For the 2018-20 triennial, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has extended the deadline for CPAs to earn the required CPE from Dec. 31, 2020, to June 30, 2021. Licensees who need to use the additional time to complete their CPE should answer “no” to the question on the license renewal form that asks if CPE will be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. State Board staff are aware of the extension in the event the licensee is audited.
The following instructions apply to licensees who don’t expect to complete their CPE by June 30, 2021.
If you will not be completing the required number of credits by the extended deadline, you should consider placing your license in inactive status. If you erroneously requested an active license for the next triennial, contact the board immediately and request to change your license status to inactive. You should not hold yourself out as an active CPA or practice accountancy in the State of New Jersey if you have not complied with the CPE requirements. The board can impose severe financial penalties should you maintain your active license with a CPE deficiency.
Also, the licensee is primarily responsible for documenting the satisfaction of CPE. All 120 hours of CPE must be obtained from:
- An approved provider that has a sponsor number issued by the board.
- A provider registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
- An unregistered sponsor that has an individual course approved by the board.
The board also has special rules that apply for college and university courses as well as those provided by national or state-level professional organizations. If you do not have the requisite credits by the end of the triennial — and if you are selected for audit — you can be subject to a fine and will be required to make up any deficient credits.