CPABC’s requirements look like Ontario’s on paper. The differences are in the detail: a January reporting deadline, a longer list of what your documentation has to show, and a one-off anti-money laundering requirement that falls due on 31 December 2026.

At a glance

Requirement

What CPABC asks for

CPD year

1 January to 31 December

Every year

20 hours: 10 verifiable plus 10 additional

Every rolling three calendar years

120 hours: 60 verifiable plus 60 additional

Ethics

At least 4 verifiable professional ethics hours in each rolling three-year period

AML

1.5 hours of verifiable anti-money laundering PD, counted within the 4 ethics hours

Reporting deadline

31 January, for the previous calendar year

Records

Keep supporting records for at least five years after the reporting period

Due 31 December 2026: the AML requirement

Current members have until 31 December 2026 to complete 1.5 hours of verifiable AML professional development, unless they qualify for a CPD exemption. Members who joined on or after 1 January 2024 must complete it within the three-calendar-year period that starts with their year of admission.

The AML hours count toward your four verifiable ethics hours rather than adding to them. Ethics hours must address how ethical principles apply to the laws, standards or guidelines relevant to your work, so choose content that does that.

What your documentation has to show

CPABC is more specific than most bodies about evidence. Your supporting documentation should:

  • Describe the learning activity

  • Identify the provider

  • Connect you to the activity

  • Show when it took place

  • Give a basis for concluding the number of hours is reasonable

For online learning, CPABC says “a certificate of completion or an assessment with a passing grade must be obtained in order to qualify for verifiable hours”. Without one, a webinar or course counts only as unverifiable. You may report only the time you actually spent learning.

Where CPDProof fits

A CPDProof certificate is built around those five points: it describes the content and its source, names you, is dated, and states the hours calculated from the video’s length or the article’s word count. It also records a quiz you passed at 75% or more, which is the “assessment with a passing grade” CPABC describes for online learning. Your body can check each certificate through its QR code.

CPABC decides what it accepts, so no provider can guarantee acceptance. Keep your certificates with the rest of your records for the five years CPABC requires.

See plans [link: /buy-credits]

Common questions

What happens if I don’t meet the requirement?

CPABC says members who do not meet the CPD requirements may have their membership suspended or cancelled.

Is the reporting deadline the same as the CPD deadline?

No. You must complete the hours by 31 December. You then have until 31 January to report them.

Does the AML requirement add 1.5 hours to my total?

No. It counts toward your four verifiable ethics hours, which in turn count toward your 120-hour total.

Related: Year-end CPD deadline: last-minute verifiable hours [link: /blog/year-end-cpd-deadline] · How to verify a CPD certificate [link: /blog/how-to-verify-a-cpd-certificate]

Sources: CPABC, CPD Requirements · CPABC, CPD FAQs