Question: I just completed the EA exam. Now the IRS is telling me I need to complete Continuing Professional Education to keep my designation. What is this, and how do I go about taking care of it?
Answer: The objective of Continuing Professional Education, or CPE, is to encourage professional growth even after an individual becomes certified. CPE is designed to keep enrolled agents informed of the latest developments in tax matters and broaden their knowledge base.
In order to maintain your license as an enrolled agent, you must complete 72 hours within a 3 year cycle based on the last digit of your social security number (SSN). The IRS CPE reporting period is by calendar year, January 1 through December 31. The IRS enforces a 16 hour minimum per year, and requires 2 hours on Ethics per year.
Gleim makes completing your CPE convenient! You choose the number of hours you need and then you have one year to decide which courses to select. You then have one year to complete the course. Because it is online you can access your CPE from any computer that has internet access at anytime.