For CFP® Professionals

Sections

• CE Hour Requirements
• Program Requirements
• Credit for Live Presentations
• Credit for Self-Study Programs
• Credit for Professional Licenses and Designations
• Credit for Teaching
• Credit for Authorship
• Reporting and Recordkeeping
• Failure to Comply
• Audits
• Waivers
• Revisions

Additional Information

• CFP Board's Principal Topics List
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Find CE Programs Registered with CFP Board

Section 1: CE Hour Requirements

CFP® professionals are required to complete 30 hours of CE each reporting period:

• 2 hours of CFP Board approved Ethics CE.
• 28 hours from one or more of the accepted subject topics.

Each reporting period, two of the required hours must be obtained from a pre-approved CFP Board Ethics CE program. Exceptions are not made. This requirement is designed to ensure that CFP® professionals review and remain informed of the Standards of Professional Conduct to which they agree to adhere as a condition of certification.

Download the current list of active CFP Board Ethics CE programs. (PDF, 312KB) Ethics programs taken from organizations not on this list may count for general CE credit if they meet CFP Board's CE standards; however, non-approved ethics programs will not satisfy the Ethics CE requirement.

 Initial Reporting
The CE requirement is effective immediately upon initial certification. The number of CE hours for newly certified CFP® professionals is prorated for the period from initial certification to the end of the initial certification period.

Earning CE Hours
CE hours must be earned during the current reporting period, which is a two-year period ending the last day of the CFP® professional's renewal month. Any CE hours in excess of the requirement may not be applied to subsequent reporting periods. CE hours earned for any one program may not be split between two reporting periods.

Reporting CE Hours
CE hours from programs registered with CFP Board are reported for certificants by the CE sponsor. CE programs not registered with CFP Board may be reported online by the certificant with a nonrefundable $25 processing fee to cover the cost of review.

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Section 2: Program Requirements

CE sponsors are encouraged to register CE programs with CFP Board. Check with the sponsor of your CE course to find out if the program has been registered and for information about the number of CE hours the course has been accepted for by CFP Board, or visit CFP Board's website to generate a list of registered CE sponsors and programs.

Programs designed to meet CFP Board's two-hour Ethics CE requirement have additional requirements and must be approved by CFP Board before they will be accepted. Download the current list of active CFP Board Ethics CE programs. (PDF, 312KB)

CE programs not registered with CFP Board may be reported by the CFP® professional to CFP Board for CE hours but must be reported online with a nonrefundable $25 processing fee per program. CFP Board will accept only CE hours that cover one or more of the subject topics.

CFP® professionals should only report programs for CE credit that:

• address one or more topics listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list.
  
• contribute to increasing the professional competency of participants.
• are developed and conducted by persons qualified in the subject matter and in instructional design.
• are current and correct in program content.
• provide documentation to the certificant by the sponsors.
• are at least 50 minutes in length.

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Section 3: Credit for Live Presentations

Programs are accepted for CE credit in an initial unit of at least one hour (minimum of 50 minutes constitutes one class hour), with half credit accepted after the initial one hour has been satisfied. For example, a 75-minute program equals 1.5 credits. Partial credit may be claimed for those portions of programs that cover material from the accepted subject topics. For example, three hours of CE credit may be claimed for a six-hour program that covers accepted topics during only half of the program. Real-time courses offered over the Internet, i.e., live webcasts, are accepted for CE credit as outlined in this paragraph.

Courses offered by colleges and universities (including community colleges) are accepted for the following credit provided they cover topics listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list:

• semester credit = 15 CE hours (3 semester credits = 45 CE hours)
• quarter credit = 10 CE hours (3 quarter credits = 30 CE hours)

Both credit and non-credit courses will be accepted. For non-credit courses, each 50-minute class session may be counted as one CE hour.

Programs provided by state and local bar associations, Certified Public Accountant societies, Financial Planning Association chapters, Society of Financial Service Professionals chapters, Association for Investment Management and Research chapters and estate planning councils will be accepted for CE credits, provided topics covered are listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list.

Programs that have been accepted by the state boards of accountancy, state bars or state insurance commissions will be accepted for CE credits provided topics covered are listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or included in CFP Board's Principal Topics list.

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Section 4: Credit for Self-Study Programs

Self-study programs are defined as courses completed outside of a classroom environment using printed material, periodicals, audio and/or video cassettes, electronic media or online media. Satisfactory completion must include a written or online examination, which shall be graded by the sponsor, with a passing score of 70 percent or higher. The Ethics CE programs must have a passing score of 80 percent or higher.

Self-study programs must meet the program requirements described in Section 2 and require the certificant's registration with the program sponsor.

Credit for self-study programs is determined as recommended hours of completion time as determined by the CE sponsor.

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Section 5: Credit for Completing Professional Licenses and Designation Examinations

Successfully completing the examinations for certain professional license or designation during the reporting period qualifies for up to 28 CE hours. CE hours are granted for the licensing/designation exam, not for the preparatory or review courses.

To generate a list of licenses and designations with the number of CE hours accepted by CFP Board, use our Find a CE Program search tool and enter "Designations and Licenses" in the Sponsor Name field.

Completion of professional license and designation examinations may be reported to CFP Board by CFP® professionals by logging in to CFP Board's website, selecting the CE Sponsor name "Designations & Licenses," and selecting the appropriate license or designation from the available list.

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Section 6: Credit for Teaching

Credit as an instructor, discussion leader or speaker:

• is accepted for meetings or engagements that are directed to financial services professionals provided topics covered are listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list.
• is allowed on the first presentation only per CE reporting period on the basis of two CE credits for each hour of class or presentation time. For example, an instructor may claim four hours for teaching a two-hour class.
  
