Your license renewal checklist
Use this checklist a few months before your deadline so renewal is a formality, not a fire drill.
- Confirm your exact requirement — total CPE credits, ethics credits, and any credential- or state-specific topics. Use the requirement calculator.
- Find your renewal deadline and reporting cycle (annual, biennial, or triennial; fixed date, birth month, or license anniversary).
- Tally the credits you’ve already earned this cycle, including any carryover. The free Compliance Manager does this for you and shows your gap.
- Complete your remaining credits, making sure you satisfy the ethics requirement (for example, 2 ethics credits per year for EAs) and any minimum annual or Field of Study portion.
- Save every certificate of completion and record the sponsor, title, CPE credits, date, and Field of Study.
- Log in to your State Board of Accountancy, IRS, or CFP Board portal, complete the renewal application, and pay the fee before the deadline.
- Keep your records for the full retention period — typically four to five years — in case you are audited.
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This information is general guidance, not legal or tax advice — always confirm current rules with your State Board of Accountancy, the IRS, or the CFP Board.
