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FPC and CPP Recertification
Holding the designation of a Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a valuable, objective credential that verifies a specified level of knowledge, skills, and abilities in the payroll profession. In order to maintain the FPC or CPP designation, certificants must either earn Recertification Credit Hours (RCH) by attending qualified educational events or retake the respective certification examination.
Recertification Process To avoid unnecessary late and reinstatement fees and to receive important updates and information from the APA, it is the responsibility of the designation holder to keep their profile updated at all times through the APA website using your APA ID and Password. If you do not know your APA ID and Password send your request to apa@americanpayroll.org. Reminders and general instructions are emailed during March and November of the last year of the individual's recertification period. If recertifying through continuing education, designees have until early February of the year following the recertification period to submit a recertification file and fee to APA's Certification Department. Designees recertifying through reexamination must retake the respective FPC or CPP exam during the last year of their recertification period. Hundreds of recertifications are received during the recertification process, designees should allow at least 10 - 12 weeks for processing. Designees that successfully recertify will be notified via email and provided instructions to order their complimentary certificate. If, during the recertification period, an FPC attains the CPP designation, FPC recertification is not applicable. A new recertification period begins and is governed by the procedures for CPP recertification. Designees will carry both the FPC and CPP desginations until the end of the FPC recertification period, at which time, the FPC desgination will be retired. Designations of individuals that do not meet the recertification requirements or who fail to submit the applicable information and/or fee(s) will be revoked retroactive to December 31 of the last year of their recertification period. In the event a designee is selected for mandatory audit, they will be required to submit all supporting documentation for each class listed on the recertification file.
Recertification Fees
Processing Fee
All recertifying designees are required to pay a recertification fee of $50 in conjunction with the submission of their recertification file.
Late Submission Fee
Recertification logs and/or fees received, after the applicable due date and prior to June 1 of the same year, will be assessed a late fee of $25 in addition to the regular recertification fee of $50.
Reinstatement Fee
Recertification logs and/ or fees received after the applicable due date and on or after June 1 of the same year will be assessed a $60 reinstatement fee in addition to the regular recertification fee of $50. Total reinstatement cost is $110.
Mandatory Audit
Ten percent of recertifying designees are randomly selected for an audit each year. If selected, a notice and detailed instructions for the audit process will be sent on or before March 15 of the year following the renewal year. If selected for audit ALL applicable copies of documentation proving program attendance MUST be submitted to APAs Certification Department for review. Documentation may be sent via email to recert@americanpayroll.org or faxed to 210-224-5814.
The Recertification Period
If recertifying for the first time, or if recertifying through reexamination, Candidates may begin to log programs attended immediately after attaining certification, through December 31 after the year in which certification was attained (FPC = 3 Years and CPP = 5 Years). Candidates who have recertified at least once through continuing education will log qualifying programs attended beginning January 1 following the year recertified through December 31 of the respective recertification period.
Examples:
FPC's who certified (or recertified through reexamination) during 2011 have from the date of certification through December 31, 2014, to recertify through continuing education OR retake the FPC examination (subject to available examination dates).
FPC's who recertified through continuing education at the end of 2011 have from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2014, to recertify through continuing education OR retake the FPC examination (subject to available examination dates).
CPP's who certified (or recertified through reexamination) during 2011 have from the date of certification through December 31, 2016 to recertify through continuing education OR retake the CPP examination (subject to available examination dates).
CPP's who recertified through continuing education at the end of 2011 have from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2016, to recertify through continuing education OR retake the CPP examination (subject to available examination dates).
Recertification Credit Hours (RCH)
FPCs must accumulate a minimum of 60 qualifying RCH during a three-year recertification period OR retake and pass the FPC examination during the year their recertification is due.
CPPs must accumulate a minimum of 120 qualifying RCH during a five-year recertification period OR retake and pass the CPP examination during the year their recertification is due.
RCH are the official recertification unit for all those certified by the American Payroll Association. Enter the applicable approved RCH for each program attended in the program file. RCH are defined as the number of actual educational clock hours spent as a participant or instructor in direct participation in a structured educational format. Lunch, breaks, and exhibit hall times are not included as educational time. Time spent on general business topics at chapter or company meetings is not included as educational time. Partial hours must be rounded down to the next half-hour. Thus, a program one hour and forty-five minutes in length is rounded to 1.5 RCH. An indiviual can earn 1 RCH for every 60 Minutes of education. CEU, CPE and semester or quarter credits that meet the qualifying education criteria can be converted to RCH.
