CFP® CE requirements: building your financial planning career

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS^® must display deep subject matter expertise in a variety of areas in financial planning. To sustain their level of excellence, CFP^® professionals must maintain their credential with yearly CFP^® continuing education requirements.

Learn your CFP^® CE requirements, so you can keep your certification in good standing and stay up to date in your area of specialization. 

CFP^® CE requirements 

Your CFP^® CE requirements include a total of 30 credit hours completed over the course of each two-year renewal period. Further, your credits must include: 

• 2 hours of CFP Board Ethics CE  
• 28 hours of CFP^® CE in or more of the CFP Board’s Principal Topics 
• Contribute to the professional competency of financial planning services 
• Developed and taught by qualified persons 
• Cover current and accurate content 

Also, CE should include at least 30 minutes of content (pre-approved and sponsored courses), or 50 minutes of content for all courses both pre-approved and self-reported non-registered¹.  

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. CFP^® CE credits will only be valid if you complete them during the current reporting period. 

CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics

The CFP Board has defined eight knowledge domains, with multiple subtopics within each, that serve as the framework for CFP Board education. You'll probably remember these as the same topics covered in your CFP® Education and exam. 

Your CFP^® CE must fall within one or more of these principal topics:² 

1. Professional Conduct and Regulation 
2. General Principles of Financial Planning 
3. Risk Management and Insurance Planning
4.  Investment Planning 
5. Tax Planning 
6. Retirement Savings and Income Planning 
7. Estate Planning 
8. Psychology of Financial Planning 
   
    

Reporting your CFP^® CE 

While you must pay a fee and renew your CFP^® certification annually, CFP Board only needs you to 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. 

During the years when your CE is due, you need to report it at the time of your annual certification renewal. Make sure you complete all the requirements before you start the renewal application. 

The process looks like this: 

1. Complete CFP^® CE credit requirements 
2. Log in to your CFP Board online account and manually report your CFP^® CE learning 
3. Complete your annual renewal application, also through your CFP Board online account. This application includes things like: 
   1. Updated contact and demographic information 
   2. Statement detailing any criminal or civil proceedings, bankruptcy filing, internal reviews, or customer complaints 
   3. Acknowledgement and compliance with CFP Board terms and conditions, including the right to investigate any actions incompliant with CFP Board Standard of Conduct and Ethics 
4. Pay your annual certification fee. 

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 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 

Find CFP^® CE courses 

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. 

Becker CPE is also included in the CFP Board database, with over 30 courses across tax, real estate, financial planning, and other Board-approved topics. 

Remember that the CFP Board must pre-approve ethics courses to fulfill the 2-credit ethics CFP^® CE requirement, so be sure that your ethics course is listed on the CFP Board website. 

Tips to complete your CFP^® CE 

1. Hone a specialization 

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. 

2. Double dip 

If you have another professional credential (like a Certified Public Accountant license, for example), you’ll also have to complete CPE courses for 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 

3. Subscribe 

Some continuing professional education providers offer subscription packages, letting you complete your CFP^® CE 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. 

4. Be proactive 

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 CFP^® CE 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. 

Get started 

Don’t wait to grow your career as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^®. Leverage your CFP^® continuing education to advance your skillsets and provide even better services for your clients. 

Explore Becker’s CFP Board approved CE courses, including: 

• Financial Planning and Analysis with Analytical Capabilities 
• Federal Taxation of Bitcoin and Virtual Currencies 
• Personal Financial Planning 
• An Introduction to Charitable Conservation Contributions 
• Financial Therapy and the CPA
• Understanding the Fundamentals of Investments 

Find CFP^® CE courses that help you complete CFP^® continuing education requirements with actionable, updated content to grow your career. Plus, unlock unlimited credit earning with Becker’s Prime CPE subscription!