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

This page lists what the Minnesota 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.

Minnesota, field by field.

Board of accountancy

Minnesota Board of Accountancy (Minn. Stat. 326A.02 subd. 1: 'A Board of Accountancy is created to carry out the purposes and enforce the provisions of this chapter.')

CPE hours & reporting period

120 hours in each rolling three-year period; minimum 20 hours each year; CPE year July 1–June 30; report by December 31. Minn. R. 1105.3000 A: a licensee holding an active certificate shall 'complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) complying with this chapter each year;', 'in a rolling three-year period, complete a minimum of 120 hours of CPE complying with this chapter;', 'complete the required CPE by June 30 each year' and report the required CPE to the board on the board's form by December 31 each year. Minn. R. 1105.3000 B: the CPE period runs July 1 to June 30; 'No carryforward of CPE from one period to the next is allowed.'; carryback of hours earned after June 30 is allowed if the late fees in item E are paid. Minn. R. 1105.3100 subp. 4: in the rolling three-year period 'a minimum of 60 hours must be obtained from technical learning activities as defined in the NASBA Fields of Study,', 'at least 24 hours must be obtained from attending group or blended learning programs;', 'at least 72 hours must be obtained through programs meeting the registry requirements under subpart 1;', 'a maximum of 60 hours may be claimed for presenting or instructing qualifying courses or seminars;' and 'a maximum of 60 hours may be claimed for authoring articles, books, or CPE courses for publication' or content review. Minn. R. 1105.3200 D: 'Licensees holding an active certificate on June 30 shall report to the board by December 31 of each year the continuing professional education hours earned during the one- and three-year CPE period ended on June 30.'; 1105.3200 B: 'Documentation must be retained for five years following completion of each program.' Minn. R. 1105.3000 E: noncompliance is a basis for disciplinary action under Minn. Stat. 326A.08 and carries 'a late processing fee of $50 for the first month, or partial month, of noncompliance' and $25 for each later month or partial month. Minn. R. 1105.3000 K: a licensee granted an initial active certificate between January 1 and June 30 is exempt for the CPE period ending that June 30, must meet the 20-hour requirement by June 30 of the following year and the 120-hour requirement by the June 30 three years after the certificate was granted; one granted between July 1 and December 31 is exempt for the period ending the following June 30, must meet the 20-hour requirement by June 30 two years after and the 120-hour requirement by June 30 four years after the certificate was granted. Board CPE page states the same: 'Each reporting year you must earn a minimum of 20 hours.'; 'In any given three-year reporting period, you must have a minimum of 120 hours'; 'The CPE reporting year runs from July 1 to June 30.'; 'Carry forward of hours is not allowed.'; 'Licensees are required to retain CPE coursework documentation for five years following completion of each program.'

Ethics CPE requirement

8 hours in each rolling three-year period, in regulatory or behavioral ethics; no Minnesota-specific course stated. Minn. R. 1105.3100 subp. 4 F: 'at least eight hours must be obtained in regulatory ethics or behavioral ethics; and'. Board CPE page: 8 of the 120 hours must be in regulatory (technical) or behavioral (nontechnical) ethics.

CPA firm permit / registration

Permit required for any firm with a Minnesota office that performs attest services, performs compilation services to the extent required by Minn. Stat. 326A.10(k), or uses the CPA title, and for firms without a Minnesota office performing specified attest services for a client headquartered in Minnesota; permits are annual and expire December 31. Minn. Stat. 326A.05 subd. 1(a)(1): 'any firm with an office in this state performing attest services as defined in section 326A.01, subdivision 2;'; subd. 1(a)(2): 'to the extent required by section 326A.10, paragraph (k), any firm with an office in this state' 'performing compilation services as defined in section 326A.01, subdivision 6;'; subd. 1(a)(3): 'any firm with an office in this state that uses the title "CPA" or "CPA firm"; or'; subd. 1(a)(4): 'any firm that does not have an office in this state but performs attest services as described in section 326A.01,' 'subdivision 2, clause (1), (4), or (5), for a client having its headquarters in this state.' Minn. Stat. 326A.05 subd. 2(a): 'Permits must be initially issued and renewed for periods of not more than one year' 'but in any event must expire on December 31 following issuance or renewal.'; subd. 2(b): a complete, timely renewal not granted or denied before January 1 is 'renewed on a provisional basis as of January 1' 'and for 90 days thereafter, or until the board grants or denies the permit, whichever occurs first'. Board homepage (read 2026-10-14): 'All licenses and permits expire December 31, 2026.'; 'CPA Firms and RAP Firms must wait to receive their renewal letter and owners list from the Board before renewing.' Board 2026 initial CPA firm permit application: 'Firm permit application fee: $100.00', an additional '$45.00 fee for each Minnesota Non-CPA/Non-RAP Owner', and 'All registrations expire December 31, regardless of the date issued.'; the form cites 'Initial firm permit REQUIREMENTS: MN Statute 326A.05 and MN Rules 1105.4000-4200' and states that 'MN Statute 326A.05, Subd. 6 requires you to notify the Board of any change in ownership or number or location of offices within Minnesota'. Minn. R. 1105.4000–1105.4200 (application, notification of changes, initial issuance and renewal of permits) are listed in the rules index; their text was not read in this pass, and the Board's firms page returned a bot-protection challenge.

