NASBA updates: ALD and CPA Verify rollouts, CPA app downloads climb; some states reconsider CPE-hour requirements

NASBA treasurer Andy Bonner and board staff provided updates on national accountancy infrastructure and emerging trends at the Oct. 21 meeting.

Bonner reported that the CPA app had been downloaded in excess of 15,000 times and could reach 20,000; the app platform was built to accommodate up to 50,000 downloads and active users. He said ALD (the Accountancy Licensee Database) and CPA Verify updates recently went live and that Tennessee provides a nightly data feed to ALD; board staff use ALD to verify reciprocal licenses and applicant experience.

Bonner and director Binkley described forthcoming NASBA work on alternative practice structures and private-equity issues in accounting. NASBA plans to release a private-equity toolkit at its annual meeting and a white paper on alternative practice structures. Binkley noted the board’s intent to follow those developments.

Bonner also reported that a few jurisdictions are re-examining CPE-hour requirements; five states are exploring options to reduce total annual CPE requirement levels (examples discussed included models in which a concentration of subject-matter credit can substitute for the broader hour requirement). The board discussed CPE-credit classification for board participation (state-specific ethics versus regulatory ethics) and asked staff to consider whether board meeting participation should be credited as state-specific ethics CPE for members and, potentially, for the public attendees under a monitored process.

Binkley clarified how staff use ALD for reciprocal-license reviews and experience verification and encouraged members to consider participating in NASBA committees during application periods.