Certified Financial Planner (CFP) CPE Requirements

How to reach the regulator directly.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.
1425 K Street NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005

Tel: 800-487-1497 (Toll-free)
Tel: 202-379-2200
Fax: 202-379-2299

Email: renewal@CFPBoard.org

The regulator's own published rules and related resources.

CFP - Continuing Education

The total continuing education hours required.

CFP professionals are required to complete 30 CE credit hours each two-year reporting period.

• 28 credit hours of General CE; and
• 2 credit hours of CFP Board-approved Ethics CE.

The detailed rules behind that total -- category minimums, ethics, and other conditions.

"General" CE

Updated January 1, 2016: General CE credit is granted for completion of programs that cover CFP Board's Principal Knowledge Topics and do not fall under a topic exclusion. CFP Board strongly recommends that CFP® professionals complete pre-accepted CE programs that are registered with CFP Board by CE sponsors. Non-sponsor CE programs that have not been registered with CFP Board can be submitted for consideration of General CE credit, but submissions must still meet CFP Board's CE program requirements in order to be eligible for CE credit.

Principle Knowledge Topics:

1. Professional Conduct and Regulation
2. General Principles of Financial Planning
3. Education Planning [Effective January 1, 2016]
4. Risk Management and Insurance Planning
5. Investment Planning
6. Tax Planning
7. Retirement Savings and Income Planning
8. Estate Planning

Refer to "General Characteristics of Accredited Education" below for further details on the subjects above.

CFP Board-Approved Ethics CE

Every CE reporting period, CFP® professionals must complete a CFP Board-approved Ethics CE program. Exceptions are not made. A list of CFP Board-approved Ethics CE programs can be found on the CFP Board website.

How the reporting cycle is structured.

Biennial. The two-year period ends on the last day of the CFP certificant's renewal month.

Renewal month is the certificant's birth month in odd years if born in an odd-numbered year or even years if born in an even-numbered year.

When a reporting cycle begins.

First day of the month following the certificant's renewal month.

How completed credits are reported to the regulator.

REPORTING CE (Updated January 1, 2016):

CFP professionals can access up-to-date information regarding CE credit hours that have been reported for them by logging into their online account on the CFP Board website. CFP professionals do not have to self-report CE credit hours for program completions reported to CFP Board directly by CE sponsors.

Pre-Accepted/Registered CE Programs:

CE Credit Hours Reporting by CE Sponsors: CE sponsors are required to report completion of pre-accepted/registered CE programs. Upon receipt, it may take CFP Board 3-5 business days to upload the records to CFP professionals' accounts. When CE credit hours are uploaded, an email notification from CFP Board is sent to the individuals receiving the credit.

Online Self-Reporting of Registered CE Programs:

A CFP professional may also self-report registered programs through their online account in order to apply credit in advance of the time-frame allotted for CE sponsor reporting. CE sponsor-reported records will overwrite self-reported records in the CFP system, which will prevent the CFP professional from receiving duplicate credit.

Online Self-Reporting of Non-Registered CE Programs:

Non-sponsor CE programs not registered with CFP Board may be reported online for consideration of CE credit. A nonrefundable reporting fee is required for each non-sponsor CE program submitted. Programs will be reviewed to ensure they meet CFP Board's CE requirements prior to acceptance. Program reviews will be completed within 5-7 business days of submission.

Effective February 1, 2017: Faxed and mailed CE reporting will no longer be accepted, and self-reporting of non-registered CE programs will be accepted exclusively through the online form available in the My CFP® Certification section of an individual's CFP Board account.

Documentation Required for Self-Reported Live Non-Sponsor CE: CFP Board may request the following documentation:

• Certificate of Completion/Attendance or unofficial transcript showing successful completion of program.
• Program summary or description.
• Timed agenda with actual dates and times to verify topics, duration, meals, and breaks.

