CPE requirements for CPAs
Alaska CPA CPE Requirements
Checked against the NASBA Registry and the Alaska Board of Public Accountancy. Published on September 4, 2026 · Last checked September 5, 2026
The short answer
Alaska CPAs must complete 80 hours every two years, with at least 20 hours in each year. The requirement includes 4 hours of ethics every two years. All 80 hours may be earned through self-study. The reporting period ends on December 31 of odd years, every 2 years.
- Total hours
- 80
- every 2 years
- Annual minimum
- 20 hrs
- Ethics
- 4 hrs
- every two years · general course qualifies
- Self-study
- No limit
- Period ends
- December 31 of odd years
- every 2 years
- Carryover
- None
How many CPE hours do Alaska CPAs need?
Alaska CPAs must complete 80 hours every two years, with at least 20 hours in each year.
Reporting period: 1/1 to 12/31 biennially ending on odd years.
NASBA Registry wording: 80 hours, with a minimum of 20 per year.
What is the Alaska ethics CPE requirement?
Alaska requires 4 hours of ethics every two years. A general ethics course qualifies.
NASBA Registry wording: 4 hours of Ethics.
Does Alaska limit self-study CPE?
Alaska places no limit on self-study CPE, so all 80 hours may be earned through self-study courses.
When is Alaska CPE due?
The reporting period ends on December 31 of odd years, every 2 years.
License renewal: December 31 odd years.
There is no grace period.
Can Alaska CPAs carry over extra CPE hours?
Excess hours do not carry over to the next reporting period.
Does Alaska require hours in particular subjects?
NASBA Registry wording: To be approved by the board, a subject for continuing education credit must contribute directly to the professional competence of a certified public accountant and may include • technical subjects pertaining directly to the profession of accounting; or • non-technical subjects that improve the licensee’s ability to practice accountancy in a competent manner.
Are there other Alaska CPE limits?
- Instruction: 30 hours maximum.
- Micro-Learning: Courses under 1 hour in length are limited to a maximum of 10 hours combined per reporting period.
- Published Material: Not accepted.
What other Alaska CPE policies apply?
- Alaska accepts CPE credits for programs offered by National Registry sponsors.
- Daily Maximum: No more than 12 hours of CPE can be earned in a calendar day.
- A licensee who, for reasonable cause or excusable neglect, is unable to complete the continuing education requirements for renewals of a license may request an exemption by explaining the cause for the exemption to the board in a written statement. If the exemption is granted, the board will prescribe an alternative method for the licensee to complete the continuing education requirements.
Does Pacific CPE count toward Alaska CPE?
Pacific CPE is a sponsor on the NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors (Sponsor #143718), delivering QAS self-study courses. Alaska accepts self-study for all 80 hours, so the whole requirement can be met with Pacific CPE courses.
A general ethics course satisfies Alaska's 4-hour ethics requirement. Pacific CPE's ethics courses include Frivolous Tax Arguments and Scams, Ethics and Integrity for Industry CPAs, Fraud Prevention and Management Misconduct.
Sources
- NASBA Registry: Alaska CPE requirements · revised 7/7/2025
- Alaska Board of Public Accountancy: CPE requirements · the board's own page
- Alaska Board of Public Accountancy website
Every figure on this page was checked against the NASBA Registry summary for Alaska (revised 7/7/2025) and the Alaska Board of Public Accountancy's own CPE page. Verified by Pacific CPE on September 4, 2026. The sources are re-checked automatically about every 30 days; the last check, on September 5, 2026, found no changes. Where the board's rule and the NASBA summary differ, the board's rule is shown. Rules change. If you find a difference, tell us and we will re-check the sources.