FAE
Effective/Updated as of August 20, 2021.
By registering for and attending an in-person event, you acknowledge that NYSSCPA expects all participants at NYSSCPA events to comply with CDC, state and local COVID-related guidelines, rules, and requirements effective at the time of the in-person event, including any stricter requirements established by the venue, that you are attending at your own risk and that you release NYSSCPA, its officers, directors, members, agents, employees, and assigns from any liability related to COVID-19 which might occur as a result of your attendance.
he information below is meant to serve as an easy reference guide for some of the commonly asked questions regarding continuing education requirements in New York State. It is not meant to replace the guidelines set forth by the New York State Education Department, and is not the final authority in answering questions about the CPE requirements. Full updated information on mandatory education requirements can be found on the New York State Department of Education site. Contact the New York State Department of Education with any questions regarding these requirements.
FAQs for Webcast and Self Study Viewers on the CPE Store
Cancellation/Refund Policy: Cancellation requests must be made 14 days in advance of the program to receive a refund, a $50 processing fee will be charged.
Requests made less than 14 days in advance of the program; fees are not refundable. Cancellation requests will not be accepted on or after the presentation date.
All requests must be submitted in writing by email, fax or regular mail.
Transfer/Substitution Policy: Transfers to another program or another person may substitute for you without a charge if the request is made 14 days in advance of the program.
Transfers and substitutions requested less than 14 days in advance of the program will be charged a $25 processing fee with exceptions as noted below
Transfers requested on the day of the program are not permitted, unless:
All requests must be submitted in writing by email, fax or regular mail.
Course Cancellation Policy: In the event that a program must be cancelled, registrants will be notified immediately and a refund and/or transfer to another event will be processed with no fee. Registrants will be notified of the rescheduled program. The NYSSCPA/FAE does not assume financial responsibility for penalties or expenses incurred by registrants who must cancel travel arrangements due to course cancellation.
Late Arrivals and Early Departures Policy: Anyone who arrives at the program late or leaves early will have his or her CPE credits adjusted accordingly. CPE credit is granted at a rate of one credit hour for every 50 minutes of in-class participation.
No-Show Policy: A registrant who does not attend a program is considered a no-show and forfeits their payment and/or FAE Value Pass CPE hours. To avoid being a no-show, please follow the cancellation/transfer/substitution guidelines before the program date.
Late Registrant Policy: All persons registering for a FAE paperless program after 7:00 a.m. the day before the program are considered a late registrant. Materials for your course can be found at cpe.nysscpa.org/current-registrations, and a link is included in your registration receipt. No other notices will be sent regarding course materials.
Walk-in Policy: All individuals are permitted to register on the day of the seminar or conference at no additional fee, subject to the availability of seats.
Please be advised as a Walk-In; program materials will not be provided on-site. You will be able to access materials once your order is entered in the system. A link to access the materials will be included in your registration receipt.
Live Webcast Quiz Policy: A FAE webcast registrant has two (2) quiz attempts to gain CPE credit. After two failed attempts to pass the quiz, FAE is unable to issue CPE credits for the failed webcast. If you feel you failed in error or should receive partial credit, contact customer service at 800-537-3635 or email memberservices@nysscpa.org for assistance.
Program Materials Policy: Program materials will be available to access online. All materials will be accessed through the myCPE portal – cpe.nysscpa.org. If materials have been posted before you register for a course, you will be alerted to this in your registration email and can access materials immediately. Otherwise, you will be notified via email that materials are ready for download, at least 3 business days in advance of the course. All notifications about material changes or updates will be made via email.
Once e-materials have been uploaded there will be no refunds, transfers or substitutions.
Program materials are designed specifically for the program and are available only to participants. The materials, or portions thereof, are not available for sale to individuals or institutions and may not be reproduced,
Email Policy: Any pertinent notifications about a CPE course will be made via email. This includes, but is not limited to course cancellations, date changes, venue changes, material updates and registration receipts. You will be notified using your email address on file with us; please make sure to keep it accurate and up-to-date. You can change this by calling customer service at 800-537-3635 or by editing your Member Profile.
