number. Have your CPE records available to expedite the reporting process.
You will be reporting for the three preceeding CPE years, ending June 30, 2012. A CPE year is July 1 through June 30. Active CPAs are required to maintain 120 hours of CPE over a rolling three-year period, including eight hours of ethics.
To help in the reporting process, a MNCPA BOA CPE summary is available to members. This tool uses the information from your CPE Log to organize your credits into a report that is similar to the BOA’s online CPE reporting form. Just copy the values from your MNCPA BOA CPE summary onto the BOA’s reporting form.
View details on the BOA’s certificate renewal process
You must retain supporting documentation for a minimum of five years.
Documentation required from Registry and other Board-approved CPE sponsors
- A certificate of attendance indicating:
- Name and contact information of program sponsor
- Title of program
- Date(s) of program
- Location
- Number of CPE hours earned
Documentation required from non-Board approved sponsors
Documentation kept by the licensee for programs that fall within the "40%" category must consist of:
- A certificate of attendance indicating:
- Name and contact information of the sponsor
- Title and description of the content
- Date of the program
- Location
- Number of CPE hours earned
- A copy of the detailed, timed agenda
- A biography of the program developer and program presenter
- A statement by the licensee describing how the program contributes to the licensee's professional knowledge and professional competence.
- Exceeding CPE credit limitations.
- Self-study cannot exceed 96 hours in a three-year reporting period.
- Personal development courses cannot exceed 24 hours in a three-year reporting period.
- All self-study CPE must be QAS-approved. Check with vendor or look for the QAS logo on your materials.
- You must have eight ethics credits in each three-year reporting period.
- You must have appropriate documentation for approved and non-approved sponsors as noted above.
- New CPAs must follow special CPE rules and exceptions. Please see the "I just received my CPA certificate" question in our CPE requirements and reporting FAQ.