DC CPA CPE Requirements 2026: 80 Hours, Renew by December 31

District of Columbia CPAs must complete 80 hours of CPE in each two-year licensing cycle, including at least four hours of professional ethics, and must submit the Board CPE reporting form with their renewal. Licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years and the renewal window for 2026 runs from October 1 to December 31, so it is open now. This guide explains what the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) form and the regulation say, and flags the points where we could not read the controlling text. For a comparison across states see our CPA CPE requirements guide.

District of Columbia CPE requirements at a glance

The 2026 renewal

DC CPA licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years, so the 2026 renewal window, which opened on October 1, closes on December 31, 2026. The DLCP page lists the CPA renewal fee as $110 and the late fee as $50, and says the CPE reporting form is required with the submission. Renew through the DLCP online portal and have the form completed before you start. The next cycle then runs through December 31, 2028.

The 80 hours

The DLCP reporting form asks you to affirm that you completed 80 hours of CPE, including four of professional ethics, during the previous two-year licensing cycle, citing 17 DCMR sections 2530.1 and 2530.8. Credit is acceptable if the program meets 17 DCMR section 2531. The form says only courses completed within the reporting period may be claimed. We assume the current cycle runs from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026, but the sample period printed on the form is 18 months long and does not fit a December 31 expiry, so confirm your period with DLCP.

Ethics

The form requires four hours of professional ethics per cycle. The regulation text we read says this applies from January 1, 2005, and neither the form nor that text says the ethics must be District-specific. Our overview of ethics CPE for CPAs explains how ethics credit works in other states.

Caps on activities

The form lists these limits per two-year period: teaching or speaking up to 40 hours or 50 percent of the total, with preparation up to twice the contact hours for original presentations only; committee, dinner, luncheon or firm meetings up to 20 hours or 25 percent if structured as a CPE program; and published articles or books up to 20 hours or 25 percent. Nano-learning earns one-fifth of a credit per program, and blended learning needs a minimum of one credit and then half-credit increments. College courses count 15 hours per semester hour and 10 per quarter hour. The form shows no cap on self-study, and the 2004 rule text gives self-study half the average completion time with sponsor proof.

New licensees and reinstatement

Under the 2004 rule text, a license first issued for less than two years needs no CPE proof at the first renewal. For a lapse of under five years, reinstatement needs 40 hours for each year of non-renewal, capped at 120. DC Code section 47-2853.14 says an inactive license holder who has been inactive for under five years can reactivate by paying the fee and meeting the continuing education rules in effect at the time of application, and someone inactive for five years or more is treated as a new applicant unless the Board finds reasonable cause or excusable neglect. We did not capture the reinstatement hours for lapses of five years or more.

Sponsors and credit unit

The 2004 text accepts programs listed in the NASBA National Registry or Quality Assurance Service, with providers including the AICPA, NASBA, state boards, firms, colleges and CPA societies, and counts 50 minutes as one hour. Our explainer on what NASBA does describes the registry. The form directs you to section 2531 for acceptable programs, and we could not read the current section.

Hardship and audits

The 2004 text allows a hardship exception for health, military service, foreign residence, retirement or good cause, but only if you do not hold out as a CPA or sign attest reports, with a written request at least 60 days before expiry. The Board may verify the information you submit and can allow time to cure a shortfall. A March 2017 Board audit was random and by email, and we do not know how audits run today.

Planning your hours

The window is open now, so the practical step is to total your credits for the two years, check you have four ethics hours and compare any teaching, meeting or publishing credit with the caps above. Keep certificates for at least five years until the Board confirms the shorter audit period. For a comparison across states see our CPA CPE requirements guide.

What we could not confirm

The official text of 17 DCMR sections 2530, 2531 and 2532 on the DC regulations site returned unreadable files, and the chapter listing shows a placeholder date of 1/1/1900. The only rule text we read is a reprint of the 2004 final rulemaking, which may have been amended since, because the 2024 form includes nano-learning and blended learning that the 2004 text does not. The form says credits are subject to audit for three years while the 2004 text says records are kept for five, so we recommend five. We could not confirm the start of the cycle, any annual minimum, any carryover rule or the current list of sponsors. A bill on CPA licensure pathways, B26-494, had a hearing in March 2026 and we found nothing saying it changes CPE.

Frequently asked questions

How many CPE hours do DC CPAs need?

80 hours in each two-year licensing cycle, including four hours of professional ethics.

When does the DC CPA license expire?

December 31 of even-numbered years, so the next date is December 31, 2026.

Do I submit CPE with my renewal?

Yes. The DLCP says the CPE reporting form is required with the renewal submission.

How much does CPA renewal cost?

The DLCP lists $110, with a $50 late fee.

Finding CPE that counts

Learnsignal publishes accounting, tax, audit, ethics and finance courses in its CPD and CPE library. Before you buy any course for credit, check that the provider is listed as an approved sponsor with your board or on the NASBA registry, and keep the certificate. Our page on NASBA CPE sponsor information explains what we publish about sponsor status. For a wider comparison read our guide to online CPE providers.

Other states: Texas California New York Florida Illinois.

Source: D.C. Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection Board of Accountancy pages and CPE reporting form (dlcp.dc.gov), a reprint of the 2004 D.C. Register final rulemaking for 17 DCMR 2530 to 2532, and D.C. Code section 47-2853.14, checked October 2026.