(1) CPE reporting period is a calendar year time period beginning in the calendar year a credential is first issued by this board and ending on December 31st of the subsequent third calendar year.

(2) CPE credit is given in increments of tenths of an hour after the first full CPE credit hour has been earned except for nano learning.

A minimum of 50 minutes of continuous instruction constitutes one CPE credit hour and after the first 50-minute segment has been earned, five minutes constitutes one-tenth of a CPE credit hour.

CPE credit earned is rounded down to the nearest tenth of an hour.

(3) Carry-forward: CPE credit hours you complete during one CPE reporting period cannot be carried forward to the next period.

(4) Carry-back: As specified in WAC 4-30-134, CPE credit hours you complete during one CPE reporting period cannot be carried back to the previous reporting period unless the board has approved a request for extension or has required the carry-back as part of the sanctions for failure to complete required CPE.

(5) Preparation time for CPE attendance: Attendees obtain CPE credit only for time spent in instruction; no credit is allowed for preparation time unless the attendee is the discussion leader for the particular CPE segment or program.

(6) Limitations on CPE credit: In any given three-year renewal cycle, licensees are limited to the following upper limits of CPE credit for the following formats:

(a) Nano learning, as defined in WAC 4-30-010, is limited to no more than 12 CPE credit hours out of the 120 CPE credit total as specified in WAC 4-30-134.

(b) No more than 60 hours of CPE can be awarded to any licensee during the three-year reporting period for the sum of:

(i) Service on the Washington state board of accountancy or the board's committees or volunteer service on one of the board approved peer review committees;

(ii) First time instructor/developer of a college or university course;

(iii) First time instructor/developer of a CPE course; and

(iv) Authorship of published articles, books, and other publications relevant to maintaining or improving professional competence.

(c) Service on the Washington state board of accountancy (board) including participation on an approved peer review committee, first time instructor/developer, or authorship of published materials will not count towards the minimum 20 credit hours of CPE required per WAC 4-30-134 during each of the three years of the CPE reporting period.

(7) Further requirements and clarifications:

(a) Self-study programs: Credit for self-study programs is allowed for reporting purposes on the date you completed the program as established by the course completion certificate provided by the program sponsor.

(i) Interactive self-study programs: Interactive means electronic or other delivery formats of CPE in which feedback is provided during the study of the material in a manner to validate the individual's understanding of the material. The amount of credit allowed for interactive self-study is that which is recommended and documented by the program sponsor on the basis of the average completion time under appropriate "field tests."

(ii) Noninteractive self-study programs: The amount of credit allowed for noninteractive self-study is one-half the average completion time as determined and documented by the program sponsor on the basis of appropriate "field tests."

(b) Instructor, discussion leader, or speaker: If you serve as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker at a program which meets the standards of WAC 4-30-132, the first time you present the program you may claim CPE credit hours for both preparation and presentation time. One hour of credit is allowed for each 50 minutes of instruction. Additionally, you may claim credit for actual preparation time up to two times the presentation hours. No credit is allowed for subsequent presentations of a course constituted of substantially the same material.

(c) Undergraduate and graduate courses: For both undergraduate and graduate courses one semester credit equals 15 CPE credit hours and one quarter credit equals 10 CPE credit hours.