CPE stands for continuing professional education. Accounting is a very specialized profession, and because tax rules and regulations may change quickly, accountants enroll in continuing education programs to stay up to date on changes in the law and accounting practices. They must be aware of the continuing education (CE) requirements of the states in which they operate.

For Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) nearly every jurisdiction mandates an average of 40 hours of CPE every year. It takes a lot of effort to earn and manage CPE credits. You must choose which courses to take, ensure that they fulfill the prerequisites, schedule the courses, maintain your credits, and report your credits. It's difficult to know where to begin, especially if you're new to CPE.

What are CPE credits For CPAs?

Although CPE is a requirement in every state for CPA license renewal, because each state sets its own criteria, the amount of necessary credits and reporting periods will vary. The board of accountancy in your state will ask you to declare any CPE credits you acquire.

To a certain extent, all state boards of accountancy will accept NASBA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy)-approved credits, however certain states may have extra criteria or limits. Your state board may tell you what kind of CPE credits you need to keep your CPA license current and provide you with a list of approved providers.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits are essential for your professional growth as a CPA, as well as for maintaining your license to practice. While various state boards have their own hour requirements and recertification periods, the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) requires three years and 120 credit hours of CPE to maintain membership.

It's no wonder that the majority of CPAs choose for online CPE self-study courses that enable them to obtain credit hours on their own schedule! CPE courses are an investment, with significant costs and a limited amount of time to achieve the required credits in a year. Fortunately, there are a few solutions available to assist you in meeting your CPE obligations, the finest of which is an online CPE course.

Despite the fact that there are numerous online courses that give CPE credits for CPAs, just a handful stand out. Continue reading to discover how each of these self-study and live courses compares.

1. Becker

Becker's customizable subscription plans are especially useful for students who are pressed for time to complete their CPA CPE requirements. For unrestricted access to the Becker CPE collection, you may purchase a membership for one year, two years, or three years. This flexibility provides you a distinct edge in terms of planning ahead of time and getting the best deal on CPE credits.

Unlike the majority of the other providers on this list, Becker offers a free sample of most of its courses. You can immediately determine if you want to take the course or opt for a better option. This option also saves you the time and effort of contacting customer service to have your credits transferred to another course.

Becker CPE courses provide high-quality content delivered through a balanced combination of live events, webcasts, and self-study alternatives. The Becker webcast calendar is scheduled for every working weekday of the year. With such a complete calendar, you have plenty of time to organize your CPE schedule ahead of time.

Although Becker's CPE courses are of great quality, their prices are significantly more than those of their competitors. As a result, this may not be the first choice for students on a tight budget. Furthermore, unless you opt for the top-tier unlimited membership, you'll have to choose between self-study and webcasts.

2. Surgent

Surgent's CPE packages include a variety of CPA-related subject matters. As a result, you should have no trouble discovering classes pertaining to your present field of employment. Alternatively, you might opt to broaden your knowledge a little more in order to be prepared for any unexpected scenarios that may arise at work in the future.

Surgent has a well-deserved reputation for producing high-quality study materials. This is due to the fact that they want you to genuinely study and grasp the subjects covered in their CPE courses. These online CPE webinars will teach you practical skills that you can utilize in your job.

Surgent's CPE programs are mostly focused on live content. If you enjoy asking questions and have a flexible schedule, this is ideal. People with strict working hours, on the other hand, may have difficulty finding self-study courses that meet their schedule. There are a few on-demand courses, but they're only available to those who pay the most.

3. Illumeo

Illumeo is not a standard CPE review course, so keep that in mind. Instead, it serves as a hub for a large library of professional education for CPAs and a variety of other CPE certifications. However, as the majority of their study resources are oriented for CPAs, their primary focus is on public accounting.

All potential students may check out a number of full courses for free on our CPE platform, guaranteeing that they are happy before investing any money. However, if you're still unhappy thereafter, they provide a fair 30-day return policy.

Although an online education platform has limits, Illumeo performs an outstanding job of addressing these possible problems by offering a wide range of CPA study resources. If you learn best via personal study and are self-motivated, their catalog will provide you with a lot of value. Students who want to study from a live instructor may also take advantage of their 100+ webinars.

Illumeo offers bonus certificate courses at a minimal additional fee, which gives them a significant edge over other CPE platforms. These may be highly beneficial for people wishing to specialize and advance their careers. Currently, they do not provide any microcerts for CPAs.

4. AICPA CPE

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world's biggest member association in the accounting profession. This is one of the primary reasons why a large number of CPAs prioritze it when it comes to meeting their CPE obligations. Its self-study courses can assist you in maintaining your professional certification while also learning about the industry.

Although they provide discounts on some CPE materials, you must be an AICPA member to take advantage of them. If you're concerned about their price structure, Illumeo is a better alternative.

If you operate an accounting company and wish to cover the cost of your team members' CPE classes, contact the AICPA. You can obtain group discounts if you have more than six participants.

Why Online CPE Training?

The key benefit of CPE online courses is their flexibility. Satisfying CPE online requirements allows you to choose when you need to examine and sort out your course plan based on your needs, rather than the other way around. This is especially beneficial for those who have busy home, life and employment responsibilities that might alter from one week to the next.

Online CPE courses also allow you to study from whatever location you like, rather than being limited to a single traditional homeroom setting. When you study online, your coursework follows you wherever you go, whether you're on a long vacation, a business trip, or just in a hurry.

Why does the CPE provider matter?

The CPE provider may be a major asset or a big impediment to success. In many cases, the provider is as significant as the content, teacher, pricing, and certification of a course. After all, the user experience is determined by the provider affiliated with the webinar, self-study course, or other technique.

When there are difficulties in buying and making an electronic payment, course delivery, and so on, online learning may be a genuine nuisance. You may struggle with many parts of the course if you do not have a reputable provider, from navigating through an ineffective presentation or digital textbook, to finishing the course with more questions than answers.

Above all, technology should improve CPE classes and your learning experience. You may acquire the knowledge you need in the most efficient and stress-free way possible if you choose a great delivery platform.