Nevada CPA CPE Requirements

How to reach the regulator directly.

Nevada State Board of Accountancy
1325 Airmotive Way, Suite 220
Reno, NV 89502

Tel: (775) 786-0231
Fax: (775) 786-0234

Email: cpa@nvaccountancy.com

The regulator's own published rules and related resources.

Nevada State Board of Accountancy

The total continuing education hours required.

80 credit hours.

The detailed rules behind that total -- category minimums, ethics, and other conditions.

Effective January 1, 2014: NV Board will begin an 8-hour A&A requirement as follows:

• Eight hours must be in courses that focus on accounting and auditing in each year in which the applicant performed work on any audit, review, full disclosure compilation or attestation service.

A minimum of 20 hours must be completed each year of the biennial period.

Beginning with the two-year CPE period ending 12/31/2007: Four (4) of the 80 required credits must be in ethics courses.

How the reporting cycle is structured.

Biennial. The period is rolling, i.e., licensees must always have completed 80 hours over the prior two years.

When a reporting cycle begins.

January 1.

How completed credits are reported to the regulator.

Annual reporting statement.

An applicant for the renewal of a permit to engage in the practice of public accounting must list on the application the number of hours of continuing education completed by the applicant during the previous calendar year. The applicant shall maintain a record of the classes of continuing education completed by the applicant for 3 years after the applicant files the application. The application must include, without limitation:

1. The name of the sponsoring organization;
2. The location of the program;
3. The title of the program or a description of its content;
4. The dates attended; and
5. The number of hours of credit claimed by the applicant.

In addition to the record required to be maintained (noted above), the applicant is responsible for documenting the acceptability of the program and the validity of the credits. The documentation must be retained for 3 years after the applicant files an application for the renewal of a permit to practice. The documentation must consist of one of the following:

1. A certificate of completion.
2. A copy of the outline of the course prepared by the sponsor of the course along with the information required above.
3. For courses taken for academic credit at accredited universities and colleges, evidence of the satisfactory completion of the course. For noncredit courses, a statement of the hours of attendance signed by the instructor.
4. For formal programs for independent study or self-study, written evidence of completion.
5. Any other documentation acceptable to the Board.

The renewal or reporting deadline.

January 31, annually.

→ Get monthly reminders before this deadline

What happens if the requirement is not met.

The Board will verify information submitted by an applicant for a permit on the basis of a test. If the Board determines that the requirement for continuing education has not been met, the Board may grant additional time for the deficiencies to be corrected.

Noncompliance will result in late fee penalties and the Board's refusal to renew the licensee's permit.

Reduced or prorated requirements for a first renewal.

An applicant seeking the first annual renewal of an initial permit is exempt from the CPE requirements.

An applicant seeking the second annual renewal of an initial permit need only meet the 20-hour minimum annual requirement for that year.

Rules for professionals licensed elsewhere.

If an applicant for the renewal of a permit to engage in the practice of public accounting is permitted, certified or licensed to engage in the practice of public accounting in another state and resides in that state, the applicant must demonstrate compliance with the continuing education requirements of that state by signing a statement to that effect on his application to the Board for the renewal of a permit to engage in the practice of public accounting. If the state in which the applicant resides does not have continuing education requirements, the applicant must comply with the requirements set forth in this section.

Who may be excused from all or part of this requirement.

The requirements of NAC 628.210 to 628.250, inclusive, may be waived by the Board for reasons of personal hardship, including, without limitation, health problems, military service, foreign residence, retirement or other good cause.

Inactive and Retired Status:
The certificate of a certified public accountant who holds a live permit and is in good standing may, upon application to and approval by the Board, be placed on retired or inactive status.

Licensees on Inactive or Retired Status are exempt from the CPE requirement.

• “Inactive status” means the voluntary termination by a holder of a certificate of all activities in the fields of public, private or governmental accounting before reaching the age of retirement.
• “Retired status” means the voluntary termination by a holder of a certificate of all activities in the profession of public, private or governmental accounting upon the attainment of at least 60 years of age or upon becoming permanently disabled and no longer gainfully employed.

Any of the following activities will be considered as active involvement in the accounting profession, and the holder of the certificate will not qualify for retired or inactive status:

1. Any employment related to the financial functions of any business, governmental entity or nonprofit organization;
2. Any supervision of the financial functions of any business, governmental entity or nonprofit organization;
3. Any preparation of tax returns or schedules in support of a tax return for compensation except when prepared for family members;
4. Any volunteer position related to the financial functions of an entity, except financial oversight required by law in a fiduciary capacity for the volunteer position; or
5. Any work as a trustee that includes the preparation of financial information for the trust except for a family trust.