Documentation Required for Self-Reported Self-Study Non-Sponsor CE: CFP Board may request the following documentation:

• Certificate of Completion or unofficial transcript showing successful completion of program and exam score.
• Official, detailed outline/syllabus or course description.
• A copy of the final assessment/examination provided by the CE provider or documentation from the CE provider verifying the number of assessment/examination questions.

Important Note: Refer to the "Credit for Self-Study Education" section below for more information on the Assessment requirements related to self-study education.

RECORD KEEPING AND FAILURE TO COMPLY (Updated January 1, 2016):

Documentation Retention Requirement

Documentation for CE hours reported to CFP Board must be retained by the CFP Professional for at least four years after program completion. At minimum, that documentation should include:

• Certificate of Completion/Attendance or unofficial transcript showing successful completion of program.
• Program summary or description.
• Timed agenda with actual dates and times to verify topics, duration, meals, and breaks (for Live Programs).
• A copy of the final assessment/examination provided by the CE provider or documentation from the CE provider verifying the number of assessment/examination questions (for Self-Study Programs).

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

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

The renewal or reporting deadline.

The CE reporting period is the same as a CFP certificant's certification period.

→ Get monthly reminders before this deadline

What happens if the requirement is not met.

CE Audit Procedures: Updated October 1, 2018: CFP Board conducts random audits of CE credit hours reported to CFP professionals' accounts for the most recent reporting period, during which determination is made as to whether the reported CE credit hours are accepted or denied. If the audit results in a deficiency for a recently closed CE reporting period and the CFP professional has recertified, currently, the CFP professional is given 90 days to report additional credit hours to fix the deficiency. Beginning October 1, 2018, the deficiency can be remedied in three ways:

• CE credit hours in the current reporting period that have been reported by a CE Sponsor will be moved to the recently closed reporting period to satisfy the deficiency.
• A deficiency of 5 or fewer CE credit hours (not including the required 2 CE credit hours for Ethics CE) will be moved to the current reporting period.
• Deficiencies of more than 5 CE credit hours will need to be remedied within 15 business days from the date of the denial notification. Program completions must be reported by the CE Sponsor, or a Certificate of Completion for non-registered CE programs produced, if requested.

When the CFP professional cannot verify completion of an Ethics CE program in the recently closed CE reporting period, a new Ethics CE program must be completed and reported by the CE Sponsor within 15 business days from the date of the denial notification.

When deficiencies resulting from a CE audit are not remedied within the required time period, CFP Board may reverse an individual's certification status from “Certified” to “CE Audit Relinquished,” and the individual will lose authorization to use the CFP® marks and must reinstate per the reinstatement policy to regain that authorization.

In the case of a CE Audit relinquishment, the individual will be responsible for a nonrefundable $100 Reinstatement Fee assessed at the time reinstatement is requested.

Reduced or prorated requirements for a first renewal.

Initial CE Reporting Period:

Updated January 1, 2016: The CE requirement is effective immediately upon initial certification, or after the 12th month following successful completion of the Exam, whichever comes first. The number of CE credit hours for newly-certified CFP® professionals is pro-rated from the date of the initial certification to the end date of the initial certification period.

Beginning in 2011 / Updated March 2019: The way CE periods are calculated changed in 2011 when the certification fee became annual. CE is now reported on a two‐year cycle, while CFP professionals pay an annual certification fee. The initial CE reporting period is pro-rated (at 1.25 credits per FULL month) and ends either on (1) the last day of the CFP professional's birth month or (2) a random date provided by the CFP Board. The CPE end date will always be the last day of a month. The initial CE period will not be less than six months from the date of initial certification. In general, an initial CE period is between 6 and 18 months long (the even/odd year rule no longer applies).

• The CE requirement is calculated by multiplying the number of FULL months in the certification period by 1.25. Fractional requirements are rounded down to the nearest whole (or half credit).
• If the initial month is a partial month, it is not included in the pro-rated initial CE requirement.
• The Code of Ethics/Practice Standards CE requirement during the initial period is two credit hours.
• Example: If you are certified on 1/26/2016 and you have a June birth month (or the CFP Board assigns you a June 30 CPE end date), your initial CE reporting period will be 1/26/16 - 6/30/2017 (17 months). Your CE requirement is pro-rated to 21 hours (17 FULL months X 1.25), which includes the 2-hour Code of Ethics and/or Practice Standards CE requirement, for the 17-month period.