Audio/Visual Release Policy and Acknowledgement: By registering and attending a seminar, program, conference, session, or other event (collectively, an “Event”) sponsored by the New York State Society of CPAs, the Foundation for Accounting Education, the Moynihan Scholarship Fund, Inc., or any affiliated entity thereof (collectively, the “Society”), you acknowledge and agree that the Society has the right at the Event to record, film, photograph, or capture your voice and/or likeness in any media now available or hereafter developed and to distribute, broadcast, use, or otherwise globally to disseminate, in perpetuity, such media for any purpose whatsoever without any further approval from you or any payment to you. You further acknowledge and agree that all such media and all rights therein are the sole property of the Society. Without limiting the foregoing, the foregoing includes the right to edit such media, the right to use the media alone or together with other information, and the right to license others to use or disseminate the media.
Special Requirements: If you plan to attend a program and will need assistance relating to a disability or have a special dietary requirement, please contact customer service at 800-537-3635, at least 5-7 business days prior to the event.
Questions/Concerns: If you have questions or concerns, please contact our offices at customerservice@nysscpa.org or 800-537-3635.
The information below is meant to serve as an easy reference guide for some of the commonly asked questions regarding continuing education requirements in New York State. It is not meant to replace the guidelines set forth by the New York State Education Department, and is not the final authority in answering questions about the CPE requirements. Full updated information on mandatory education requirements can be found on the New York State Department of Education site. Contact the New York State Department of Education with any questions regarding these requirements.
Am I required to complete continuing education?
If you are a licensed CPA or PA who performs accounting, tax, financial advisory or management advisory services in New York State, for private industry, government agencies, public accounting firms, not-for-profit organizations, or academia, you are required to meet the continuing professional education (CPE) requirements.
When must I begin taking continuing education?
Newly licensed CPAs must adhere to the CPE requirements beginning the January 1 following their initial 3 year registration period. Requirements for CPE apply to your first full calendar year in your second registration period.
For example, if you earned your CPA license on June 1, 2012, your initial registration period ends on May 31, 2015. You must begin to meet your CPE requirements for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2016.
How many hours of CPE must I complete?
You must complete one of the following requirements
You must complete 4 contact hours of acceptable professional ethics during every 3 calendar years AND
24 contact hours concentrated in one of the recognized subject areas OR
40 contact hours in a combination of any recognized subject area
For example, you may complete 24 hours in a taxation concentration only, or 10 hours in each of taxation, accounting, auditing, and attestation for a total of 40 hours.
I no long perform services within the scope of practice in New York State or for New York State clients. Must I continue to meet the CPE requirements?
You may request an exemption from mandatory CPE requirements from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Visit the New York State Department of Education site for more information.
How do I report completion of my CPE requirements?
How long do I need to maintain my CPE records?
You must keep CPE certificates for at least 5 years and make them available to the New York State Department of Education upon request.
What ethics courses will qualify to meet the ethics requirement?
Only ethics courses approved by the New York State Department of Education will qualify to meet this requirement unless your principal place of business is outside of New York State and you are licensed in that state.
For more information on the ethics requirement, visit the New York State Department of Education page.
Can I roll over extra CPE hours from one year to the next?
No. CPE requirements must be met on an annual basis and may not be transferred from one year to the next.
What is the CPE tracking year?
CPE tracking and reporting run on a standard January 1 – December 31 year.
What are the approved subject areas for CPE?
There are 7 approved subject areas. They are:
For more details on the approved subject areas, visit the New York State Department of Education page.
Q: What kind of Internet connection do I need to view a webcast?
A: FAE recommends a wired Ethernet connection to view our webcasts. Wireless Internet is an option; however, you may experience connectivity issues if the wireless network isn’t up to the task. Your Internet connection should have download speeds of at least 5Mbps. FAE recommends an Internet connection capable of at least 10Mbps. This will help to ensure a smooth and clear streaming experience. You can verify your Internet connection capabilities using the speedtest tool at
http://speedtest.net.
Q: What are the browser requirements?
