Pennsylvania continuing education requirements for licensees are set profession by profession by the individual boards and commissions housed within the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. Each board decides how many hours you owe, which topics count, and how often you renew. What every board shares is this: the licensee, not the board or the employer, is responsible for completing the hours, keeping proof, and renewing on time. Falling short can bring civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation and, in serious cases, license suspension.
How to Find Your Requirements
There is no single Pennsylvania CE rulebook. The numbers swing widely between professions, so start with your own board’s regulations rather than assuming a colleague in a different field has the same obligations.
A few examples show the range. Physicians must complete 100 credit hours of continuing medical education every two years, with at least 12 of those hours in patient safety or risk management and 2 hours in child abuse recognition and reporting.1Legal Information Institute. 49 Pa. Code 16.19 – Continuing Medical Education Registered nurses need 30 hours per biennial period, with 2 of those hours covering child abuse recognition and reporting.2PA Code and Bulletin. 49 Pa. Code 21.131 – Continuing Education CPAs owe 80 hours per biennial period, with at least 20 hours completed in each calendar year.3Pennsylvania Department of State. Renewal Information for the State Board of Accountancy Licensed professional engineers need 24 professional development hours per biennial cycle, and the board will not grant credit for office management or practice building courses.4PA Code and Bulletin. 49 Pa. Code 37.111 – Continuing Education
The pattern is that no pattern applies. Pull up your own board’s page and its section of the Pennsylvania Code.
Act 31 Child Abuse Training
One requirement cuts across nearly every health-related profession. Under Act 31 of 2014, all health-related licensees and funeral directors must complete 2 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting as a condition of each biennial renewal. For initial licensure, the requirement is 3 hours. The only health-related board exempt from Act 31 is the State Board of Veterinary Medicine.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Continuing Education
The training must come from a provider approved by the Department of Human Services. Act 31 applies whether or not your board otherwise requires continuing education, so a health-related licensee with no general CE mandate still owes the child abuse hours at renewal.
You Are Responsible, Not Your Board or Employer
No Pennsylvania board sends reminders when hours are running short. You are expected to know your deadline, select qualifying courses, finish on time, and hold on to proof. If your board updates its rules mid-cycle, finding out is on you.
That accountability includes course selection. Even a course marketed as qualifying for Pennsylvania CE credit can be rejected by the board if the subject matter falls outside your scope of practice.6Legal Information Institute. 49 Pa. Code 40.63 – Continuing Education for Direct Access Certificateholder The risk sits with you, not with the provider. Employer tuition reimbursement and paid training time help with the cost, but they do not shift the legal obligation. If the program your employer picks does not meet your board’s standards, you are the one facing discipline at renewal.
Where Approved CE Comes From
Every board defines its own acceptable providers, and the lists range from broadly permissive to tightly controlled. Common categories include accredited colleges and universities, professional associations with national accreditation, and specialized training organizations. Some boards accept self-study or online coursework but cap how many hours you can earn that way.
If you are unsure whether a provider qualifies, contact your board before enrolling. Paying for a course only to have it rejected is an avoidable mistake.
Renewal, Records, and Audits
Renewals run through the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) online portal, where you attest that you have completed all required CE. Boards do not ask for certificates during routine renewal. They verify compliance through random audits afterward.
If you are audited, you need to produce certificates of completion, transcripts, or similar documentation showing you finished the required hours in the correct biennial window. The State Board of Accountancy, for example, requires licensees to keep those records for six years after completing a course.7PA Code and Bulletin. 49 Pa. Code 15.80 – Retention of Records Retention periods vary by board, but six years is a safe baseline. Keep digital copies in more than one place.
Penalties for Coming Up Short
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs can impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation for practicing without a current license, which includes practicing after a renewal is denied for CE non-compliance.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 63 – 3108 Civil Penalties Enforcement typically follows a tiered structure based on how far short you fall:
- 1 to 2 hours deficient: a warning letter directing you to make up the missing hours within six months.
- 3 to 10 hours deficient: a formal citation with a civil penalty of $100 per deficient credit hour, plus a make-up requirement within six months.
- 11 or more hours deficient: formal disciplinary proceedings, which can result in license suspension or other sanctions after a hearing.9PA Code and Bulletin. Rules and Regulations – Civil Penalties for CE Violations
A disciplinary record follows you. Pennsylvania allows expungement of a CE-related disciplinary record only after five years from final disposition, only if it is your sole disciplinary record, and only if you have paid all fines in full.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 63 – 3108 Civil Penalties Five years is a long time to carry a mark that can affect malpractice premiums or hiring.
Tax Deductions and Employer Assistance
Two federal provisions can offset CE costs. If you are self-employed, you can deduct qualifying CE expenses on Schedule C as a business expense, provided the education maintains or improves skills needed in your current work or is required by law to keep your license. Tuition, books, supplies, and related travel qualify. The deduction does not apply if the education would qualify you for an entirely new profession.10Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 513, Work-Related Education Expenses
If your employer covers your CE, up to $5,250 per year in educational assistance can be excluded from your taxable income under a qualified employer plan. For tax years beginning after 2026, that $5,250 threshold will be adjusted for inflation.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 127 – Educational Assistance Programs The employer must maintain a formal written plan, and the benefit cannot be offered as an alternative to cash compensation. W-2 employees who pay for their own CE without employer reimbursement generally cannot deduct those expenses under current federal tax law.
Military Licensees Moving to Pennsylvania
Active-duty servicemembers and their spouses who relocate to Pennsylvania under military orders get portability protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. If you hold a professional license in good standing from another state and move to Pennsylvania due to a change in duty station, your existing license is considered valid in Pennsylvania without a new exam or transcripts.12U.S. Department of Justice. Professional License Portability You submit an application to the Pennsylvania licensing authority with proof of military orders and a notarized affidavit confirming good standing.
The law prohibits Pennsylvania licensing authorities from requiring a written test, professional references, or transcripts as a condition of recognizing your out-of-state license.12U.S. Department of Justice. Professional License Portability Once recognized, you are subject to Pennsylvania’s CE requirements going forward, so read up on your new board’s renewal cycle soon after relocating.
A One-Time Rule Coming for Nurses in 2026
Beginning May 1, 2026, all registered nurses in Pennsylvania must complete a one-time, 2-hour course in organ donation education within a five-year window.13Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Registered Nurses Licensure Snapshot This adds to the existing 30-hour biennial requirement. Because it is one-time rather than recurring, it is easy to overlook during a renewal cycle focused on the standard hours. Build it into your plan early.