CMA CPE Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
Certified Management Accountants (CMAs) must complete 30 Continuing Professional Education credits each year, including 2 credits in ethics, to maintain the CMA designation. To maintain the CMA certification, certificants also need to maintain active IMA membership, pay the annual CMA maintenance fee, and continue to follow IMA’s Statement of Ethical Professional Practice.
This page provides general educational information to help CMAs understand how CMA CPE requirements work, including annual hour requirements, ethics requirements, membership obligations, documentation expectations, and how structured audio learning may fit within the framework.
Important: This content is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, or individualized compliance advice and does not replace official guidance issued by IMA. Individual requirements may vary for CMA candidates and certificants based on CMA exam completion date, certification status, membership status, and any specific IMA policies in effect.
CMA CPE Requirements at a Glance
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CMA Reporting Period and Annual Requirement
The core CMA requirement is annual. CMAs must earn 30 CPE credits each year, and 2 of those credits must be in ethics. In addition to completing CPE, CMA holders must keep their IMA membership active and pay the annual maintenance fee to remain in good standing.
CMA Continuing Professional Education Requirements
The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) CMA maintenance framework is simpler than many jurisdiction-based CPA rules. There is no rolling 2-year or 3-year total to manage. Instead, the focus is on meeting the annual 30-credit requirement every year, including the 2 required ethics credits, while also maintaining active membership and paying the annual fee.
Total CPE Credits Required
CMAs must earn 30 Continuing Professional Education credits each year. This is the baseline annual requirement for maintaining the credential.
Ethics Requirement
Of the 30 annual CPE credits, 2 must be in the area of ethics. For CMAs, taking ethics courses is not optional or occasional. It is a recurring annual requirement built into the overall CPE total.
Membership and Maintenance Requirements
Maintaining the CMA is not only about earning CPE. IMA’s maintenance page also says CMA holders must maintain active IMA membership and pay the annual fee that covers both active IMA membership and the CMA maintenance fee.
Professional Conduct Expectations
IMA also states that CMA holders must continue to abide by IMA’s Statement of Ethical Professional Practice. That means maintaining the designation includes both education and ongoing professional conduct expectations.
What Counts Toward CMA CPE
IMA’s maintenance page points certificants to its CPE earning resources, webinars, seminars, course catalog, and CPE requirements and rules. In practical terms, CMAs should focus on activities like workshops that fit IMA’s CPE rules and that support competence in financial reporting, accounting, financial management, strategy, leadership, ethics, business law, and related areas relevant to the designation.
How to Approach CMA CPE Planning
Because the CMA requirement resets each year, the easiest approach is to build a steady annual CPE plan rather than waiting until the end of the year. For many CMAs, that means planning around:
- 30 total CPE credits each year
- 2 ethics credits each year
- keeping records organized as credits are earned
- making sure active IMA membership and the annual maintenance fee stay current
Documentation and Tracking
IMA’s CMA maintenance page directs members to check their current CPE status and use IMA’s earning and course resources. That makes it important for CMA holders to track earned credits regularly using a compliance tracker rather than trying to reconstruct activity later.
CMA CPE Courses: What to Know
For CMAs, the most important planning points are:
- earning 30 CPE credits every year
- making sure 2 credits are in ethics
- maintaining active IMA membership
- paying the annual CMA maintenance fee
- keeping CPE tracking current throughout the year
Audio-Based Learning and LumiQ
LumiQ provides structured, expert-led learning designed to fit professional development into daily life, including topics such as marketing and leadership. For CMA holders, the key question is whether the activity qualifies under IMA’s CPE framework and whether it can be appropriately documented as earned CPE. Because IMA’s framework centers on annual CPE completion and ethics requirements, structured audio-based self-study courses may fit into a CMA CPE plan when it aligns with IMA’s continuing education requirements and the certificant maintains appropriate records. CMAs remain responsible for determining whether a particular activity fits their annual requirement and ethics requirement where applicable. IMA remains the final authority on compliance.
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Frequently Asked Questions About CMA CPE
How many CPE credits do CMAs need each year?
CMAs need 30 CPE credits each year.
How many ethics credits do CMAs need?
CMAs need 2 ethics CPE credits each year.
Do CMAs need to maintain IMA membership?
Yes. IMA says CMA holders must maintain active IMA membership as part of maintaining the certification.
Is there a CMA maintenance fee?
Yes. IMA states that the annual fee covers active IMA membership and the CMA maintenance fee.
Is the CMA CPE requirement annual or rolling?
The CMA CPE requirement is annual. IMA requires 30 CPE credits per year, including 2 in ethics.
Can LumiQ count toward CMA CPE?
It may, where the activity fits IMA’s CPE rules and the CMA holder can properly document the earned CPE. The certificant remains responsible for confirming that a specific activity qualifies.
CMA CPE Compliance
IMA is the final authority on CMA CPE compliance. CMA holders should rely on IMA’s maintenance guidance, CPE requirements and rules, and current certification resources when making decisions about their own obligations.
Sources
Primary sources used for this page include IMA’s Maintain & Maximize Your CMA page and the linked CMA CPE resources on that official IMA page.
LumiQ is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), similar to AICPA standards, as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.
State boards of accountancy retain final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website.
LumiQ Inc. Sponsor ID Numbers: NASBA (146039), New York (002996), Texas (010643).
LumiQ’s subject matter classifications are made in accordance with NASBA Fields of Study. Each State Board of Accountancy retains final authority on the acceptance of individual courses and classification of fields of study.
Reviewed by Danielle Marion, Regulatory Compliance Manager at LumiQ. Danielle has more than 20 years of experience in regulatory compliance and professional education governance, including leadership roles at Deloitte LLP.