A: FAE recommends Chrome. You may have success with Firefox, Safari, MS Edge, or Internet Explorer; however, our customer portal works best with Chrome.
Q: What are the hardware requirements?
A: A computer capable of playing YouTube videos in 720P HD will be capable of handling a CPE livestream. You may also choose to watch the stream on your mobile device or a tablet/iPad.
Q: How do I prove my attendance/receive credit for a live webcast?
A: Over the course of the day, four Participation Codes will appear along the top edge of the screen. The first time they appear, a doorbell chime will sound. Record each of the four codes and use them to complete the codes quiz below the video at the end of the day. Please make sure you are viewing the video in full-screen mode. If you are hiding the top of the screen, you may miss codes! For each webcast an attendee is registered for they have two quiz attempts to gain CPE credit. If you fail both quiz attempts and feel you should receive partial credit, you can contact customer service at 800-537-3635 or email memberservices@nysscpa.org for assistance.
Q: How do I prove my attendance/receive credit for a self study (on-demand) course?
A: At the termination of the video course, please click the codes/quiz button below the video. Complete the quiz and submit it to receive a grade. You will need at least an 80% score to pass and obtain credit.
Q: When I view the webcast, what makes the sound and video skip, cut out, or buffer?
Sound or video skips, cut outs, or buffers can happen for a few reasons. If you experience these issues, first try refreshing your browser page. This can be completed in a few ways:
If refreshing your browser does not work, you may be experiencing one of the following issues:
Slow connection: You may not have a fast enough Internet connection to reliably view the webcast online. Your Internet connection should have download speeds of at least 5Mbps. FAE recommends an Internet connection capable of at least 10Mbps.
Slow network: Internet congestion can slow down the delivery of the stream and make it difficult for you to connect or may cause buffering. If you repeatedly have difficulty connecting, please notify your in-house IT department; if you are at home, contact your Internet service provider͢--there are often quick fixes they can make when they learn about your issue.
Slow computer: If your computer is old, it might be too slow to play the stream, regardless of what else it’s doing. Or, if you have lots of other programs open, they may be using too much processor time and/or RAM for the player to work properly. Try closing other nonvital programs, refreshing your page (see above), and viewing the webcast again.
Local congestion: Local bandwidth (on your computer or local network) is shared between all open applications and the player. Closing applications may reduce buffering.
No sound will play: Visit YouTube.com another video site and make sure that videos play sound. If you hear sound on YouTube, make sure your seminar’s video player isn’t muted. If you don’t hear any sound, check your player volume, system volume, and speaker volume, and ensure that they are all turned on and turned up.
Corporate firewalls/bandwidth: Most corporate networks have firewalls that will allow live webcasting, but older firewalls and high-security buildings may have a block. If this is the case, the only way you can watch the webcast is to ask your IT department to adjust their firewall and bandwidth so that it allows the webcast.
Q: Help! My webcast is completely gone and will not come back no matter what I try!
If your webcast will not return after trying the above fixes, the stream may have gone down due to technical issues. If this is the case, everyone on the stream will be having the same issues as you. Send a message to tech support using the “For technical support or to ask the speaker a question, click here” link below the video frame on the classroom page. If you do not receive a response within a few minutes, it is likely that the stream is down for everyone and that we are working on getting it back up.
Q: Will I lose credit for not being able to watch while the stream is down?
No. In cases where the stream goes down, all activity on-site is suspended until the stream is up and running again. Participation codes are not shown during outages, and you will not be penalized for the disruption.
Q: Will I be able to see what I missed?
Yes. If your webcast is interrupted by stream or technical issues on our end, all attendees will be given access to a full version that includes all footage of the event.
Q: Can I view the live stream on a mobile device?
You can view the webcast from a mobile device, such as a cell phone, iPad, laptop, or tablet. We recommend that you be somewhere where there is fast, reliable WiFi or a strong data connection in order to avoid any interruptions. Please be mindful that the Participation Codes show at the top of the screen, so remember to activate full-screen mode when viewing from a mobile device in order to avoid missing any when they show. If the Participation Codes are still being blocked by video information, tap into the webcast to remove that information and webcast player controls.