By now, all New Jersey CPAs should have received license renewal information in the mail from the NJ State Board of Accountancy. If you haven't received your packet, contact the State Board directly at (973) 504-6380. Remember that individual CPA license and firm license renewal pages on the State Board website require different logins and passwords. For more information about license renewal, visit the CPE triennial FAQs page on our website.
It's well known that New Jersey CPAs need to take 120 continuing education credits during the triennial reporting period, including 72 credits in technical subject areas (24 of which must be in Accounting & Auditing) and four in NJ Law & Ethics. There's also an annual minimum of 20 credits per year.
How those credits are tracked by our members varies widely. Some, especially those in public accounting, may rely on firm administrators who track CPE using a variety of electronic and online tools. Others, such as our members in business and industry, education and government, may track their CPE themselves using Excel or other software, or perhaps doing it the old-fashioned way -- printing CPE credit letters and keeping them in a folder.
While you are not required to produce a record of your CPE at the time of license renewal, you are required to affirm your compliance during the most recent registration period and you are responsible for maintaining a record of all the CPE hours you complete. If you are audited by the State Board, failure to produce comprehensive records in a timely manner is grounds for disciplinary action including suspension or revocation of a license and/or fines.
The NJSCPA CPE Tracker is a valuable resource for members and firm administrators. At its core, the CPE Tracker provides members with a report of all CPE credits earned through the NJSCPA Education Foundation and the Society's 11 chapters. It also enables members to enter CPE credits earned elsewhere. Last year, the State Board even approved the use of the Society’s CPE Tracker report for auditing purposes.
The CPE Tracker report contains the following sections:
- Earned Credits – credits that have been earned by attending NJSCPA Education Foundation events. Click the “Credit Letter” link for a printable CPE certificate.
- Pending Credits – credits for NJSCPA Education Foundation events that have not yet taken place, or that have taken place but have not yet been reconciled.
- Member-Added Credits – credits earned elsewhere and entered into the CPE Tracker.
To learn more, watch our CPE Tracker video tutorial with NJSCPA Conference Coordinator David Schaeffer.