Indiana: CPE, firm permit and peer review rules for CPAs.

This page lists what the Indiana board of accountancy publishes for a CPA and a CPA firm: CPE hours and the reporting period, the ethics requirement, whether a firm permit or registration is required, whether peer review is required, the licence renewal cycle, and whether an out-of-state CPA may practise under a practice privilege.

It is built for owners of small accounting and bookkeeping firms, especially those licensed in one state and serving clients in another. Every entry is a snapshot of what the cited source published on the verification date; it is a research starting point, not licensing advice.

Indiana, field by field.

Board of accountancy

Indiana Board of Accountancy (administered by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency)

CPE hours & reporting period

120 hours per three-year reporting period with no fewer than 20 hours per calendar year. IC 25-2.1-4-5(a)(1) (Indiana Code 2026 edition, read from the Indiana General Assembly's official Code download): to renew a certificate an applicant must 'complete one hundred twenty (120) hours of continuing professional education during a three (3) year period with a minimum of twenty (20) hours each year', or under (a)(2) 'complete other requirements as prescribed by the board, including competency based learning through professional development activities'; (e)(1) lets the board set prorated requirements for certificates issued 'substantially less than three (3) years before the renewal date'. The Board's licensing page states 'A minimum of 120 total hours of instruction during the three year reporting period.', 'No less than 20 hours per calendar year.', 'No less than 10% of the total hours (12 hours), for the reporting period, must be in Accounting and/or Auditing (A&A).', 'No more than 50% of the required 120 hours for the reporting period, will be accepted as self study.' and 'CPA, PA, AP, and Firm Permits expire June 30 of every third year (2024, 2027, 2030)'. The Board's CPE audit packet (State Form 55904, R3/8-24) lists the same figures for the reporting period January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2023 and states 'Hour requirements may be pro-rated for licensees initially issued during the reporting period (872 IAC 1-3-16)'. The Board's page cites 872 IAC 1-3-3, 1-3-3.1, 1-3-3.3, 1-3-4 and 1-3-16 for these rules; the rule text could not be opened on 2026-10-14 (iar.iga.in.gov serves only a JavaScript shell and its data API refuses unauthenticated requests), so the calendar-year reporting basis, the 10% A&A minimum and the 50% self-study limit rest on the Board's page and form only.

Ethics CPE requirement

4 hours per three-year reporting period. Board licensing page: 'No less than 4 hours, for the reporting period, must be in Ethics.' Audit packet (State Form 55904): 'No less than four (4) hours for the reporting period must be in Ethics.' IC 25-2.1-4-5 sets no separate ethics figure; the 4-hour figure rests on the Board's page and form, and the governing rule text (872 IAC 1-3) was not readable on 2026-10-14. Whether an Indiana-specific course is required: Not stated on the Board's page or form.

CPA firm permit / registration

A firm permit under IC 25-2.1-5 is required to provide attest services or to use the CPA title, and it expires no later than three years after issuance. IC 25-2.1-12-5 (Indiana Code 2026 edition): 'A firm may not provide attest services or use the title or designation "certified public accountant", the abbreviation "CPA", or any other title, designation, words, letters, abbreviation, sign, card, or device tending to indicate that the firm is composed of certified public accountants, unless: (1) the firm holds a valid permit issued under IC 25-2.1-5; and (2) ownership of the firm meets the requirements of this article and the rules adopted by the board.' IC 25-2.1-12-3.5: a CPA 'may not perform attest services except through a firm that holds a valid permit under IC 25-2.1-5.' IC 25-2.1-5-2: 'An initial and renewed permit expires at the earlier of the following: (1) Three (3) years after issuance. (2) At a time established by the board.' IC 25-2.1-5-4(a)(1): 'a simple majority of the ownership of the firm, in terms of financial interests and voting rights of all partners, officers, shareholders, members, or managers, belongs to holders of an active CPA certificate issued under this article or a corresponding certificate that is issued after examination by another state'; IC 25-2.1-5-5(a)(1): the applicant must 'register each office of the firm within Indiana with the board'. Board licensing page: 'CPA, PA, AP, and Firm Permits expire June 30 of every third year (2024, 2027, 2030)'; 'The majority of the financial ownership and voting rights of a firm must hold active and valid CPA certificates'; 'The firm must have a principal place of business in Indiana.'; 'only one permit per firm is required regardless of number of locations'; issuance fee $30.00 and renewal fee $30.00 (872 IAC 1-1-10 as cited on the page); 'A CPA that operates a firm and uses the terms, CPA, accounting, etc. in any advertising must obtain a firm permit.'; 'Non-CPAs may operate businesses that strictly provide bookkeeping and tax preparation.' The June 30 expiration date, the $30 fees and the principal-place-of-business statement rest on the Board's page only.