• is accepted for teaching in a CFP Board-Registered Program and for teaching other university courses that cover the accepted topics listed in CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list. (Courses taught in CFP Board-Registered Programs do not count towards the two-hour Ethics CE requirement.)
• may not exceed 50 percent of the total CE hours required during any reporting period. For example, if total hours required are 30, a maximum of 15 teaching hours may be claimed.
• is not accepted for presentations designed primarily for persons not engaged in financial services (e.g., presentations to the general public, presentations for marketing purposes, television and radio talk shows, and participation in high school programs).

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Section 7: Credit for Authorship

Credit may be allowed for authorship of published articles and books relating to CFP Board's Job Task Domains or CFP Board's Principal Topics list provided they contribute to increasing the professional competency of the author. Credit for preparation of such publications may not exceed 50 percent of the total CE hours required during any reporting period. Short newspaper articles, Q&As and company newsletter articles for clients are not accepted for credit.

Published articles and books (both print and electronic) must be submitted to CFP Board for review prior to reporting them as CE credit on the CE reporting form.

Published articles and books submitted to CFP Board must:

• include the date, publication and number of CE hours requested.
• include copies of articles as published.
• show the CFP® professional as the author of the publication.

CFP Board will confirm receipt of the publication(s) and the number of credits granted within 30 days of receipt. The publication will not be returned to the CFP® professional unless specifically requested.

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Section 8: Reporting and Recordkeeping

CE hours may be reported electronically to CFP Board at any time by CE sponsors or by CFP® professionals. CE hours must be submitted to CFP Board by the end of the CE reporting period, along with the other renewal requirements. The CE reporting period is the same as a CFP® professional's certification period.

Electronic Reporting
CE sponsors are required to electronically report CE hours earned by CFP® professionals who complete programs registered with CFP Board. View a current list of CE sponsors registered with CFP Board. (PDF, 312KB) When CE hours are reported by a sponsor, email notification is sent to the individuals receiving credit.

Certificants can access up-to-date information on CE hours that have been reported by CE sponsors by logging in to CFP Board's website at www.CFP.net/login. If all required CE hours are reported to CFP Board directly by CE sponsors, including the required two-hour Ethics CE program, the certificant does not need to report additional CE hours.

Self-Reporting
Certificants may self-report courses not directly reported to CFP Board by a CE sponsor. Programs not registered with CFP Board may be reported online with a nonrefundable $25 processing fee per program to cover the cost of review.

CFP Board accepts only programs that cover one or more subjects on CFP Board's Principal Topics list. If programs are reported to CFP Board that do not meet CFP Board's CE standards, any processing fees paid when reporting those programs will not be refunded.

Documentation of Self-Reported CE Hours
Each CFP® professional must retain documentation of self-reported CE hours for two years after the end of the reporting period. Documentation confirming attendance should not be sent to CFP Board unless specifically requested. CFP Board may request these documents at any time up to two years from the end of a reporting period.

Documentation may be a grade report or transcript for activities involving an examination. For other programs, a written confirmation of attendance (i.e., Certificate of Attendance, Certificate of Completion, etc.) from the sponsoring organization is acceptable and should include: CFP® professional name, name of program, name of CE sponsor, date of program, location, number of CE credits and signature of sponsor representative. In addition, an agenda showing the topics addressed and the time allotted for each topic should be retained.

Documentation for CE hours reported directly to CFP Board by a CE sponsor does not need to be retained by the CFP® professional.

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Section 9: Failure to Comply

Each CFP® professional is responsible for demonstrating full compliance with the CE requirement. CFP Board may at any time request documentation of any CE credits self-reported by the certificant.

Unsupported, misstated or fraudulent reporting of CE credits is a violation of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct. Such reporting is cause for action by CFP Board and may be grounds for disciplinary action up to revocation of the CFP® certification.

Failure to fulfill and report the required CE hours by the end of the CE reporting period will result in non-renewal of the CFP® certification, precluding any use of the CFP® marks. If all CE hours, including the two-hour Ethics CE program, are reported electronically by CE sponsors, no further action is required.

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Section 10: Audits

CFP Board conducts random audits of self-reported CE hours for the most recent reporting period. When audited:

• the CFP® professional is notified of the audit and asked to send documentation of hours that were reported manually to CFP Board.
• the reported CE hours and any supporting documentation are reviewed by CFP Board, and a determination is made as to whether the hours are accepted or denied.
• the certificant receives confirmation from CFP Board regarding the audit and any further action needed.

If any CE hours are denied during the audit and a deficiency results, the certificant will be given 90 days to report additional hours to cure the deficiency. Additional hours must be reported electronically by a CE sponsor or listed on a signed CE reporting form and submitted to CFP Board with supporting documentation. The certificant will remain authorized to use the CFP® marks during this 90-day period.

If the deficiency is not cured, a deficiency notice will be sent to the individual. If the necessary hours remain unreported the individual will no longer be certified and will not be authorized to use the CFP® marks. Unsupported or misstated CE reporting is a violation of CFP Board's Rules of Conduct and may be grounds for disciplinary action up to revocation of the CFP® certification.

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Section 11: Waivers

Requests for a waiver of the CE requirement due to extenuating circumstances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Written requests along with supporting documentation should be made to CFP Board.

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Section 12: Revisions

The Continuing Education Standards and requirements stated in these sections are subject to revision from time to time. Changes and additions are published in revised booklets and on CFP Board's website. Certificants are responsible for staying up-to-date and meeting the current standards.

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