PICPA seminars & AI CPD: the guide for Philippine CPAs.

If you're a CPA in the Philippines, PICPA seminars are the most direct way to earn accredited CPD units, and AI is now one of the topics those seminars cover. This guide explains what PICPA seminars are, how the CPD requirement works, and which AI trainings can support your compliance cycle. We checked each listing referenced here against its official page on the dates shown.

What PICPA seminars are

PICPA, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is the accredited professional organization for CPAs in the Philippines and an accredited CPD provider under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). It runs a national calendar of seminars and webinars, plus regional calendars through chapters such as PICPA Metro Manila Region.

Seminars are priced per event at member CPD rates rather than a flat subscription, and the current national schedule is published on the PICPA events system, linked from picpa.com.ph. Regional chapters keep their own rotating calendars, for example the Metro Manila Region's seminar page, and AI and tech topics rotate through those calendars month to month.

PICPA's Digital Transformation and AI module

Among PICPA's seminar modules is "Digital Transformation and AI for Business and Accountants," a CPD-accredited module aimed squarely at the question most firms are now asking: what do these tools change about accounting work, and what should a CPA actually do with them. We confirmed the organization and the module; the schedule rotates, so get current dates from the PICPA events calendar before planning your CPD hours around it.

This matters because it removes the usual trade-off. An AI seminar that carries CPD accreditation is not time taken away from your compliance requirements. It counts toward them.

CPD unit basics for CPAs, in plain terms

The Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 (Republic Act 10912) requires CPD for the renewal of professional licenses. For accountancy, the PRC Board of Accountancy sets the requirement, and the standard figure is 120 CPD units per three-year compliance period.

Three practical points to keep straight:

• Accredited vs self-directed. Seminars from accredited providers like PICPA carry pre-approved units. Learning that is not pre-accredited (self-directed learning, online courses, in-house training) may still earn units, but it is subject to PRC caps and documentation requirements, so keep your certificates and check the current rules before relying on it.
• Accreditation is per event. A provider being accredited does not automatically make every session creditable. Confirm the CPD units shown on the specific seminar listing before you register.
• Rules get updated. PRC resolutions on CPD have changed over the years. Verify the current requirement for your renewal date on prc.gov.ph rather than relying on what applied in a previous cycle.

How AI trainings can support your CPD cycle

There are three routes, in descending order of certainty:

1. CPD-accredited AI seminars. PICPA's Digital Transformation and AI module and accredited chapter seminars on AI topics carry units like any other accredited session. This is the clean route.
2. Self-directed learning on AI. Structured courses that are not PRC-accredited, such as free government-hosted courses, may qualify under self-directed learning categories, subject to caps and evidence requirements. Useful, but do the paperwork.
3. Skills-first training with documentation. Some trainings are worth taking for the skill even if the units are uncertain, especially hands-on work like AI-assisted spreadsheet analysis, which changes your daily output whether or not it changes your CPD ledger.

AI trainings relevant to CPAs, from the directory

These are the listings in our directory most relevant to accountants. We checked each verified listing against its official page on the date shown on its badge.

For a ranked comparison including prices and which options carry CPD units, see best courses for accountants. Browse the full filtered view on the AI training for accountants hub, or the free options on the free courses hub. Our own half-day AI for Accountants workshop covers Excel with AI workflows, FS-analysis prompts, and DPA-safe handling of client files; it is ours, clearly labeled, and its accredited-unit filing is planned but not yet in place, which we say plainly on the workshop page too.

What to check before you register for any seminar

• Is this specific session CPD-accredited, and for how many units?
• Is it a hands-on session or a briefing? Both are valid, but they serve different needs.
• Is the calendar entry current? PICPA and chapter calendars rotate monthly, which is why we date every listing in the directory.
• If you're a firm partner booking multiple seats, ask about group rates before registering CPAs one at a time.

Frequently asked questions