Peer review requirement

Peer review is a condition of firm-permit renewal, once every three years. Minn. Stat. 326A.05 subd. 8(a): 'The board shall by rule require as a condition to renewal of permits under this section, that applicants undergo,' 'no more frequently than once every three years, peer reviews conducted in a manner specified by the board.' Minn. R. 1105.4800 A: 'As a condition to renewal of its permit pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 326A.05, subdivision 8, every firm shall undergo a peer review in accordance with parts 1105.4600 to 1105.5500 once every three years.' Minn. R. 1105.5100 A: as a condition to renewal, a new firm shall 'undergo a peer review; and' 'submit the material in part 1105.5400 to the board no later than 21 months from the report date of the initial attest or compilation engagement.', and after that due date 'the firm shall be required to undergo a peer review and submit the material to the board every three years.' Minn. R. 1105.4800 C: an out-of-state firm applying for a permit under 326A.05 subd. 1(a)(4) submits the 1105.5400 peer review material with its application. Minn. R. 1105.4800 B: where a Sarbanes-Oxley Section 104 inspection covers only the public company attest practice, 'an additional peer review of the firm's nonpublic company attest and compilation client practice is required.' Minn. R. 1105.4900 A: a firm is exempt from the peer review requirement 'if it annually represents to the board that it has not issued attest or compilation reports, that it does not intend to engage in such practices during the following year, and that it shall immediately notify the board in writing if it engages in such practices.'; 1105.4900 B: the representation is made in writing on board forms annually at permit renewal; 1105.4900 C: a firm under exemption that issues attest or compilation reports must undergo a peer review due 'to the board 21 months from the report date of the initial attest or compilation engagement, or sooner at the request of the firm.' Minn. Stat. 326A.04 subd. 10: as a condition of certificate renewal, a certificate holder 'who performs compilation services for the public other than through a CPA firm' must undergo, 'no more frequently than once every three years, a peer review conducted in a manner specified by the board in rule.'

Licence renewal cycle

Annual; certificates expire December 31. Minn. Stat. 326A.04 subd. 2(a): 'Certificates must be initially issued and renewed annually but in any event must expire on December 31 in the year prescribed by the board by rule.' Minn. R. 1105.2560 A: 'The board must renew each certificate for a one-year period.'; 1105.2560 B: 'Initial issuances of certificates must expire on the December 31 following issuance and must thereafter be renewed annually before December 31 on a form provided by the board for that purpose.'; 1105.2560 C: on each June 30 licensees holding an active certificate 'must comply with the one- and three-year continuing professional education requirements in part 1105.3000.' Minn. R. 1105.3000 C: certificates must not be renewed, and status change requests must not be processed, until the CPE requirements are met or an exception is granted. Board homepage: 'All licenses and permits expire December 31, 2026.'

Mobility / practice privilege

Practice privilege without a Minnesota certificate; no notice or other submission. Minn. Stat. 326A.14 subd. 1(a): 'An individual whose principal place of business is not in this state shall be presumed to have qualifications' 'substantially equivalent to this state's requirements and shall have all the privileges of licensees of this state' 'without the need to obtain a license, if the person:' holds a valid out-of-state CPA certificate, licence or permit in good standing, 'has a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited postsecondary school with an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by the board by rule; and' 'has passed the Uniform CPA Examination.'; subd. 1(b): such an individual '(1) shall be granted practice privileges in this state;' and '(3) is not required to provide any notice or other submission.'; subd. 1(c): the licensee and the employing firm 'are deemed to have consented, as a condition of the grant of this privilege:' 'to the personal and subject matter jurisdiction and disciplinary authority of the board;', 'to comply with this chapter and the board's rules;', to appoint the issuing state board as agent for service of process, and 'to cease offering or rendering professional services in this state individually and on behalf of a firm' if the home-state licence 'is no longer valid or in good standing.' Minn. R. 1105.7900 A: an individual rendering professional services in Minnesota 'whose principal place of business will be in this state is required to have a certificate issued under Minnesota Statutes, section 326A.04.'; 1105.7900 B: an individual meeting Minn. Stat. 326A.14 subd. 1(a) or (b) 'whose principal place of business is not in this state is granted practice privileges equivalent to the licensees of this state without the need to obtain a license.'; 1105.7900 C: an individual 'shall, at any time, only designate a single state as the individual's principal place of business', and Minnesota residents who provide professional services at an office in Minnesota 'shall be considered to have their principal place of business in this state.'; 1105.7900 D: '[Repealed, L 2025 c 39 art 4 s 17]' (rule republished March 30, 2026; history includes 50 SR 812).