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Certification

Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

Certification Description
As an APA student working toward a designation, you will gain comprehensive insight into the knowledge and skills needed to successfully perform daily administrative tasks, including: determining eligibility; allocating contributions; fulfilling reporting and disclosure requirements; processing distributions; performing compliance testing; and correcting errors.

Certifying Organization
National Institute of Pension Administrators
http://www.nipa.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? No
● Renewal Required? Every Year
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Accredited Pension Administrator Website

Certification Description
As an APR student, you will experience a general survey of all types of retirement plans and engage in the advanced study of retirement plan topics, ranging from fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transactions to minimum coverage testing and distributions.

Certifying Organization
National Institute of Pension Administrators
http://www.nipa.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every Year
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Accredited Pension Representative Website

Certification Description
This credential recognizes professionals who have a thorough knowledge of: preparing their clients for retirement; the essentials of estate and trust planning; and financial planning for the elderly.

Certifying Organization
Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation
http://www.acatcredentials.org/acat/home

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Accredited Retirement Advisor Website

Certification Description
The SPARK Accredited Retirement Plan Specialist (ARPS) designation is earned by administrative and recordkeeping professionals who have demonstrated their proficiency in plan operations completing the required coursework and exams.

Certifying Organization
Society of Professional Asset Managers and Record Keepers
http://www.sparkinstitute.org/index.php

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every Year
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? Yes
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? Yes

Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant Website

Certification Description
The SPARK Accredited Retirement Plan Specialist (ARPS) designation is earned by administrative and recordkeeping professionals who have demonstrated their proficiency in plan operations completing the required coursework and exams.

Certifying Organization
Society of Professional Asset Managers and Record Keepers
http://www.sparkinstitute.org/index.php

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every Year
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? Yes
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? Yes

Accredited Retirement Plan Specialist Website

Certifying Organization
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
http://www.ifebp.org/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? No
● Either training or work experience required, but not both? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? No
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Certified Employee Benefit Specialist Website

Certifying Organization
Employers Council on Flexible Compensation
http://www.ecfc.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No

Certified in Flexible Compensation Website

Certifying Organization
Employers Council on Flexible Compensation
http://www.ecfc.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No

Certified in Flexible Compensation Instruction Website

Certification Description
Applicable to financial services professionals who have dedicated IRA operational and technical experience.

Certifying Organization
Institute of Certified Bankers
http://www.aba.com/Training/ICB/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes

Certified IRA Services Professional Website

Certification Description
The Certified Pension Consultant (CPC) credential is designed for benefits professionals working in plan administration, pension actuarial administration, insurance, and financial planning. CPCs work with employers in the formulation, implementation, administration, and maintenance of qualified retirement plans and other employee benefits programs.

Certifying Organization
American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries
http://www.asppa.org/

Certification Details
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 2 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Certified Pension Consultant Website

Certification Description
This certification is designed for individuals in the benefits, human resources and/or finance departments of government agencies (federal, state, municipal) and private corporations whose responsibilities include advising employees concerning their retirement planning. Financial services professionals and employees of retirement plan sponsors and service providers who assist the American worker in making retirement planning decisions will also benefit from this certification.

Certifying Organization
International Foundation for Retirement Education
http://www.infre.org

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 2 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Certified Retirement Counselor Website

Certification Description
Certification testing is offered to financial advisors who have at least three (3) years working experience in financial services and/or specific job skills/classroom training in the financial industry, as fundamental knowledge of insurance, investments and taxes will be assumed for testing purposes. Certification is granted to financial advisors who achieve an exam score of 70 or more.

Certifying Organization
Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors
http://www.crfa.us/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every Year
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Certified Retirement Financial Advisor Website

Certification Description
Applicable to financial services professionals whose primary function and expertise focus on the provision of employee benefit and/or retirement plan services.