Prior to 2011: The CE reporting period is the same as the certification period which ends the last day of your birth month in an odd or even year, depending on your birth date.

• The CE requirement is calculated by multiplying the number of months in the certification period by 1.25. Fractional requirements are rounded down to the nearest whole (or half credit).
• If the initial month is a partial month, it is not included in the pro-rated initial certification fee and CE.
• The Code of Ethics/Practice Standards CE requirement is always two credit hours.
• Example: If you are certified on 10/1/04 and you have an August, odd-year birth date, your certification period and your CE reporting period will be 10/1/04 - 8/31/05 (11 months). Your CE requirement is pro-rated for 13 hours, which includes the two-hour Code of Ethics and/or Practice Standards CE requirement, for that 11-month period.

Who may be excused from all or part of this requirement.

WAIVERS (Updated January 1, 2016):

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 through the Policy Exception Request Form.

Reinstatement:

A licensee can voluntarily relinquish their license. Upon reinstatement from a relinquished license the licensee must meet these requirements:

• If applying for reinstatement within one year after the certification expiration date, applicants must report outstanding CE hours to CFP Board prior to reinstatement.
• If applying for reinstatement more than one year, but less than five years, after the certification expiration, applicants must report the accrued number of CE hours. CE accrues at a monthly rate of 1.25 hours after the expiration date of the certification. This accrual continues until the individual reinstates or five years have passed. Applicants must report the accrued number of CE hours to CFP Board prior to reinstatement. These hours may not be more than two years old at the time of reinstatement.
  • Upon reinstatement, the applicant's periods will change to a cycle based on the day on which reinstatement is achieved.
  • 30 credit hours are due 2 years from the date of reinstatement.
• If applying for reinstatement more than five years after the certification expiration, applicants must pass the current CFP® Certification Examination. Upon reinstatement, the applicant will be assigned a pro-rated CE requirement for the reporting period in which his or her certification is reinstated to be reported at the end of that reporting period.

Whether unused credits can apply to the next period.

Any credits in excess of the requirement may not be applied to subsequent reporting periods.

Credits earned for any one program may not be split between two reporting periods.

→ CE Tracking calculates carryover for you

Rule changes the regulator has finalized, with effective dates.

Refer to the specific sections above for more details on any of the items noted below.

Effective February 15, 2021: The CFP Board updated certain rules related to:

• Updates to Learning Objectives
• Updates to program levels (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced)
• Updates to program content rules, including the exclusion from CE eligibility topics such as: public accounting, general computer hardware and software, marketing, sales, practice management, or specific companies or products. Practice management content is defined as content focused on planning, development, and management of a CFP professional’s business operations, including office management, business model design, budgeting processes, and leadership training.
• Updates to requirements for CFP Board Ethics CE Programs
• Updates to requirements for maintaining records and electronically reporting hours
• Updates to Live Program Assessment requirements
• Updates to Self-Study requirements
• Updates to Program Records requirements

Refer to the sections above for more information.

Effective October 1, 2018: The CFP Board Update certain rules related to:

• Changes to Self-Study Program Assessment Requirement
• Changes to Calculation of CE Credit Hours for Non-Registered Self-Study Programs
• Changes to CE Audit Standards

Refer to the "Enforcement," "Credit for Self-Study Education," and "Standards of Approval of CE Activities" sections above for more information.

Other Special Rules:

Effective May 25, 2017: CE Credit for IRS VITA/TCE Volunteer Training:

CFP professionals can now report continuing education (CE) when taking part in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)'s free tax preparation program. Those who volunteer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program may earn and self-report CE credits. Current CFP professionals who meet the VITA/TCE volunteer requirements can log into their secure CFP Board account and follow instructions to self-report and claim their continuing education credit.

