CFP® certification
CFP® certification cost: from the exam to the yearly fee
CFP Board’s fees come to about $1,520 to get certified, average retakes included, then $575 a year. A bachelor’s degree and CFP Board coursework are also required; add what your school charges.
Independent site: not run by, or affiliated with, any body that sets these exams or charges these fees.
CFP® certification: expected total
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Expected cost to get CFP® certified, prep not included
$1,520
| Exam fee | $825 |
| Expected retakes (0.54 extra attempt on average: about 5 retakes for every 10 candidates) | $445 |
| Application | $250 |
| Yearly certification fee, once certified | $575 a year, not counted |
| Education program | not included: type it above |
| Exam review and books | not included: type it above |
Pass rates used: 69.0% at the first attempt, 57.4% for a retake.
CFP Board charges for three things on the way to CFP® certification and one thing after it. The CFP® exam costs $825 with early bird registration, $925 standard and $1,025 late. After passing, the certification application costs $250, and certified professionals pay an annual certification fee of $575. The exam is passed more often than the CFA® or CPA exams: in July 2026, 69.0% of first-time candidates and 57.4% of repeat candidates passed, per CFP Board statistics. Using both rates, an average candidate needs about 1 to 2 tries (1.54 on average). The education program a CFP Board-registered school charges is usually the largest single cost, and it is not set by CFP Board; type yours into the calculator with any review course, and choose how many certified years to count in the total.
Fees read and totals checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
CFP Board fees, all deadlines
| Registration | Exam fee | Expected exam fees | Application | To get certified, before education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early bird | $825 | $1,270 | $250 | $1,520 |
| Standard | $925 | $1,424 | $250 | $1,674 |
| Late | $1,025 | $1,578 | $250 | $1,828 |
The three exam prices are $100 apart. Registering early on the first attempt and on any retake is the one saving fully in your hands.
Retakes, from CFP Board’s own figures
CFP Board’s historical exam statistics split each session into first-time and repeat candidates. Repeat candidates pass less often, so a model with a single rate understates retakes. The calculator uses both: the first attempt at the first-time rate, any further attempt at the repeat rate. With the latest rates, an average candidate sits the exam about one and a half times: once, plus half a retake on average. Choose “Sessions since March 2023” to smooth out one unusual session.
The education requirement is the big line
CFP Board’s education requirement has two parts: a bachelor’s degree and CFP Board coursework, taken through a registered program. Programs are run by universities and private providers at prices CFP Board does not set, so no amount is loaded: type yours. Once education, exam, experience and ethics are all met, CFP Board asks for the application fee and the first certification fee within six months.
CFP Board prorates the first certification fee according to when you certify. The calculator counts a full year for each year you choose, which keeps the total on the safe side.
Where to go next
The exam dates page lists each window’s deadlines, the pass rate page every session since 2023, and the requirements page the experience hours you need before you can use the marks.
A worked example
Take a candidate who registers at the standard deadline, pays a school for the education program and a review course, and wants to see five years ahead. The exam part of the bill is the standard fee times the expected sittings; the certification part is the application plus five annual fees, $3,125; the education and the review are whatever the school and the provider charge. Over a long career the annual fee overtakes everything else: after ten certified years it adds up to $5,750, more than any single line paid on the way in. Renewing late each time would add $75 a year on top. The calculator starts at zero certified years, so its first figure is the cost of getting certified; set the years field to your own horizon to see the total move.
What the yearly fee pays for, and why this site writes “CFP® professional”
The annual fee buys the right to use the CFP® certification marks. CFP Board’s guidelines say the mark is always written in capitals with the ® symbol and followed by a noun such as certification, professional or exam. That is why this site writes “CFP® professional” and never uses the letters alone as a title.