CE Accounting Tutorial

Accountants must take continuing education courses to keep their skills relevant.

As with doctors, pilots, lawyers and other professionals, the education of an accountant never really ends. Tax laws are ever changing. Management techniques and best practice methods also vary. An accountant, whether a freelancer or the owner of a multinational business, must remain up to date through continuing education. If you are a certified public accountant, or a member of a board of accountancy, you must take specific continuing education courses to meet the requirements of your certificate or license.

Instructions

1. Find out how many hours of continuing education (CE) courses you must take to renew your license. In California, for instance, an accountant must take a minimum of 80 hours to qualify for a license renewal. In Kentucky, on the other hand, certified public accountants enroll in courses based on hours worked: if he works less than 3,000 hours during a reporting period, 60 hours are required; it's 80 hours of classes for more than 3,000 hours worked.

2. Determine what type of CE courses you need. This will vary depending on location and area of expertise. For instance, the Tennessee Board of Accountancy divides CE accounting courses into 5 main categories: accounting and auditing; tax; management; ethics; and nontechnical.

3. Choose a certified continued education provider. State accountancy boards require continuing education providers to be certified by the National Association of Boards of Accountancy. Confirm the courses you take are also certified or they will not work toward your license's CE requirements.

4. Consider taking a self-study course, if time and money are issues. Self-study courses are usually cheaper and you can study at home without being tied to a fixed course schedule.

5. Choose courses that are relevant to your practice. If your firm deals with multinational corporations, for example, it may be practical to take courses in the accounting practices of other countries. However, if your practice specializes in tax preparation for small companies in the United States, you would benefit more from a course in the tax rules on long-term assets.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Accountants
• Washington State Board of Accountancy: Education Handbook
• Kentucky Board of Accountancy: Continued Professional Education
• California Board of Accountancy: License Renewals
• Tennessee Board of Accountancy: Continuing Education and State Requirements

Resources

• Georgia Secretary of State: Continuing Professional Education Requirements
• The E-Learning Center: Accouting CE Courses