Continuing Education Options

Continuing education activities on topics related to the knowledge, skills and abilities found in the current Certified Corporate FP&A Professional test specifications are eligible for recertification credits.

Activities need NOT be sponsored by or pre-approved for credits by AFP to qualify. AFP does not review and pre-approve recertification activities for individual certificants. Please review these guidelines to determine eligibility of an activity.

The following are examples of educational sessions that DO NOT qualify for recertification credits:

• Sessions specific to the benefits and features of a company's finance related products and/or services (excluding user group conferences)
• Fundamental and introductory level courses in corporate financial planning & analysis.
• Personal career development sessions not specific to management of corporate finance or FP&A (e.g., "How to write a good cover letter", networking sessions)
• Personal finance (e.g. financial planning, insurance, tax preparation, estate planning)
• Topics related to corporate banking, bank relationship management and payments systems
• Marketing, business development, sales/customer service skills sessions
• Licenses and certifications NOT related to corporate finance or accounting (e.g. Real Estate license)
• Certified Corporate FP&A Professional Exam preparation
• Earning the FPAC credential

Eligible Continuing Education Categories

A. AFP Exam Prep Platforms^M

CTP Exam Prep Platform:

Maximum Credits Accepted: 18
Certified Corporate FP&A Professionals may earn 18 CE credits with a practice test score of 80% or higher on the most current edition of the CTP Exam Prep Platform™ course. Credits are granted once per recertification cycle and/or edition of the course.

Accepted Documentation: If selected for audit, AFP will verify your results.

FP&A Exam Prep Platform:

Maximum Credits Accepted: 18
Certified Corporate FP&A Professionals who earned their FPAC credential prior to July of 2019 may earn 18 CE credits with a practice test score of 80% or higher on all three parts (Part I, Part II: Task Based Simulations and Part II: Case Analysis) of the most current edition of the FP&A Exam Prep Platform™ course. The FP&A EEP edition used to prepare for the exam does not qualify for recertification credits Credits are granted once per recertification cycle and/or edition of the course.

Accepted Documentation: Ifselected for audit, AFP will verify your results.

B. AFP Publications Quizzes

Maximum Credits Accepted: 36

• Quizzes of twenty (20) questions with a pass rate of 85% based on the articles published in AFP Exchange magazine
• Quizzes of ten (10) questions with a pass rate of 80% based on the articles published in AFP's Financial Planning & Analysis e-newsletters.

View Quizzes

Accepted Documentation: E-mail/letter from AFP indicating successful completion of quizzes deemed eligible for FPAC credits.

C. College/University Courses

Maximum Credits Accepted: 20
Successful completion of a graduate or post-graduate program (MBA/Ph.D.) or course at an accredited college/university. This includes live/in-person instructor-led classes, internet/distance learning, CD-ROM or other self study programs that result in accredited college or university credit toward a graduate degree. Credits are earned at the rate of four (4) credits per semester hour.

For example, a three-credit course would earn 12 FPAC recertification credits. Undergraduate/introductory courses/programs do not qualify for credits. If the total calculated credits exceed the maximum allowed for this category only 20 credits can be claimed. Eligible credits are calculated using the method described in the section "Calculating Credits" (1 credit per 50 minutes of educational time).

Accepted Documentation: Copy of course transcript indicating a passing grade.

NOTE: Live professional development courses/programs leading to a certificate and not to a graduate degree (Masters/Ph.D.) are to be reported under the CE Category (D), Conferences, Seminars, Workshops & Training sessions.

D. Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, and Training Sessions

Maximum Credits Accepted: 45
Attendance at live events (not recorded). Program meetings of AFP Regional Associations are included in this category.

NOTE: This category includes certificate finance/accounting related professional development courses completed through a college/university that do not lead to a graduate degree. Documentation must reference the course duration and date, topics covered and college/university name. Eligible credits are calculated using the method described in the section "Calculating Credits" (1 credit per 50 minutes of educational time).

Accepted Documentation: Certificate of Completion and program agenda referencing the titles, descriptions, and timing of eligible sessions attended.

E. Independent Study

Maximum Credits Accepted: 45
Print, audio, video and online formats or any combination. The activity must include a method of assessment of the completed work. The number of credits awarded will be based on the average completion time determined by the sponsoring organization.

A maximum of five (5) credits can be earned per book read.

NOTE: Self-directed exam preparation for a new license or certification must have an assessment. An exam prep course led by an instructor either online or in-class is eligible for credits and should be reported under the "Other Conferences, Seminars, Workshops and Training Sessions" category.  Eligible credits are calculated using the method described in the section "Calculating Credits" (1 credit per 50 minutes of educational time).

Accepted Documentation: A copy of satisfactory assessment result, written project, book review/report or certificate of activity completion.

F. Licenses and Certifications

Maximum Credits Accepted: 12
Earned licenses and certifications in professional areas related to treasury, finance, or accounting.

NOTE: For programs requiring successful completion of multi-level exams in order to earn a new license or certification, FPAC recertification credits can be claimed only after all levels are successfully completed and the license or certification is awarded.

Accepted Documentation: A copy of the license or certificate or award letter from the license/certification administration referencing the date earned.