Effective February 1, 2017: Changes to CE Policies include:

1. CE Credit for Designations and Licenses
2. Changes to Teaching CE Standards
3. Changes to Authorship CE Standards
4. CE Credit for Authors/Instructors of CFP Board-Approved Ethics CE Programs
5. Increase in Reporting Fee for Non-Registered CE Programs
6. Online Self-Reporting of Non-Registered CE Programs: Faxed and mailed CE reporting will no longer be accepted.

Refer to the sections above for more details on all of these items.

Summary Reports for Individual Activities:

Effective January 1, 2017: CFP sponsors must upload student completion records within 14 days of a Program's completion.

Breakdown of Specific Requirements / General Characteristics of Accredited Education / Standards of Approval of CE Activities:

Effective January 1, 2016: “Education Planning” is introduced as a new “Principal Knowledge Topic.”

Rules for Educators:

The CFP Board made several updates to their Sponsor policies on October 8, 2014. Updates include:

• a minimum of one learning objective is required for every CFP course.
• CE programs must specify the level of complexity (overview, intermediate, advanced).
• Revised instructor and author qualifications.
• Self-Study program requirements have been updated.
• Certificates of completion must display the CPF-generated course ID beginning on January 1, 2015.

To review these updates in more detail, refer to the individual sections above.

Standards of Approval of CE Activities:

Updated January 1, 2014: CFP Board Ethics CE Program Requirements: The CFP Board has updated the requirements for CFP Board ethics programs, which are required by April 1, 2014. Updates include new requirements related to the ethics course's learning objectives and new requirements for ethics course instructors and authors (i.e., webinar requirement). Refer to "Standards of Approval of CE Activities" above for more information.

Breakdown of Specific Requirements / General Characteristics of Accredited Education / Standards of Approval of CE Activities:

Job Task Domains / Principal Topics:

Effective January 1, 2012: The CFP Board will accept for CE credit only programs that address subject topics identified in either the lists of Job Task Domains or Principal Topics.

Job Task Domains:

1. Establishing and Defining the Client-Planner Relationship
2. Gathering Information Necessary to Fulfill the Engagement
3. Analyzing and Evaluating the Client’s Current Financial Status
4. Developing the Recommendation(s)
5. Communicating the Recommendation(s)
6. Implementing the Recommendation(s)
7. Monitoring the Recommendation(s)
8. Practicing within Professional and Regulatory Standards

Principal Topics:

The following principal topics represent subject topics that CFP Board accepts for continuing education credit:

General Principles of Financial Planning:

• Financial planning process
• Financial statements
• Cash flow management
• Financing strategies
• Function, purpose, and regulation of financial institutions
• Education planning
• Financial planning for special circumstances
• Economic concepts
• Time value of money concepts and calculations
• Financial services regulations and requirements
• Business law
• Consumer protection laws

Insurance Planning:

• Principles of risk and insurance
• Analysis and evaluation of risk exposures
• Health insurance and health care cost management (individual)
• Disability income insurance (individual)
• Long-term care insurance (individual)
• Annuities
• Life insurance (individual)
• Income taxation of life insurance
• Business uses of insurance
• Insurance needs analysis
• Insurance policy and company selection

Investment Planning:

• Characteristics, uses and taxation of investment vehicles
• Types of investment risk
• Quantitative investment concepts
• Measures of investment returns
• Asset allocation and portfolio diversification
• Bond and stock valuation concepts
• Portfolio development and analysis
• Investment strategies

Income Tax Planning:

• Income tax law fundamentals
• Tax compliance
• Income tax fundamentals and calculations
• Characteristics and income taxation of business entities
• Income taxation of trusts and estates
• Basis
• Tax consequences of the disposition of property
• Alternative minimum tax (AMT)
• Tax reduction/management techniques
• Passive activity and at-risk rules
• Tax implications of special circumstances
• Charitable contributions and deductions

Retirement Planning:

