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NAPA Continuing Education

As a professional society, NAPA recognizes the importance of the continuing educational development of its members. NAPA has a mandatory program of Continuing Education (CE) that affects all NAPA credentialed members (CPFA®, NQPA™, (k)RS™). CE requirements apply to all credentialed members, regardless of when the credential(s) were awarded.

Below is a brief FAQ with commonly asked questions. We strongly encourage all candidates and credentialed members to read NAPA's CE Policy.


Who needs CE?
Have you earned a NAPA credential (CPFA®, NQPA™, (k)RS™)?
Congratulations! To maintain your credential(s), you need to earn CE hours.

How many CE hours do I need?
To maintain your credential(s), you must earn 10 CE hours each year. Passing the examination earns you those 10 CE hours, but in every following year, you must earn another 10 CE hours to maintain the credential(s).

For example:
You study and pass the NAPA CPFA® exam in June of 2023. You do not need to earn any more CE for the year 2023. However, for 2024, you must earn 10 CE hours to remain credentialed.

How many CE hours do I have now?
You can check your CE hours in your account here.

Do I have to earn my CE with NAPA?
You can earn CE hours in a variety of ways, including from parties other than NAPA. You just need to tell us that you earned the hours; you can self-report your CE hours here.

Need help with self-reporting your CE?
Watch our easy step-by-step video here. Or feel free to download our step-by-step guide here.

How can I earn CE hours?
The NAPA CPFA®/QPFC Candidate Handbook, the NQPA™ Candidate Handbook, and the (k)RS™ Candidate Handbook, outline the areas for which you'll need CE in detail. NAPA has one (1) CE policy for all it's designations. Therefore whether you hold one or all, you will only be required to earn 10 CE each calendar year.

Below is a simplified explanation:

Domain Credit Requirements Topics
Ethics 1 credit Business Ethics, Professional Ethics
Relevant Topics 4 credits
  • Retirement Plan Legislative and Regulatory Updates
  • Qualified Plan Features and Administration
  • Nonqualified Plan Features and Administration
  • Fiduciary Responsibilities
  • Retirement Plan Employer and Participant Communications
  • Retirement Plan Products
  • Retirement Plan Sales Process
  • Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs)
  • Executive Key Employee Retention Programs
  • Customized Executive Benefit Programs
  • Informal Funding Implementation Strategies
  • IRAs
  • Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plans
Professional Development* 5 credits Investments & Insurance Related Topics, Participant Issues, Business Management, Operations & Development, Personal Development, and Technology

*Please Note: For purposes of fulfilling your Professional Development requirement, Relevant Topics can be earned in the place of Professional Development. Earn Relevant Topics and Ethics CE by enrolling in our member benefit Live and On-Demand Webcasts. 

What happens if I do not earn enough CE?
If you do not earn sufficient CE credits during any CE cycle (annual with expiration 12/31 of that CE cycle year), NAPA will suspend your credential(s) until you have completed the required CE credits in the 12 months prior to applying for reinstatement as a credentialed member.

I still have questions.
Read the comprehensive NAPA CE policy or contact Customer Care by calling (800) 308-6714 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET.

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