Certifying Organization
Institute of Certified Bankers
http://www.aba.com/Training/ICB/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Certified Retirement Services Professional Website

Certifying Organization
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
http://www.ifebp.org/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes

Compensation Management Specialist Website

Certifying Organization
Society of Actuaries
https://www.soa.org/member/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? No
● Either training or work experience required, but not both? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? No
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Fellow of the Society of Actuaries Website

Certification Description
Globalization is the defining political and economic force in the world today. It requires new ways of thinking and responding. For HR professionals, recognizing and understanding this phenomenon is fast becoming a job requirement. The purpose of the Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR®) certification is to assess your mastery of the necessary knowledge to be successful in this worldwide marketplace. Exam questions reflect the most recently published test specifications. The exams are multiple choice and consist of 150 scored questions plus 15 pretest questions randomly distributed throughout the exam (a total of 165 questions). Each question lists four possible answers, only one of which is the correct or "best possible answer." The answer to each question can be derived independently of the answer to any other question. Three hours are allotted to complete the exam.

Certifying Organization
Human Resource Certification Institute
https://www.hrci.org

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes

Global Professional in Human Resources Website

Certifying Organization
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
http://www.ifebp.org/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes

Group Benefits Associate Website

Certification Description
Becoming certified by the HR Certification Institute is a career-long commitment. HR certificants from around the globe, working for companies both large and small, have earned and maintained their certifications and, as a result, helped their HR career. Achieving certification demonstrates to your peers and organization that you are driven to be successful in HR.

Certifying Organization
Human Resource Certification Institute
https://www.hrci.org

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Either training or work experience required, but not both? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? Yes

Professional in Human Resources - International Website

Certification Description
The Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) credential is conferred by ASPPA to retirement plan professionals who work primarily with 401(k) plans. Applicants for the QKA credentials come from various professional disciplines. They typically assist employers and consultants with the record keeping, non-discrimination testing and administrative aspects of 401(k) and related plans.
A minimum of two years experience in pension related matters is required along with completion of ASPPA's QKA examination series to be a candidate for this credential.

Certifying Organization
American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries
http://www.asppa.org/

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 2 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes

Qualified 401(k) Administrator Website

Certification Description
QPFC is the professional credential for financial professionals who sell, advise, market or support qualified retirement plans. The QPFC program will provide an understanding of general retirement planning concepts, terminology, distinctive features of qualified plans and the role of retirement plan professionals. QPFC is not an entry-level credential. You will be expected to have knowledge of investments, securities rules and selling techniques prior to the start of this program.

Certifying Organization
American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries
http://www.asppa.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? Yes
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 2 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes

Qualified Plan Financial Consultant Website

Certifying Organization
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
http://www.ifebp.org/Pages/default.aspx

Certification Details
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes

Retirement Plans Associate Website

Certification Description
The Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification is recognized as a professionally relevant credential for those who have mastered the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management in the United States. It is designed for the HR professional who plans, rather than implements, HR policy, focuses on the "big picture, has ultimate accountability in the HR department, has breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines and understands the business beyond the HR function and influences the overall organization

Certifying Organization
Human Resource Certification Institute
https://www.hrci.org

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Either training or work experience required, but not both? No
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 3 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? Yes
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? Yes
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? Yes

Senior Professional in Human Resources - International Website

Certification Description
The primary intent is to offer education for those professionals who specialize in the 403(b) and/or 457 marketplace resulting in a recognized ASPPA credential. By offering the certificate program on the way to obtaining this credential, ASPPA also intends to offer education for those desiring to enhance their 403(b)/457 administrative knowledge and skills.

Certifying Organization
American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries
http://www.asppa.org/

Certification Details
● Education and Training Required? No
● Work Experience Required? Yes
● Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
● Renewal Required? Every 2 Years
● Renew through Continuing Educational Units (CEU)? Yes
● Renew through Re-Examination? No
● Renew through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? No
● Does applicant have a choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)? No

Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant Website

Source: CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).