All Continuing Professional Education (CPE) training should be current and contain accurate information of the content that is covered. Standard No. 4 of the Statement on Standards for CPE Program Sponsors addresses the requirement that sponsors must revise courses as soon as feasible based on any changes or updates to relevant codes, laws, interpretations, or rulings. It also addresses the requirement that course documentation must include the most recent publication, revision, or review date.   

Sponsors should be reviewing their courses for accurate information periodically, not only for reasons based on the requirement of the Standards, but to ensure that CPA participants are learning the most accurate and updated information. Standard No. 4 provides specifics on the timeline for when certain courses can be reviewed and updated. Those courses that cover content related to subjects that undergo constant changes in codes and laws (such as tax codes, or rulings established by accounting standards boards) must review their courses at least once a year to verify the currency of the content. Other courses that fall under different categories  not specifically tied into laws, codes, and other standards, must be reviewed at least every two years.

 

The intention of the requirements in Standard No. 4 is concerned with significant changes within CPE courses. Examples of significant changes under the Standards would include updated content related to accounting pronouncements from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), updates to Yellow Book from the Government Accountability Office, or updates to Securities and Exchange Commission regulations. Sponsors offering courses that cover content connected to the aforementioned authoritative bodies are expected to include these significant changes in their courses and to include a revised publication date.      

 

It is the responsibility of the CPE sponsor to be proactive in keeping up with these significant updates. While it is also the responsibility of the CPA to be knowledgeable of these updates that affect their practice, there is an expectation that when a revision or publication date is stated on a CPE course that the course is covering the most recent accounting, auditing, or tax pronouncement. Slight changes to courses, such as wording in the course description, or a change to some of the learning objectives, do not constitute significance as described in Standard No. 4 and should not be the reason to update a publication or revision date in a course.