Apply & fees — CIFPO

Five steps

Confirm eligibility

Select Pathway A or Pathway B and gather the evidence — an employment or contract attestation, or a completion record from the preparation program. See eligibility.

Submit the application

Complete the form below and pay the examination fee. Applications are reviewed within 10 business days. If eligibility cannot be established from what you submit, CIFPO tells you precisely what is missing rather than decline.

Schedule your sitting

On approval you receive an authorization-to-test valid for 90 days, dated to span at least one full testing window. Examinations are delivered online with remote proctoring.

Sit the examination

75 items, three hours, 60 correct to pass. Pass or fail is shown on completion; official results and a domain-level score report follow within 5 business days.

Receive and register the credential

Successful candidates receive a certificate and a unique credential identifier, entered in the public registry the same day. Certification runs two years from the date of issue.

Fees

CIFPO charges the candidate directly. No fee is paid to, or shared with, any preparation provider, employer or referral source, and no fee varies by who prepared the candidate. Fees are the same for every candidate: CIFPO does not offer group, employer, military, veteran or promotional pricing on the examination.

Item	Fee
Examination — first attemptIncludes application review, one sitting, and the domain-level score report.	$295
Re-examinationAvailable after a thirty-day waiting period. Two retakes permitted per twelve months.	$175
Recertification — two-year cycleSubmitted with continuing education evidence.	$150
Reinstatement after lapseWithin twelve months of expiry. Beyond twelve months, re-examination is required.	$225
Duplicate or replacement certificateDigital reissue is free; this applies to printed certificates only.	$25

Payment, withdrawal and refunds

The examination fee is collected with the application. An application is not reviewed until the fee is received.
A candidate who withdraws before an authorization-to-test is issued receives a refund less a $50 processing charge. After the authorization is issued, the fee is not refundable; one reschedule inside the same authorization is free.
An application that is denied for eligibility is refunded less the $50 processing charge. A candidate denied for a material false statement is not refunded.
A sitting voided for a platform failure is rescheduled at no charge.

Application

Fields marked * are required. Evidence can be attached here or emailed to board@cifpo.org with the applicant's name in the subject line. Nothing on this form is entered in the public registry except, on certification, the holder's name.

Pathway * Pathway A — ExperienceTwelve months of documented, paid federal payer work, attested. Pathway B — PreparationCompletion of a qualifying program of at least 40 instructional hours covering all six domains.

Legal name, as on your photo ID *

Email *

Phone

City and state *

Current employer or practice (optional)Not entered in the registry and not shared with anyone.

Other credentials held (optional)For CIFPO's statistics only; none is required and none confers an exemption.

Evidence summary *

Attach evidence (PDF or image)Attestation form or completion record. If the form cannot upload from your browser, email the files instead.

Preferred testing window *

I am requesting a testing accommodationCIFPO will write to you for documentation. See the accommodations policy.

Attestations * The information in this application is true and complete. I understand that a material false statement is grounds for denial and, if discovered later, revocation. I have read the examination rules and the code of ethics, and I agree to be bound by both from the date any credential is issued. I have read the privacy policy and understand what the public registry displays.

Payment: after submission, CIFPO sends a payment link for the $295 examination fee to the email above. Review begins when the fee is received.