Guidance on Filing CPE Credits

Current CPFOs can submit continuing professional education (CPE) credits using the form below. CPFOs are required to submit 30 CPE each year.

Online Submission Form

When submitting CPE, please consider the following:

Candidates are not required to submit hours earned through GFOA. To look-up the number of hours earned in 2019-20 from GFOA, CPFOs can access a listing of hours by membership ID.

CPE credits for the CPFO designation may be earned in one or more of the following topic areas of the Certified Public Finance Officers Program listed below:

• Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting
• Governmental Budgeting and Fiscal Policy, including Economic Development and Capital Planning
• Governmental Debt Management
• Managerial Skills and Ethics
• Retirement and Benefits, Risk Management, and Procurement
• Treasury and Investment Management

One CPE Credit Hour is earned for each 50 minutes of active participation.

CPE earned that meets the requirements of a state board of accountancy to maintain a CPA designation can also be used as CPE credit to maintain the CPFO designation.

Please submit hours by 2/28/2021. GFOA will contact all CPFOs who have not submitted hours by the deadline to confirm your intent to stay involved with the program and verify CPE hours.

Other CPE Alternative Credit Options

In instances where a state board of accountancy does not recognize CPE credit for maintaining a CPA designation, CPE credit to maintain the CPFO designation may be obtained in the following manner:

• Training. This may include training seminars, annual conferences, and internet training(for example training offered by the national GFOA or state GFOAs, or other applicable training) The number of CPE hours granted should be based on the CPE provider's recommended number of CPE hours for the program.
• Self-study programs. The number of CPE hours granted should be based on the CPE provider's recommended number of CPE hours for the program.
• Curriculum of a University, college, or other educational institution. CPE course credit awarded at the rate of 15 hours for each semester hour and 10 hours for each quarter-hour of school credit awarded.
• Reviewing reports for the GFOA Awards Programs. Two CPE credit per report can be earned specifically for maintaining the GFOA CPFO designation when reviewing a report in the COA Program, Budget program or Popular Reporting program. The maximum number of CPE that can be earned on an annual basis is 6 CPE credit hours.
• GFOA Standing Committee. Committee members of GFOA's national standing technical committees can earn a maximum of 4 hours on an annual basis for attendance to the committee meetings in Washington DC and in conjunction with the annual conference.
• Instructor, speaker, or discussion leader of an approved course. CPE credit is allowed for actual presentation time, plus actual preparation time up to 2 hours for each hour of presentation. No preparation or presentation time allowed for presentations of the same course within a two-year period; no more than 40 hours for any two-year period.

If you have any questions about reporting CPE hours, please contact Eric Roach.

Note: This page will be updated in 2021 to reflect the new requirements.