G. Published Articles, Books and/or Blogs

Maximum Credits Accepted: 15
Credits can be claimed for published books or articles you have written. Two credits are awarded for each published page. Credits can be claimed for professional blogs you have posted on a website. One credit is awarded for a 1200 word blog post.

NOTE: The blog should be related to finance, accounting, economics, or cover information in the Certified Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis Professional test specifications. If your blog post does not meet the minimum word count, you can combine two blog posts for credit.

Accepted Documentation: Articles: a copy of the publication cover AND the index indicating length of article (number of pages). Book: a copy of the title page AND the verso with the publication date. Blog: a copy of the web page, date posted, AND web page URL.

H. Teleconferences/Webinars

Maximum Credits Accepted: 45

• A live synchronous presentation with web-based delivery of PowerPoint slides or other participant materials.
• A pre-recorded/archived presentation with an assessment administered by the program provider.
• Assessment scores must be 80% or higher.
• Accepted Documentation: Copy of Registration Confirmation or Certificate of Completion.

View Webinars

I. Speakers/Presenters & Academic Lecturers

Maximum Credits Accepted: 15
Service as a lecturer, presenter or teacher. Speakers receive two credits for every 50-minutes of presentation time. You may only claim credits once for a presentation, lecture or course given multiple times during a recertification period. Subject matter must relate to the topics in the current Certified Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis Professional test specifications. FPAC informational sessions presented to colleagues or your local AFP regional association may also be claimed for credits. Credits are not earned for presentations given as part of your everyday job responsibilities.

Accepted Documentation: Copy of program agenda indicating the (1) date, (2) presentation title, (3) description of presentation, and (4) your name as the presenter.
For courses taught at colleges/universities, provide a copy of the syllabus course title and description from the course catalogue for the corresponding semester.

J. Thesis/ Dissertation

Maximum Credits Accepted: 15
Final delivery of a thesis or dissertation at an accredited college or university.
Accepted Documentation: Copy of the title page, description, AND transcript listing successful completion of the project.

K. Volunteer Service/Leadership

Maximum Credits Accepted: 12
Holding executive officer or Board position or serving on a Committee or Task Force. Listed below are some examples of positions that qualify and the number of credits they earn per year. Certificants can submit more than one position for recertification. Total credits not to exceed maximum allowed.

Accepted Documentation: A copy of the program or publication listing your name OR a signed letter from an association officer or committee chair.

L. Professional Skills

Maximum Credits Accepted: 9
Education sessions do not have to be specifically focused on finance/FP&A.  Examples of acceptable Professional Skills topics include the ability to communicate effectively, creative thinking and problem solving, presentations and storytelling, team work/collaboration and leadership.  Formerly Career Development.
Accepted Documentation: Copy of registration confirmation or certificate of completion.

M. Mentor/Knowledge Share

Maximum Credits Accepted: 7
Share your knowledge of finance/FP&A; mentor colleagues in best practices, tools and techniques and methodologies of the profession, discuss an ongoing project to lend mentoring support.  A minimum of five hours of mentoring is required per one recertification credit.  A mentor may have mentoring relationships with one or several colleagues or students.  Coaching related to how to prepare for or pass the Certified Corporate FP&A Professional exam does not qualify for credit.

Accepted Documentation: Document how mentoring has improved your capabilities and the capabilities of others and submit names and contact information of mentees.

N. Association or Professional Society Membership

Maximum Credits Accepted: 12
Activity Description: Individual membership in a national, international or regional professional FP&A, finance or accounting-related association.

Accepted Documentation: A copy of your membership ID card, a receipt for membership or a letter from the association.

O. On-the-Job Experience

Maximum Credits Accepted: 20
Recertification credit can be earned for a first-time work experience if the activity adds to the understanding of the current Certified Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis Professional test specifications. In other words, the experience must have a "value-added" feature in the final work product that requires certificants to learn new things.

Examples of on-the-job projects that qualify include:

• Issue a RFP, evaluate responses, select a vendor, implement the product/service for a financial planning or modeling solution.
• Create a new compensation model for a labor force.
• Research, design and implementation of a significantly different, new forecasting model, or the implementation of a rolling forecast system.
• Implementation of a new business acquisition into planning, reporting, forecasting, and other communication.

Projects that are part of your everyday job responsibilities are not eligible for credits.
Accepted Documentation: A written description of the project mapped to the areas of the current Certified Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis Professional test specifications and signed by your supervisor. The description must also specifically describe your contributions to the project.
One credit is earned per 50 minutes of the cumulative time spent researching, designing and implementing the new work product. If the total credits calculated exceed 20 claim the maximum of 20 credits.

All policies, procedures and decisions regarding the Recertification Reporting Guidelines are approved by the Certification Committee. The Certification Committee provides ongoing oversight to the program and periodically reviews and revises the policies to ensure the practical and equitable application of recertification procedures.

More Information

• Forms
• Recertification Cycle
• Reporting Credits
• Calculating Credits & Documenting Attendance
• Requesting a General Extension
• Recertification Fees
• Revocation & Reinstatement
• Qualifying Recertification Activities
• Retired & Inactive Status
• Certification Audit