The Society of Professional Accountants of Canada (RPA Canada) has implemented a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy effective January 1, 2020. To maintain active membership, all members must complete and submit a minimum of 20 CPD credit hours annually.
All members with the RPA designation in public practice are required to undertake Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and submit a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each year. Practitioners must submit a minimum of 10 verifiable hours, including:
All members must fulfill this requirement by December 31 each year. Failure to comply will result in the suspension of membership and the use of the RPA designation. If a member fails to comply with the CPD requirement, the Society will inform the member with a warning of suspension. Such members must complete and submit 30 credit hours of CPD within a grace period of 90 days from the date of the warning.
After the end of the 90-day grace period, if the member is still non-compliant, they will be given a final notice to comply with 30 hours within 30 days and pay an administrative fee of $150.00. If a member fails to comply with these requirements, their membership will be suspended immediately. Suspended members will not be able to use the RPA and APA designations until reinstated by the Education Committee.
CPD non-verifiable hours will be given for programs sponsored by the Society, its affiliates, businesses, employers, educational institutions, and other accounting organizations. Credits will also be given for home study courses, speeches, publication of technical articles, and by examinations.
The Society strongly encourages members to use education sources provided by RPA Learning. RPA Learning’s CPD packages are carefully prepared to provide the most relevant and current knowledge to RPA members.
The CPD reporting period for all RPAs is the calendar year (January 1 – December 31). If the required CPD hours are not completed, the RPA becomes delinquent and inactive, and their membership may be suspended.
The reporting period for a new RPA member will begin on January 1 of the year following the attainment of the RPA designation. No CPD is required between the period of successful completion and the end of the first membership year. Any CPD credits earned during this period can be counted as 50% of the first reporting period’s required hours.
CPD hours cannot be carried forward from one year to the next. CPD hours are reported and counted on a calendar-year basis.
The Society of Professional Accountants of Canada will recognize and accept CPD related to the following fields of study:
| Activity | Credit Hours | Acceptable Document |
|---|---|---|
| College or University courses (10 weeks or longer) | 10 hours | Course assignments and exam results |
| Short courses other than RPA | 1 hour for each 90-minute session | Course assignments or exam results |
| Non-credit courses | 1 hour for each 90-minute session | Certificate of completion |
| Professional and Trade Association meetings | 1 hour for each 90-minute session | Confirmation of participation |
| Seminars | 1 hour for each 90-minute session | Confirmation of participation |
| Other Professional designation Examination | 10 hours for successful completion | Proof of completion |
| Third-party content | As approved by the Society | |
| Participation on a board or committee | 1 hour for every 2-hour meeting | Meeting agenda and letter from the organization confirming your role |
| Periodicals | As approved by the Society | Proof of completion |
| Technical articles or research papers | Case by case. If published, up to a maximum of 3 hours | Copy of article or research paper, proof of publication |
| Book published (related to the profession) | Case by case. Up to a maximum of 15 hours | Copy of book |
| Teaching in college/university | Case by case. Up to a maximum of 20 hours | Copy of course material, log of delivery of lectures by date |
| Volunteering related to the profession | Maximum 4 hours annually | CPD Committee will determine considering the nature of the activity |
| Networking | None | N/A |
| Self-study material that does not involve an exam | None | N/A |
| On-the-job training | None | N/A |
| Any other reading that does not involve an exam | None | N/A |
Any RPA member who is over 65 years of age may be exempt from the CPD requirements. However to be exempt the member needs to obtain approval from the CPD committee for more information contact the RPA office
If you are a Certified Accounting Practitioner, you must take a minimum of 10 verification hours per year to maintain your practice certificate.
Exemptions are available for members in special circumstances, such as:
The CPD Committee considers exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Requests should be sent to the CPD Committee accompanied by appropriate documentation. Being too busy at work, changing jobs, or temporary unemployment are not considered special circumstances and will not be entertained.
Please note that the only courses with 100% recognition on CPD HOURS are the ones that are approved by the Society and hosted in WWW.RPALEARNING.CA
Last updated October 21, 2023
