Skip to main content
Information for Sponsoring Organizations

Information for Sponsoring Organizations

How to Submit a Request to the State Tax Commission for Approval of an Assessment Related Course for use by Assessing Officers in Obtaining Continuing Education Credit:

A sponsoring organization may submit a request for approval of an assessment related course that can be taken by Assessing Officers who are certified by the State Tax Commission to obtain their annual certification renewal credit.  Courses that receive approval will demonstrate that the instruction and material focus on assessment related topics, are taught by a qualified instructor, and are held for no less than two (2) hours. Online courses may qualify but are limited to a maximum approval of sixteen hours.  Live virtual sessions that allow students to interact with the instructor or moderator are considered "in-person" credit hours.

A request for course approval must be made by completing Form 4738, Application for Assessor Continuing Education Course Approval and submitting it to the State Tax Commission not less than 30 days prior to the start date of the course.  

Form 4738 provides the option for courses to be submitted in two ways: 1) Option 1 as a NEW course, or, 2) Option 2 as a PREVIOUSLY APPROVED course.  Option 1 requires that supplemental documentation be submitted with the application.  Once a course has received initial approval under Option 1, each subsequent offering of the course may be submitted under Option 2.  The document provided below titled "How to File Application Form 4738" provides a checklist that will assist sponsors in submitting a complete application.

Notification of Course Approval or Denial:

When Form 4738 is received by the State Tax Commission, a review is conducted to ensure all documentation has been submitted and the course meets the requirements for approval.  If the course is approved, the contact person for the sponsoring organization listed on Form 4738 will be notified in writing.  The State Tax Commission Continuing Education Sign-In Sheet is provided to sponsors with the approval notice.   To ensure Assessing Officers receive appropriate course credit, sponsors should provide the sign-in sheet to Assessing Officers on each day the course is offered so they may sign in and sign out (Ex: if the course is offered for three days, assessors are required to sign in and sign out on each of the three days in order to receive credit). 

If a course is denied, the contact person will receive written notification along with the reason for the denial.  A course that is denied may be resubmitted upon correction of the deficiencies. 

Sponsor Pre-Verification of Course Approval:

A sponsoring organization should first review the Approved Continuing Education Course List for 2025 Renewal to verify if the course has received approval and is listed on the current (2025) or two previous (2024 - 2023) approval lists.  If the course has not received approval in the years 2024 - 2023, the course will be submitted on Form 4738 utilizing Option 1 and will require all supplemental documentation listed on the form to be submitted with the application.  If the course is included on the 2024 - 2025 lists (under the same name, for the same number of hours), the course has previously been issued approval and may be submitted by the sponsor on Form 4738 utilizing Option 2. 

State Tax Commission Approved Continuing Education Course Lists:

The lists below identify courses that have been approved by the State Tax Commission for the current assessor certification renewal period (November 1, 2023 to October 31, 2024).  

Approved Continuing Education Course List for 2025 Renewal

 Previous Course Approval Lists:

Contact Information:

Questions regarding assessor continuing education courses or certification renewal may be submitted to the State Tax Commission by email at state-tax-commission@michigan.gov or by phoning (517) 335-3429 and selecting Option 5.