Peer review requirement

Peer review not more than once every three years is a condition of permit renewal for firms that attest or issue compilation reports. IC 25-2.1-5-8(a) (Indiana Code 2026 edition): 'The board shall adopt rules that require as a condition to renew a permit under this chapter, that an applicant undergo, not more than once every three (3) years, a peer review conducted in a manner the board specifies.' IC 25-2.1-1-8.7(a) defines peer review as 'a study, an appraisal, or a review of at least one (1) aspect of the professional work of' an individual or a firm 'that attests or issues compilation reports'. Board licensing page: Indiana firms that perform attest functions (audits, reviews, compilations or agreed upon procedures) 'must have a peer review completed once every three years regardless of the frequency these services are completed'; the page reproduces 872 IAC 1-6-9, under which each renewal application certifies acceptance of the firm's peer review report, or that the firm 'is not required to have a peer review to renew its permit because it has not performed any attest' or compilation engagement, or that it 'did not perform any attest or compilation engagement within the first eighteen (18) months' of the period; 'Currently, the administering entity is the Indiana CPA Society.' The IPLA announcement of final rule LSA Document #24-481, effective April 16, 2025, states that the rule 'Establishes approved peer review sponsoring organizations, programs, and peer review standards under 872 IAC 1-6-8.5' and 'Establishes the process for enrollment in an approved peer review program under 872 IAC 1-6-9'. The 872 IAC text was not readable on 2026-10-14; the 18-month provision and the administering entity rest on the Board's page. The Board's page cites IC 25-2.1-1-12 for the peer review definition; the 2026 Code shows that section as 'Expired 7-1-2012'.

Licence renewal cycle

Three-year cycle. Board licensing page: 'CPA, PA, AP, and Firm Permits expire June 30 of every third year (2024, 2027, 2030)'; 'Renewal notices are sent approximately ninety (90) days prior to the expiration date.'; 'License holders with valid e-mail addresses on file will be e-mailed the renewal notice.' and others are mailed; 'Renewal is still triennial'; reinstatement fees are $155.00 for a licence expired 60 days up to 3 years and $190.00 when expired more than 3 years. IC 25-2.1-4-2(a) (Indiana Code 2026 edition): a certificate 'expires on the date established by the licensing agency under IC 25-1-5-4'; (c): a certificate not renewed by the expiration date 'becomes invalid without further action by the board'; (e): after more than three years the holder may seek reinstatement under IC 25-1-8-6(d). The June 30 every-third-year date rests on the Board's page; the statute delegates the date to the licensing agency.

Mobility / practice privilege

Yes, without notice. IC 25-2.1-4-10(a) (Indiana Code 2026 edition): an individual 'whose principal place of business is not in Indiana' who holds a valid CPA certificate from a state the board or its designee 'has determined to be in substantial equivalence with the CPA licensure requirements of this state', or whose individual qualifications have been so determined, 'shall have all the privileges granted to the holder of a CPA certificate under IC 25-2.1-3 without the need to obtain a certificate under IC 25-2.1-3 or a permit under IC 25-2.1-5'; (b)(1): such an individual 'is not required to provide notice or other submissions to the board'; (c): the individual and the employing CPA firm consent to the board's jurisdiction and disciplinary authority, to comply with the article and the board's rules, to cease exercising the privilege if the home-state certificate 'is no longer valid', and to service of process through the home-state board. IC 25-2.1-1-15 defines 'substantial equivalency' as a board determination that another state's 'education, examination, and experience requirements' or the certificate holder's qualifications 'are comparable to or exceed' Indiana's. The Board's licensing page carries a 'CPA Mobility' section with a list of substantially equivalent states. Nonrule Policy Document #25-467 'Substantial Equivalency Clarification' (adopted 9/12/2025, posted 10/01/2025) states that IC 25-2.1-1-15 defines substantial equivalency by reference to IC 25-2.1-3-2 and IC 25-2.1-3-10 and adopts this policy: 'Applicants for reciprocal licensure and CPA certificate holders from other states serving Indiana-based clients be deemed to meet Indiana's standard for substantial equivalency, provided all other statutory requirements are satisfied and the individual obtained their original license upon successful passage of the Uniform CPA Examination and completion of one of the following education and experience pathways' — a post-baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting plus one year of verified experience; a baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting totaling 150 credit hours plus one year; or a baccalaureate degree with a concentration in accounting of fewer than 150 credit hours plus two years.