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 CPE - Continuing Professional Education

Active Certificate Holders:

W. S. 33-3-109(e) and Chapter 5 of the Rules and Regulations govern continuing education.  All active certificate holders who practice in Wyoming are required to complete continuing education courses.  Certificate holders who maintain the certificate on an inactive or retired status are exempted from the CPE requirements until they re-enter practice. Individuals will be advised of specific CPE requirements with each renewal application.

Maximums*

Course Types:
O - Group/Self Study
IS - Independent Study (This is not self study)
P - Publications
L - Lecture or Instructor services

L L

Current Requirements

Status Total Requirement Minimum CPE - Wyoming Ethics Limitations*
IS  P   L
Resident Active Holder 120 credits every 3 years (80 in Code A) 4 credits every three years 12 30 60
Resident Active Holder - 1st Renewal None 4 credits 6 months from certificate date None
Resident Active Holder- 2nd Renewal 60 credits past 2 years (40 in code A) 4 credits 12 15 30
Non-Resident Active Holder As required by state of residence 4 ethics credits every renewal period As required by state of residence
Inactive Certificate Holder None None None

Definitions: 

Program Sponsor/Provider: The organization or individual responsible for setting learning objectives, creating the program materials to achieve such objectives, offering a program to participants and maintaining the documentation which demonstrates compliance with the Program Standards.

Group Course: An educational program designed to permit a participant to learn a given subject through interaction with an instructor and other participants.

Individual Course: An educational program designed to permit an individual to learn a given subject without interaction with others.

Independent Study: An educational program designed to permit an individual to learn a given subject under a learning contract with a qualified provider/sponsor.   The learning contract must set forth the anticipated inputs and outcomes as well as the number of credits to be recommended at the conclusion of the program.

Credit : One fifty (50) minute period of time spent in the learning process. One-half credits - 25 minute period of time.  One-half credits are permitted after the first credit has been earned.   Total credits will be determined based on the sum of segments with credits rounded down to the nearest half credit when the total is not divisible by 50 (180 minutes = 3.5 credits).

Course Requirements:

66% of the total renewal requirement must be met by completing Code A courses; basically accounting related courses or coursed directly related to a holder's field of business. The balance can be earned in Code B courses ( personal develpment, human resources, behaviorial, etc.)

General Requirements:

All holders are allowed to select the appropriate courses to meet their individual needs.  Courses  must be conducted in compliance with the Program Requirements and Program Standards as outlined in the regulations .   A program must be formal and promote professional competence in the practice of accounting.   If called upon to do so by the Board, holders must be prepared to demonstrate that providers/sponsors have complied with the Program Standards.

All holders must retain both an outline or program for each course and evidence of attendance or completion of each course.  Documentation - see sample must be retained for a period of four (4) years after the completion of the course.    Failure to provide the required documentation of completion of a course will result in the disqualification of the course.  Refer to Chapter 5, Section 5 for examples of acceptable documentation.

Resident holders must report courses completed during the current calendar year on the Program Attendance Record on the reverse of the renewal application (if you renew on-line you do not have to complete the program attendance recored).  Non-residents are not required to report courses, they are expected to comply with the CPE requirements in their state of residence.  If a holder resides in a state that does not impose a CPE is requirement, the holder must report hours as though he/she were a Wyoming resident. 

Re-entry:

If an individual has been excepted from the CPE requirements, prior to re-entering practice an individual must make appropriate application and show compliance with the continuing education requirements.  The Board may waive the requirement to complete requirements in a given calendar year period and consider a combination of 120 hours completed within a three year period other than calendar years. All re-entry applicants must complete the Statutes and Rules Course (see below) prior to re-entry.  

Audit:

On an annual basis, the Board will determine the audit sample size.   Individuals will be selected for audit by random sample.  Non-resident holders are subject to the audit and will be required to show that they have complied with the requirements in their state of residence. 

Wyoming Ethics:

All resident active certificate holders must complete four credits in ethics CPE every three years. Please see the links page for currently approved courses. All residents must submit certificates of completion issued by the course provider to the Board office. These may be submitted any time after the course is completed but before it is due. 

When is the Ethics Course Due?

New resident certificate holders must complete an approved course within 6 months of the date of the certificate and every three years thereafter. Non-residents will be required to show they have completed a course in the applicable renewal period if selected for audit. Non-residents may meet this requirement if they complete any state's ethics course if that course includes a law and rules element.

Sponsor/Provider Information:

The Board frequently receives inquiries from continuing education vendors or others who provide educational seminars.   Other than the portion of the ethic courses referenced above which covers Wyoming law and rules which must be approved by the Board, the Board does not involve itself in approval or disapproval of individual courses or course sponsors. Course providers must be able to demonstrate compliance with the program standards set forth in Chapter 5.  

Sponsors should always provide agenda materials such as brochures or course outlines for all participants.  In addition, sponsors or providers must use sign-in sheets, issue certificates of completion, or some other individual type of document which verifies attendance at the course.  Click here to link to CPE credit form for a sample form which may be used.

Commonly Asked Questions and Answers :

E-mail pmorga@wyo.gov if you have other CPE questions.

Is there a maximum number of self-study courses I may use during any given renewal period? 

Answer: No, independent study is limited, self study is not. 

What is independent study?

Answer: Independent study is a program wherein individuals design a particular learning program - usually a one-time program - to meet a specific learning objective (such as a research project or a proprietary computer application training program).   A contract between the individual and a qualified sponsor (individual or formal provider) is required.  Independent study is limited to 12 credits in any three year renewal period.

Do off-the-shelf software courses such as windows applications qualify for CPE?

Answer: Yes, They qualify as Code A courses.

Do CPA Review Courses qualify for CPE credit?

Answer: Yes, credit may be claimed based on each 50 minutes of time an individual participated in the review course.

What if I'm unable to complete the required hours by December 31?

Answer: You may request an automatic 90 day extension (March 31 completion date).  If more than 90 days is needed, a formal request must be submitted to the Board outlining good cause for the extension. *Note - any extension automatically subjects you to audit.