Federal Tax Law Changes Coming to CFP® Certification Exam

New Law on November Exam; July is Last Exam Testing Older Law

The Certified Financial Planner^TM (CFP®) examination will incorporate the new federal tax law in its November 2018 exam, testing future CFP® professionals on the most recent changes and how they apply to financial planning, which ultimately benefits the public.

“Given the breadth of changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, we believe it is important for the public to have candidates for CFP® certification tested on the new law as quickly as possible,” said John Loper, CFP®, CFP Board’s Managing Director for Professional Practice. “We know that taxes are an important part of developing a financial plan. Equipping future CFP® professionals with the latest information will help them serve their clients.”

By having the new tax laws be part of the exam administered November 6-13, 2018, CFP Board’s education partners will have ample time to integrate the new laws in their coursework, and it gives exam candidates adequate time to prepare. AICPA will introduce the new tax laws into its Uniform CPA Examination, with testing beginning in January 2019.

The July 2018 exam will be the last that tests the 2017 tax law and the tax tables for the July exam can be found here. To qualify to sit for the exam, a candidate for certification must have successfully completed a course of study from a CFP Board Registered Program. The education verification deadline ends on June 12, 2018.

The next CFP® exam testing window is July 10-17, 2018, and registration for the exam ends on June 26, 2018. The cost to take the exam is $695 through the education verification deadline of June 12th, and $795 after. Learn more and register at www.CFP.net/exam.