CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERSTM are renowned for their deep subject matter expertise and effective work. To maintain this level of excellence, the CFP Board requires that you maintain your credential with yearly CFP® continuing education requirements.
Learn your CFP® CE requirements to maintain your certification in good standing and stay up to date on any changes that may affect your work and your clients.
Your CFP® CE requirements include a total of 30 credit hours completed over the course of each two-year renewal period. Within those hours, your credits must include or meet the following:
Your CFP® CE requirement begins as soon as you receive certification. However, the CFP Board prorates the initial requirement based on the date of your certification and the time remaining in that given reporting period.
Also understand that you can’t carry over extra credits earned into the next reporting period. For example, if you earn 36 credits during a single reporting period, you can’t report 30 at the end of that period and save 6 to report during the following cycle. Your credits will only be valid if you complete them during the current reporting period.
CFP® CE is primarily available through on-demand, self-study courses and live webcasts. The CFP Board does not have guidelines or rules related to how you may take your CE coursework so you can choose the format that best suits your schedule and your learning style.
The CFP Board has defined eight knowledge domains, with multiple subtopics within each, and your CFP® CE must fall within one or more of these principal topics:[2]
While you must pay a fee and renew your CFP® certification annually, you report CFP® continuing education every two years, by the last day of the month listed both on your CFP Board ID card and your CFP Board online account.
You must report CFP® CE at the time of your annual certification renewal, through your CFP Board online account. During years of CFP® CE reporting, you should begin by reporting your learning; only after you’ve met the CFP® CE requirements will you be able to fill out and submit your CFP® certification renewal application.
The process looks like this:
You must complete this entire process before the last day of the month of your renewal period, or you’ll have to pay a late fee for reinstatement of your credential.[3] If you don’t report your CFP® CE and renew your certification for five years after its expiration date, you’ll have to retake and pass the CFP® Exam to regain credentialed status.[4]
There are over 14,000 CFP Board pre-approved CFP® CE programs, with new ones added throughout the year.
The CFP Board website houses a bank of CFP® continuing education programs that you can filter by topic, format, complexity, and credit hours. You can also search for a program or sponsor directly, if you already have a favorite CFP Board-approved provider.
Remember that the CFP Board must pre-approve ethics courses to fulfill the 2-credit ethics CFP® CE requirement. Use the “ethics” filter on the “Select a Topic” menu of the CFP Board CE program page to find a CFP Board-approved ethics course.[5][SC1]
Use your CFP® continuing education as an opportunity! This is your chance to stay current in your area of expertise, expand your knowledge into more specialties, and provide the best and most current services for your clients.
If you have another professional credential (like a Certified Public Accountant license, for example), you’ll also have to complete CPE courses to meet that credential’s continuing education requirements. You can report these credits for CFP® CE, too, as long as the courses fall within the CFP Board Principal Topics and meet general CFP® CE requirements.4
Some continuing professional education providers offer subscription packages, letting you complete your requirements all in one place, on your schedule, and at your convenience.
Find a CPE subscription that offers CFP Board-approved coursework across a wide range of qualifying specializations to make it easier to learn and meet requirements.
Even though CFP® CE reporting is cumulative, and you don’t have to complete a certain number of credits annually, the two-year reporting period will go quickly. Save yourself from procrastination! You’ll get more from your courses if you have the time to dig and learn, plus you’ll avoid the stress and late-night cramming of trying to complete all your courses at the last minute.
For example, set a plan to complete four to five credits per quarter. This will pace your learning so you can comfortably complete your CFP® CE on time—even setting you ahead with some wiggle room, in case unforeseen circumstances impede your learning during one quarter.
Don’t wait to grow your career as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM. Leverage your CFP® continuing education to advance your skillsets and provide even better services for your clients.
Find CFP Board-approved CPE courses and CFP® continuing education that help you complete CFP® CE requirements with actionable, updated content to grow your career.
[3] https://www.cfp.net/career-and-growth/continuing-education/renewal/renewal-policies
[4] https://www.cfp.net/career-and-growth/continuing-education/faqs
[5] https://www.cfp.net/career-and-growth/continuing-education/results?limit=10&pg=1&q=
[SC1]Update to Becker + STC