PCP Transfer Credit Requirement

PCP Transfer Credit Requirement

In addition to completing course work, the PCP designation requires all candidates to have completed an introductory accounting course.

However, because this course is not offered directly by the National Payroll Institute, it must be completed with a recognized post-secondary institution and then 'transferred in.'

Valid courses will include the following learning outcomes:

• Introduction to principles and practices of accounting
• Understanding accounting cycles
• Applying GAAP and/or IFRS
• Describing and differentiating business structures
• Recording transactions and journal entries
• Preparing simple financial statements and trial balances
• Preparing cash flow statements and balance sheets
• Preparing fiscal year-end closing entries
• Understanding accounting systems
• Making bank reconciliations
• Navigating accounting for payroll
• Understanding financial reporting ethics
• Understanding imprest systems (e.g., petty cash transactions)

Click here to search our database of accepted courses to determine if a course is recognized as a valid equivalent for credit transfer. If a course does not appear on the National Payroll Institute's Online Database, it simply means that it is not yet a recognized course. A detailed course outline or description must be submitted to the Certification Department for assessment of each unrecognized course.

Each course must:

• Match the component description of one of the compulsory study requirements.
• Be a minimum of 30 hours in length
• Be formally evaluated by an institute, and have a final exam worth 20%.
• Have been taken within the past 20 years for PCP courses.
• Have been taken within the past 10 years for PLP courses.
• Have been completed with a minimum grade of 65%. (Note: all transfer credit courses finished prior to January 1, 2013, must have a minimum grade of 60%.)

Each unrecognized course must be accompanied by an outline stating:

• the title of the course
• the course number
• the amount of (credit) hours
• the content
• the method of evaluation

Final course approval will be made upon submission of:

• Official transcript (grade reports, photocopies, and scanned copies are not accepted). All international learning requires an official, detailed, course-by-course, comprehensive Canadian Equivalency Assessment by a Canadian educational institution or an academic accreditation service.
• A completed Transfer Credit Application - click here for the Transfer Credit Application (PDF)
• The applicable fee for each course

1. Check the Database of Colleges and Universities to see if the National Payroll Institute recognizes your course. If it is not on the database, a detailed course outline provided by the post-secondary institution must be included with your submission.
2. Complete the Transfer Credit Application form (PDF).
3. Submit official transcripts.* Digital transcripts must be emailed directly to the National Payroll Institute from the post-secondary institution, or a secure third-party platform. (The National Payroll Institute does not accept transcripts submitted by email from outside of the academic institution.)
   • All international learning requires an official, detailed, course-by-course, comprehensive Canadian Equivalency Assessment by a Canadian educational institution or an academic accreditation service.
   • *Note: copies and transcripts downloaded from the school website or emailed to the student are not accepted.
4. Submit complete package

Mail official paper transcripts or assessments** to:

National Payroll Institute
c/o Certification
1600 - 250 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON M4W 1E6

**Important: All documents and transcripts submitted to the National Payroll Institute become the property of the Institute and will not be returned.

Email digital transcripts to: transfercredit@payroll.ca
(from the post-secondary institution, or secure third-party platform directly to the National Payroll Institute.)

Credits are processed six to eight weeks from the date we receive them. A confirmation will be emailed for approved transfer credit(s).

Note: To transfer credit(s), the Payroll Compliance Legislation course must first be successfully completed.