If you don’t meet your 30 CPE hours by the end of a reporting year, your CMA status moves to “inactive.” That means you can no longer use the CMA designation after your name, and you’ll need to make up the missed CPE plus any additional requirements the IMA sets to reactivate. If you go too long without reactivating, the credential can lapse entirely, requiring more significant steps to restore. The IMA does occasional audits of CPE records, so don’t fudge it. The simplest fix is to plan early: schedule one webinar or course per month and you’ll be done well before the deadline. Lots of IMA-provided CPE is free for members.
