Audited? Don’t Panic!
Have you received an audit notice? Below are some helpful tips to get you through the process.
1. Read the notice thoroughly
The notice that you received gives instructions on what you must do as a result of being audited. Being audited does not necessarily mean you did something wrong. Our system pulls an audit list based on the date renewed and the date and number of continuing education hours on file. The audit program also looks to make sure the four-hour mandatory course was completed on time.
2. Know your education requirements
Licensees are required to complete 12 hours each year—at least four of which must be the mandatory course. New licensees are subject to the post-licensing education requirement, which will fulfill a portion of the 12-hour requirement, but you must still complete all mandatory course(s) necessary for your license type.
In 2017 brokers were required to take an additional four-hour mandatory course. Brokers who did not complete the four-hour mandatory, the four-hour broker mandatory, and an additional four hours of elective CE will be included in the audit.
Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes. You should check your files to see which courses you completed for the year and what dates are on the education certificates. Make sure the license number on your education certificate matches the number on your license.
3. Verify your certificates using the MyLREC Portal
If you verify that you have the necessary hours with your certificates, check the Commission website using the MyLREC Portal to ensure your records match ours. To do this, visit our website and click "Current Licensees" and select your license type from the sidebar. Once logged in to your MyLREC portal, you will be able to view the information that has been reported to the Commission. If your records don’t match the Commission’s records, you will need to contact the vendor who taught the education course to see why your completed education was not reported.
If all of the hours on your education certificates are reflected in your MyLREC’s "View Education Records" page, make sure the year applied does not show a previous year and that the hours show the correct number and not zero. You may have been required to complete education as part of a previous year’s audit or the hours could have been used as part of a transfer to active status.
If you renewed delinquently and completed your hours prior to renewing, you may need to provide copies of the certificates to our office. Education completed online is reported to the Commission with a completion date of the end of the month. If you completed your online education on January 15, 2018, then renewed January 16, 2018, your education in the MyLREC Portal will show a completion date of January 31, 2018. This may be why you are captured in the audit but are not actually in violation.
4. Don’t panic
There may be a perfectly good reason why you were audited; we just need to get it figured out. If that reason is because you didn’t complete the required number of hours in a timely manner, don’t panic. Gather and review all your records so you have a clear understanding of what you have and what you are missing. Then, make sure you respond to the audit notice. Failure to respond to a Commission request could lead to more serious charges and possible revocation of your license.