Private: Continuing Professional Education for CIAs – What You Need To Know
One of the many reasons the Certified Internal Auditor® designation is so widely respected in the accounting industry is its Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.
By fulfilling these requirements each year, a CIA® holder is able to demonstrate to employers or clients that he or she is truly up to date on the latest auditing techniques.
What Are The CPE and CPD Requirements?
The Institute of Internal Auditors (or IIA), which oversees a number of well-respected auditing certifications, requires that each CIA holder complete CEP and/or CPD credits every year.
As a CIA holder, you are required to report and self-certify that they’ve completed the required continuing education hours. The required number of CPE hours is based on certification statuses of practicing, non-practicing, or retired, as well as inactive-grace period and inactive for those who do not complete the required hours.
In general, 40 hours of CPE hours are required to remain active but other professional development activities and/or certifications may be applied.
Status | Currently Practicing? | Annual CIA Hours Required | Annual Specialty Certification* | Annual QIAL Required Hours |
Active | YES | 40 | 20 | 20 |
Non-Practicing | NO | 20 | 10 | 10 |
Retired | NO | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*(CCSA, CFSA, CGAP, CRMA, Internal Audit Practitioner)
**CPD requirements for the Qualification in Internal Auditing Leadership® (QIAL®).
CPD may include publications, giving oral presentations, serving on review panels, performing translation services, or completing external quality assessments.
Newly Certified?
Good news if you’re a new CIA! With completion of your initial certificate, you receive 80 CPE hours with half (40) awarded for the year in which your pass the exam and the other half for the subsequent year.
Where To Find CPE Providers
The IIA has developed its Recognized CPE Provider to provide clear guidance for selecting CPE activity and support providers when planning and developing their programs.
Currently, the IIA recognizes several third-party education providers:
For the most current and up-to-date listing, visit the IIA’s Recognized CPE Providers page.
How To Report Your CPE Hours
IIA-certified individuals are required to report CPE credits earned by Dec. 31 each year. You can report anytime during the year once you have met your requirements using the IIA’s Certification Candidate Management System (CCMS) or through your local Institute. The IIA will follow up with official acknowledge of your compliance with the CPE requirements.
When submitting your CPE hours, your documentation should include, as appropriate:
- Title of program and description of content
- Dates attended
- Location of course or program
- Sponsoring organization
- Hours of credit as recommended by the course sponsor
- A letter, certificate, or other written independent attestation of course completion
- Documentation supporting publications, oral presentations, and committee or other participation.
Noncompliance
Failure to submit the reporting form by December 31 will result in your certification lapsing and becoming inactive (grace period). If you do not fulfill the CPE requirements within 12 months (the “grace period”), your status will become fully inactive and you’ll have to pay a reinstatement fee ($100 member/$250 non-member) as well as complete your required CPE hours)
The Professional Certification Board of The IIA, upon request, may grant partial or complete exemption from reporting requirements for individuals when good cause exists, such as military service or individual hardship.
Reporting Fees
CPE and CPD reporting fees vary according to membership status, designation(s) held, and location. However, if you are member of The IIA in Northern America or the Caribbean, you don’t pay any additional fee (on top of your membership) to report CPE hours each year.
