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Maintain Your AFC® Certification

Professional development is a career-long commitment. Stay current, serve your clients better, and uphold the rigorous standards that make the AFC designation meaningful. To remain in good standing with your certification, log in to your MyAFCPE portal to complete the following:

  • Pay the required annual fee, due June 30th
  • Complete your continuing education requirement every two years, due June 30 on even years 
Access MyAFCPE
Review the CEU Guide

Maintaining Your AFC at a Glance

Annual Fee Requirement: $85

Certification fee due June 30 each year

Every Two Years Requirement: 30 CEUs

Due June 30 on even years, including 2 ethics CEUs

CEU Definition: 50 Minutes

Minimum content time equals 1 CEU

Note. If the annual fee is not paid by June 30, the certification will lapse and the AFC® designation cannot be used.

Breaking Down Yearly CEU Requirements

The certification reporting period is two years, ending June 30 of every even year. Requirements may vary depending on when you earned your designation.


Year 1 of the Reporting Period

If you become certified during the first half of the reporting period, then one-half of your designation’s CEUs will be due for your inaugural reporting period.
 


Year 2 of the Reporting Period

If you become certified during the second half of the reporting period, then no CEUs will be due for your inaugural reporting period.
 


Subsequent Reporting Periods

Full CEUs required: 30 CEUs required each two-year period, including 2 ethics and/or standards of practice CEUs. 
 

Eligibility window: CEUs must be earned within the 30 months preceding the close of the reporting period. For example, for the period ending June 30, 2026, CEUs earned before January 1, 2024 are not eligible.

Accepted Activities: CEU Types and Credit Limits

Programs must relate to personal finance and/or financial counseling, and must enhance your expertise and ability. See the full CEU Guide for complete details.
  • 2 CEUs per period
  • Must earn at least 2 per reporting period. AFCPE offers live and on-demand events to satisfy this requirement, many at no cost to members.
  • Up to 15 CEUs for attendees
  • Up to 3 CEUs for presenters
    • Attending or presenting at the annual Symposium or Pre-Symposium.
  • 18 CEUs per event
    • As an attendee at relevant external conferences.
  • 3 CEUs per webinar
  • 1 CEU per hour of instruction with an instructor present.
  • 2–10 CEUs
    • Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning (JFCP) articles or book reviews (10 CEUs max)
    • Standard newsletter contributions (2 CEUs max).
  • 18 CEUs per class
    • Up to 5 CEUs per credit hour for completed college-level personal finance or counseling courses.
  • 10 CEUs (new)
  • 5 CEUs (updated)
    • 3 CEUs per 1 hour of new content; 1 CEU per hour for updating existing material.
  • Varies
    • Completing another professional designation. See CEU Guide for specifics.
  • 3 CEUs/yr (reviewer)
  • 2 CEUs/quiz (JFCP)
    • JFCP journal reviewer or JFCP quiz completion.

CEU Review Submission and Process

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Submit CEU requests through your myAFCPE Dashboard. CEUs may only be submitted for the current reporting period. AFCPE reviews submissions within five business days and sends notification to your email on file.

  • Log in to myAFCPE and navigate to your CEU dashboard
  • Select the activity type and enter details
  • Upload supporting documentation
  • Your submission will be reviewed within 5 business days. You will be notified by email and in the Alerts section of your myAFCPE dashboard.
CEU Questions?

AFC Certification Reinstatement Process

Individuals may reinstatement of the AFC certification after voluntary relinquishment, or failure to renew for up to 5 years. During the reinstatement process, individuals are not certified, and are prohibited from using the AFC mark, until the entire reinstatement process is complete. 


Step 1

Submit an AFC certification  reinstatement request
 


Step 2

Pay outstanding fees and applicable extension fees
 


Step 3

Complete required CEUs within the extension period
 


Step 4

AFC credential will be reinstated once
all requirements are met
 
See Reinstatement Policy
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Stay in Good Standing and Educate Those You Serve

Maintaining your AFC doesn’t have to be stressful. The AFCPE CEU team is here to support you so you can continue supporting others.

Contact CEU Team

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