• Retirement needs analysis
• Social Security (Old Age, Survivor, and Disability Insurance, OASDI)
• Types of retirement plans
• Qualified plan rules and options
• Other tax-advantaged retirement plans
• Regulatory considerations
• Key factors affecting plan selection for businesses
• Investment considerations for retirement plans
• Distribution rules, alternatives, and taxation

Estate Planning:

• Characteristics and consequences of property titling
• Methods of property transfer at death
• Estate planning documents
• Gifting strategies
• Gift tax compliance and tax calculation
• Incapacity planning
• Estate tax compliance and tax calculation
• Sources for estate liquidity
• Powers of appointment
• Types, features, and taxation of trusts
• Qualified interest trusts
• Charitable transfers
• Use of life insurance in estate planning
• Marital deduction
• Intra-family and other business transfer techniques
• Deferral and minimization of estate taxes
• Generation-skipping transfer tax (GSTT)
• Fiduciaries
• Income in respect of a decedent (IRD)
• Postmortem estate planning techniques
• Estate planning for non-traditional relationships

Interpersonal Communication:

• Client and planner attitudes, values, biases and behavioral characteristics and the impact on financial planning
• Principles of communication and counseling

Standards of Approval of CE Activities

Effective October 1, 2011: Ethics CE programs registered with CFP Board must be designed to accomplish the following required learning objectives.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of, and be able to define financial planning, the financial planning process, and financial planning subject areas.
2. Describe the material elements of financial planning.
3. Determine if a CFP® professional is providing financial planning or material elements of financial planning.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the required elements of a written agreement when financial planning services are provided.
5. Articulate disclosure requirements and apply disclosure requirements to their practices.
6. Define and outline elements of the fiduciary standard and know when it applies.

Ethics CE programs may go beyond the learning objectives to include additional information specific to CFP Board's ethical standards as outlined in the publication titled Standards of Professional Conduct. However, all Ethics CE programs must, at a minimum, address the required learning objectives.

CFP Board will evaluate the learning objectives every two years to ensure relevance and consistency with CFP Board's ethical standards.

Instructor Eligibility Requirements for CFP Board Ethics CE Programs

Effective October 1, 2011: Instructors of Ethics CE programs registered with CFP Board must meet the following requirements. The instructor of an Ethics CE program must:

1. Hold current CFP® certification, with all CFP Board continuing education requirements up-to-date and all CFP Board renewal and other fees paid in full.
2. Have held CFP® certification for 5 years or more.
3. Not be the subject of a pending investigation by CFP Board or any federal or state regulator.
4. Not have been the subject of a CFP Board discipline (i.e. private censure, public letter of admonition, or suspension) received within the past five years.

Individuals who do not meet all of the above criteria may submit a Policy Exception Request to CFP Board.

Requirements for New Licensees:

Beginning in 2011: The way the CE periods were calculated changed in 2011 when the certification fee became annual. CE are now reported on a two-year cycle, while CFP Professionals pay an annual certification fee. The initial CE reporting period is still pro-rated and ends the last day of a CFP Professionals birth month. However, no initial CE period will be shorter than six months from the date of initial certification. So in general, an initial CE period is now between 6 and 18 months long (the even/odd year rule no longer applies).

• The CE requirement is still calculated by multiplying the number of months in the certification period by 1.25. Fractional requirements are rounded down to the nearest whole (or half credit).
• If the initial month is a partial month, it is still not included in the pro-rated initial certification fee and CE.
• The Code of Ethics/Practice Standards CE requirement is still always two credit hours.
• Example: If you are certified on 1/26/13 and you have an June birth date (does not matter whether in odd or even year), your initial CE reporting period will be 1/26/13 - 6/30/14 (17 months). Your CE requirement is pro-rated for 21 hours, which includes the two-hour Code of Ethics and/or Practice Standards CE requirement, for that 17-month period.

Method of Reporting:

Beginning in 2011: The certification fee became annual. Continuing education continues to be reported on a two-year cycle, while CFP Professionals pay an annual certification fee.