If you are a Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS), then you know when it comes to CPE, you have specific courses that you must take. These differ from regular CPE though you can usually take regular CPE and some QAS courses, as well. Every state has different requirements, and you must talk with your state board of accountancy to ensure that the courses you take will meet your specific requirements.
Finding Courses
Finding courses online is simple and can be done quickly. However, looking for CPE may not get you the right courses that are required for QAS. When looking for a provider, you will likely need to ensure that those providers specifically list QAS courses. If you prefer, you can search for quality assurance specialist providers or go through each website, looking for those with that specialization.
Differences Between QAS and Other Courses
In most cases, regular courses are not as in-depth as the quality assurance specialist options. Many courses in that range deal with taxes and other specialization areas, such as finance and management.
Many states that require CPE will allow you to take some regular and some QAS programs, while others will require you to take all QAS program options. Each course should list whether it is QAS, Registry or EA, along with the amount of CPE and IRS credits you will earn after the course has been taken and passed.
Online Study
Every state allows online CPE if continuing professional education is required. However, some states may require different calculations of online CPE. It is important to know that self study and other forms of CPE study hold true of current CPE standards, which is the 50 minute hour. However, some states boards use the previous CPE standards for self-study, which is the 100-minute hour. Before you consider online CPE, you should find out what your state requires to know how to count your CPE.
Using the 50-minute hour, you can determine how long each course will take very quickly. For example, if you have a program that provides 10 credits with the completion of the course, you can expect to spend about 500 minutes working through that course, which is a little over eight hours. However, if your state requires a 100-minute hour, the same 500 minutes of work will only provide you with five credits, once you complete the course.