Recertification Credit Hour Conversion Chart
One (1) Continuing Education Unit (CEU) = 10 RCH
One (1) Semester Credit = 10 RCH
One (1) Quarter Credit = 5 RCHs
The conversion for CPE credits to RCH is the number of CPE credits, multiplied by 50, divided by 60, rounded down to the nearest 30 minute increment. Example: 7 CPE credits x 50 = 350; 350/60 = 5.83; rounded down to 5.5 RCH. Whereas, 8 CPE credits equate to 6.5 RCH.
Qualifying Education
All programs must cover material within the CPP or FPC content outline or within the areas defined as the payroll industry and must focus on increasing knowledge and/or skills in the practice of payroll. Payroll industry is defined as: Payroll production, reporting, accounting, systems, taxation, administration, education/consulting.
Education Resources
FPCs and CPPs can use a variety of resources to obtain the required RCHs.
Training Courses Web-based Training Webinars Conferences, Chapter Events and Approved Providers.
Recertification Files
FPC Recertification File
CPP Recertification File
One file is to be maintained for the recertification period. The designee is responsible for maintaining an accurate record of each program attended. Each program attended must be entered in the file and submitted to recert@americanpayroll.org by the applicable due date.
Recording in the Recertification File
As qualifying recertification credit hours are accumulated, record the following information in the recertification file:
Date: Enter the date on which a qualifying program was attended.
Program Attended: List the title of each qualifying program attended as a participant or instructor during the recertification period. In addition to all APA National courses, seminars, and conferences, other programs providing learning opportunities within the exam content outline include, but are not limited to, approved APA local chapter meetings, regional or statewide conferences, college or university courses, and vendor or third-party programs offered by Approved Providers. All programs must cover material within the exams content outline or within the areas defined as the payroll industry and must focus on increasing knowledge and/or skills in the practice of payroll. Payroll industry is defined as: Payroll, production, reporting, accounting, systems, taxation, administration, education/consulting.
NOTE: RCH may be logged only once per program attended, as a participant or instructor, within a calendar year. For example, attendance as a participant or instructor of APAs Payroll Practice Essentials in February and again in June qualifies only for the initial 18 RCHs earned in February.
Content Code/Payroll Area: For all non-APA National programs enter the applicable Approved Provider code or numeric/alpha designation from the exam content outline. For example, for program topic FLSA, enter I.B. in the file. This represents the numeric/alpha designation for this topic in the content outline. If a program does not fall within the content outline but addresses one or more of the areas defined as payroll industry qualifying for recertification, enter the applicable payroll area. For example, a program on preparing corporate tax returns such as Form 5500 falls under the area Payroll Taxation. APA National programs do not require a numeric/alpha content code or payroll industry area. See the CPP Content Outline or the FPC Content Outline for content codes.
If you are uncertain whether non-APA programs qualify for RCH, please contact APAs Certification Department at recert@americanpayroll.org.
Approved Provider Name: Enter the name of the chapter, organization, approved provider, college or university offering the program.
Type of Documentation: Enter the type of documentation provided as proof of program attendance. For example certificates of completion and/or attendence and acceptable forms of proof of attendance. It is not necessary to submit the documentation required when recertifying. However, you must retain and submit all documentation and submit to APAs Certification Department if you are selected for a mandatory audit.
Acceptable Supporting Documentation:
Type of Program:
Supporting Documentation Required
APA Events:
APA participant Thank You Letter or certificate of completion or attendance
APA Chapter Events:
Certificate of Participation/proof of attendance w/RCH logo
Approved College/University courses:
Official transcript, course description or RCH Logo
Approved Provider Courses, seminars and conferences:
Certificate of Participation/proof of attendance w/RCHlogo
Determining if Continuing Education Meets RCH Requirements
The following checklist will assist in determining if continuing education programs meet APAs standards in qualifying for recertification.
Is the program geared toward professionals in the field of payroll? For example, a program entitled Stress Management would need further evaluation to determine if the subject matter specifically targets the types of stress payroll professionals encounter on the job (e.g., tackling year-end, dealing with tax protestors or angry employees).
To submit your recertification file, or if you have questions relating to recertification, please contact us at recert@americanpayroll.org or via phone at 210-226-4600.
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