Frequently Asked Questions

Any courses with a minimum of 30 hours in payroll career-related topics like accounting, human resources, interpersonal skills or business communication completed through an accredited public college or university. These hours can be applied to both the current and following year’s annual CPE requirements.  In order for a course to be considered an eligible activity toward fulfilling the CPE requirement, the course must be successfully completed according to the college or university’s passing mark at which the course was completed.

For example, PCP certification holders who complete either the Introduction to Payroll Management or Applied Payroll Management courses in the Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP) certification program satisfy both the current and following year's annual CPE requirements. This also includes the PLP transfer credit courses of Organizational Behaviour, Managerial Accounting, and Compensation and Benefits.

The National Payroll Institute's CPE cycle runs annually from January 1 to December 31. However, the Institute recognizes the recent educational investment and rigorous learning that newly certified members have undertaken to achieve certification, and as such, extend the initial CPE cycles for these members.

Newly certified in 2022:

• PCP certification holders certified in 2022 will be required to attain and declare 14 hours of CPE prior to December 31, 2024, after which they will be required to attain and declare 14 hours of CPE annually.
• PLP certification holders certified in 2022 will be required to attain and declare 21 hours of CPE prior to December 31, 2024, after which they will be required to attain and declare 21 hours of CPE annually.

Newly certified in 2023:

• PCP Certification holders who become certified in 2023 will be required to attain and declare 14 hours of CPE prior to December 31, 2025, after which they will be required to attain and declare 14 hours of CPE annually.
• PLP Certification holders who become certified in 2023 will be required to attain and declare 21 hours of CPE prior to December 31, 2025, after which they will be required to attain and declare 21 hours of CPE annually.

All certified members must submit a CPE Declaration online through the Institute's website to confirm that they have met the annual CPE requirement by the end of their CPE cycle. CPE declarations are due by December 31 of each year.

Certified members who are unable to fulfill their required CPE hours can request for an extension by submitting the CPE Leave Request Form. Leaves can be granted to certified members under different categories:

Maternity/Parental*

• Long-term illness
• Unemployment
• Retirement

*Certified members who are on Maternity/Parental leave should still submit their CPE Declaration to apply for an exemption. In case they are selected for an audit, they must provide us with the supporting documentation. Examples of supporting documentation for a Maternity/Parental leave are copy of a ROE form or a birth certificate.

Certified members experiencing difficulty meeting the CPE requirement deadline due to one of the above reasons are asked to contact the credentialing team by e-mail at membershipreview@payroll.ca to find out if they are eligible for one year of CPE leave.

Certification holders are required to keep a personal record of their CPE activities, along with documentation to prove completion (where applicable) for at least six plus one years, in the event they are chosen for an audit. Examples of documentation include course receipts, confirmations, transcripts and course outlines.

The National Payroll Institute provides the CPE Activity Tracking Tool to help you keep track of your completed CPE activities, but it is not mandatory. Using the tool or not, all certification holders must keep a record of their CPE activities, along with documentation to prove completion (where applicable) for at least six plus one years, in the event they are chosen for a CPE compliance audit.

Most activities that you complete through the National Payroll Institute will be automatically entered into your CPE file as long as you register directly with the Institute.

Note: If you participated in a National Payroll Institute webinar but were not the individual who purchased the session, you will need to log this individually should you wish to track your CPE using the log. When adding in this activity, enter the Provider/Source as “Webinar – NPI.”

The CPE cycle runs annually from January 1 to December 31. Certified members must submit a CPE Declaration online through the Institute's website to confirm that they have met the annual CPE requirement by the annual December 31 deadline.

• PCP Certification holders will be required to attain and declare 14 hours of CPE annually
• PLP Certification holders will be required to attain and declare 21 hours of CPE annually

The National Payroll Institute conducts random audits of CPE hours to ensure certified members are adhering to the CPE requirement of designation. In the event of an audit, you will be contacted by the Institute and asked to provide evidence of CPE fulfilment.

Certification holders are asked to keep a personal record of their CPE activities, along with documentation to prove completion (where applicable) for at least three years, in the event they are chosen for an audit.

Yes. If you have less than 2 years of applicable payroll experience in your current or past position, you can combine positions to satisfy the 2-year requirement. You must complete a separate application form for each payroll position being submitted for assessment.

Yes, as long as the experience meets the criteria for the PLP certification: 2 years of weighted payroll experience where you are responsible for the payroll function of an organization, including being accountable to management for the accuracy of employees' pay and statutory remittances, or equivalent experience, obtained within the past 5 years. Even if you previously submitted a PCP Work Experience Requirement Application (WERA), you must still submit the PLP Payroll Experience Prerequisite Application (PEPA) to apply for the PLP certification. 

Before you enroll in the CPM certification program, you must be a certified PCP and send your Payroll Experience Prerequisite Application (PEPA) for assessment to the National Payroll Institute. Once you are approved for the program, you will have 5 years from your first successful Introduction to Payroll Management course to complete the education requirements.