More Continuing Education Options

Maintain Accounting Requirements and ACH Professional Accreditation

A Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credential or other designation is required for CPAs, EAs, and CMAs to maintain professional competence and to continue to provide professional services.

Accountants and other accounting-related professionals are responsible for complying with all applicable CPE requirements, the rules and regulations of state boards of accountancy, as well as those of membership associations and other professional organizations.

CPE Requirements for AICPA Members

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountant (AICPA) can answer questions on policies for the CPE membership requirement.

AICPA offers thousands of hours of CPE ranging from foundational to expert, covering hundreds of topics, and delivered via webcast, live events, on-demand self-study, and more. Their high-quality CPE helps you maintain your professional competency to provide quality professional services.

To learn more, visit AICPA.

The Statement of Standards are published jointly by the AICPA and National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) to provide a framework for the development, presentation, measurement and reporting of CPA-related CPE programs.

Benefits of Becoming an Accredited ACH Professional

Earning your credentials as an Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) has a wide array of benefits. As an individual, your accreditation demonstrates to your employer that you’re committed to the profession, which can provide opportunities for personal career growth. It also helps your company, since bank regulators and examiners regularly look at financial institutions’ AAP employees as a sign that the organization is committed to risk management and regulatory compliance.

These benefits apply to solution providers, processors and even end users. By having an AAP on staff, an end user like a business or government agency can more effectively manage Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network use and enhance its risk management profile. Similarly, solution providers and processors need qualified AAPs on staff to ensure they are in compliance with financial institution and client company regulations.

Once you have your accreditation, you’ll find that you are in high demand as the “go-to” person for all things ACH.

Finally, your status as an AAP helps pave the road for future ACH professionals. If your organization or company offers courses licensed for the AAP CE credit, you’ll contribute to an industry-wide effort to raise the bar on payments-related education. By contributing knowledge to your organization’s course offerings, you will help your colleagues, further your own education, and boost your company’s reputation for excellence in the industry.

To learn more about AAP accreditation, visit the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA).

PAFP members and attendees at events can earn CPE and AAP credits depending on the topic. For questions about Continuing Education, email us here.