Final Steps to Earning CFP® Certification

Payment for CFP® Certification

If you've already completed the education (bachelor's degree and CFP Board coursework), examination, experience and ethics requirements, you can complete the remaining certification requirements online by logging into your CFP Board account. These steps include paying:

• A non-refundable application fee ($250).
• A non-refundable certification fee for your initial certification period (prorated amount of the standard $455 annual certification fee).

You must pay within 6 months of fulfilling all other requirements for certification before we can issue you CFP® certification.

Authorization to Use the CFP® Marks

Prior to achieving CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification, use of the marks is strictly prohibited. CFP Board will notify you once you're authorized to use the CFP® marks. CFP Board owns the certification marks, CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S.

The marks are protected by U.S. trademark law, and only those individuals who have successfully completed CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements are authorized to use the marks. CFP Board carefully monitors usage of the marks to ensure their integrity, and unauthorized use of the marks is viewed as a serious matter.

You may refer to yourself as a “Candidate for CFP® certification” in private communications (i.e. resumes, cover letters and job applications) targeted to specific employers, if you have met all education requirements for CFP® certification within the last 5 years.  Candidates for CFP® certification may not use the marks in social media posts, business cards, emails, or any other form of public communication. Note that if you use the CFP® certification marks prematurely, or in some other prohibited manner, you could jeopardize your ultimate right to use the marks.

Initial Certification Period and CE Reporting

Your initial certification cycle will be defined after you complete the education (bachelor's degree and CFP Board coursework), exam, experience and ethics requirements. CFP Board establishes this initial certification cycle by adding 12 months to the end of your birth month, based on your next birth date. The initial certification fee and the amount of continuing education (CE) credits due at the end of your initial cycle will be prorated to cover the length of your first certification cycle.

You can pay the application fee of $250 and the initial certification fee (prorated amount of the standard $455 annual certification fee until September 30, or the $575 fee starting October 1) when you've completed all of your other CFP® certification requirements. After this prorated cycle is completed, you will begin paying the $455 certification fee (or the $575 fee starting October 1) on an annual basis and reporting CE on a 2-year cycle. All fees are non-refundable.