A licensee seeking to reactivate from Inactive or Retired status must show that he or she has completed at least 40 hours of continuing education, including 4 hours of continuing education related to ethics, during the 12 months immediately preceding his or her application.

Voluntary Surrender:

A former holder of a certificate whose certificate has been voluntarily surrendered to the Board must submit:

1. A new application for licensing accompanied by: (1) the application fee; (2) the fee for annual renewal of the permit for any year the fee was not paid before he or she surrendered the certificate; and (3) the penalty for late filing for any year fees were not paid before he or she surrendered.
2. Proof that he or she has completed at least 40 hours of continuing education during the 12 months immediately preceding the application.

Revoked Certificates:

A former holder of a certificate whose certificate has been revoked or, in lieu of receiving disciplinary action, voluntarily surrendered to the Board, must submit:

1. A new application for licensing accompanied by: (1) the application fee; (2) the fee for annual renewal of the permit for any year that the fee was not paid before the certificate was revoked or surrendered; and (3) the penalty for late filing for any year that a fee was not paid before the certificate was revoked or surrendered;
2. Proof that he or she has completed at least 80 hours of continuing education, including 8 hours of continuing education relating to ethics, during the 12 months immediately preceding the filing of the new application; and
3. Evidence that any outstanding issues that are related to disciplinary action which caused the revocation or voluntary surrender have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Board.

Effective April 4, 2016: A practitioner who voluntarily surrenders his or her certificate while subject to a contested case, as defined in section 3 of this regulation, shall be deemed to have surrendered his or her certificate in lieu of receiving disciplinary action for the purpose of this subsection.

Rule changes the regulator has finalized, with effective dates.

Refer to the specific sections above for more details on any of the items noted below.

General Characteristics of Accredited Education / Credit Calculation:

• Note from CeriFi: August 2017: CeriFi has confirmed with the NV Board that the NV Board accepts 'nano-learning' and 'blended learning' activities (per the revised 2016 NASBA CPE Standards). The NV Board also confirmed that they 'allow credit in less than one or half credit intervals. To summarize, the licensee does not have to obtain one credit before obtaining smaller increments in time.' As a result, the CeriFi content distributor has been updated to calculate credits for nano-learning and blended learning (as well as group-live, group-internet-based, and self-study) based on the 2016 NASBA CPE Standards:
• Group programs, independent study, and blended learning programs – A minimum of one full credit must be awarded initially, but after the first credit has been earned, credits may be awarded in one-fifth increments or in one-half increments (1.0, x.2, x.4, x.5, x.6, x.8, and so on).
• Self study – A minimum of one-half credit must be awarded initially, but after the first full credit has been earned, credits may be awarded in one-fifth increments or in one-half increments (0.5, 1.0, x.2, x.4, x.5, x.6, x.8, and so on).
• Nano learning – Credits must be awarded only as one-fifth credit (0.2 credit). A 20-minute program would have to be produced as two stand-alone nano learning programs.

General Characteristics of Accredited Education / Credit Calculation:

Effective April 4, 2016: For the purposes of continuing education, 50 minutes of instruction equals one credit of continuing education. Credit for continuing education may be earned in increments of less than one credit, if at least once credit is earned for the same subject.

Breakdown of Specific Requirements:

Effective January 1, 2014: NV Board will begin an 8-hour A&A requirement as follows:

• Eight hours must be in courses that focus on accounting and auditing in each year in which the applicant performed any audit, review, full disclosure, compilation or attestation service.

Effective January 1, 2006: For the two-year CPE period ending December 31, 2007, four (4) of the 80 credit hours needed for renewal each biennial period must be in ethics courses.

Effective October 28, 2003:

• 50 minutes of instruction equals one credit of continuing education. Credit for continuing education may be earned in increments of less than one credit, if at least one credit is earned for the same subject.
• The Board may allow credit for continuing education for the publication of an article or book written by a practitioner if:
  • A written evaluation of the article or book is prepared by a person designated by the Board and submitted to the Board for its review; and
  • After a review of the evaluation, the Board determines that the article or book contributes to the professional knowledge and competence of the practitioner.
• Removed maximum limit of 16 hours credit per year for preparation of presentations for qualified programs.