What counts as a CPD credit, and how to claim fractions
One CPD credit is one hour of new or enhanced learning. You decide how many credits an activity earned, you may claim any fraction of an hour, and the activity does not have to be a course: reading, supervision, work-based learning and unexpected learning can all count if they gave you new or better knowledge or skill that you brought into your practice.
The definition, and who decides
CORU's CPD FAQ says one hour of new or enhanced learning equals one CPD credit, that you decide how many credits to apply to the learning you achieved, and that any fraction of an hour can be attributed. The regulator does not accredit courses, so a certificate that says "6 CPD points" is the provider's figure, not a rule. What counts is the learning you can describe.
Two consequences follow. First, credits and time are not the same thing: a six-hour study day with a long lunch and a morning of material you already knew might be worth four or five credits. Second, the audit guidelines note that the more credits you give an activity, the more your reflection should show about what you learned and how it changed your practice.
Kinds of activity that can count
The FAQ is clear that courses and workshops are not the only acceptable CPD. In our log the type is one of five plain categories, our own grouping rather than an official list:
- Formal course or education: a module, a course, a conference session, a certified training day.
- Work-based learning: supervision, reflective case review, shadowing, learning a new procedure at work.
- Self-directed learning: reading research or guidance, an online module, a podcast you took notes on.
- Professional activity: preparing teaching, presenting, sitting on a working group, supervising students on placement where it gave you new learning.
- Other learning: anything that gave you new or enhanced learning and does not fit above, including learning you did not plan.
Attending the same activity twice gives credits the second time only for what was new. Being present is not the test; learning is.
The type you choose does not change the credits. It helps you see the balance of your year at a glance: a log that is all formal courses, or all reading, is a prompt to ask whether your learning matches the needs you wrote in your plan. The regulator does not require a mix, but a varied record is usually a more honest picture of how people actually learn at work.
Worked example
Three activities in one month, typed into the credits box the way people usually write them:
| Activity | Typed | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| A 90-minute webinar, all new material | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| A 20-minute journal article with notes | 1/3 | 0.33 |
| A study day, 9.30 to 4.30 with an hour for lunch, one hour of it revision | 5 | 5 |
The month adds 6.83 credits. The log stores each amount to the hundredth of a credit, so a third of an hour is kept as 0.33 and totals never drift. The study day is six hours of attendance but five credits, because the hour of revision gave no new learning.
Common mistakes
- Copying the provider's CPD points without asking whether every hour was new or enhanced learning.
- Leaving out short learning. Twenty minutes of focused reading is a third of a credit and adds up across a year.
- Claiming the whole of a working day of supervision as CPD. Only the part that gave you new learning counts.
- Claiming the same course twice at full credits because you attended it again.
- Giving an activity many credits with a one-line reflection. The reflection should grow with the claim.
Keep your own CPD log
Reflectora logs each activity with its credits and the four reflective fields, counts your credits in every 12-month period, shows the date you would fall under 30 if you logged nothing new, and prints an audit pack in your own layout. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim half a credit?
Yes. The CPD FAQ says any fraction of an hour can be attributed to a learning activity, so 0.5 for half an hour of new learning, or 1.5 for an hour and a half, is fine.
Does the regulator approve courses for CPD credits?
The FAQ says the regulator does not accredit CPD activities. You judge the credits yourself from the new or enhanced learning you achieved.
Does learning I did not plan count?
Unexpected learning can count if it gave you new or enhanced learning and you can describe it and how it changed your practice. Log it with the date it happened.
Sources
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against:
- CPD General Questions (FAQ), CORU, page undated, read 28 September 2026. Used for: one hour of new or enhanced learning equals one credit, any fraction of an hour may be attributed, the registrant decides the credits, no carry forward, the same requirement on leave, part-time or a career break, and keeping records while on the register
- Continuing Professional Development Audit: Guidelines for Registrants, CORU, document undated, read 28 September 2026. Used for: audit periods of 12 or 24 months, 30 credits in every 12-month period linked to the registration renewal date, what a submitted record contains, no service user or colleague identifiers, supporting documents kept but not submitted, and the two outcomes
- Social Care Workers CPD Record Exemplar, CORU, version issued May 2023, read 28 September 2026. Used for: the kinds of information a record asks for per activity (dates, type, credits, what was learned, impact on practice), paraphrased
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your application; the regulator's assessors decide. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. Reflectora is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, any registration board or any professional body.