How Do I Maintain a CGFM?
Click here for more information on recent changes to CGFM Retired
status.
To retain the CGFM certification, all CGFMs must adhere to the
AGA’s
Code of Ethics.
In addition, to continue using the CGFM designation after their name,
CGFMs must be in an active status.
Active status:
To maintain the
CGFM certification in an active status, CGFMs are required to:
-
Pay the CGFM renewal fee by the due
date every year.
-
Complete at least 80 hours of
continuing professional education (CPE) every two years in
government financial management topics or related technical
subjects (within the designated two-year cycle).
-
Maintain and, if requested by AGA,
provide detailed information on CPE hours completed.
By submitting
their annual renewal payment, CGFMs affirm that they have and will
continue to abide by AGA’s Code of Ethics and that they have
fulfilled the minimum CPE Requirements.
Annual Renewal Requirement
All active CGFMs must renew their
certification annually. At the beginning of each year, invoices will be
sent to all active CGFMs. Annual CGFM renewal payments are due by
March 31. AGA reserves the right to periodically adjust the
renewal
rates.
CGFMs must promptly notify AGA of any
change of mailing address. It is the responsibility of each CGFM to pay
the annual CGFM renewal fee, even if that individual did not receive an
invoice from AGA. Go to CGFM renewal page to renew your CGFM.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
Requirements
All active CGFMs
are required to complete at least 80 hours of continuing professional
education (CPE) every two years in government financial management
topics or related technical subjects. The 80 CPE hours must be
completed within the CGFM’s two-year CPE cycle.
See
Calendar of CPE cycles
for a schedule of CPE cycles.
CGFMs do not need to submit supporting
documentation of the CPE hours at the time of renewal. The payment
itself serves as the CGFM's affirmation of his or her compliance with
the CPE requirements. CGFMs are required to maintain supporting
documentation on CPE hours earned for a minimum of three years and
provide it to AGA upon request. This documentation may be requested by
AGA as part of the annual audit of a random sample of CGFMs.
Waivers or extensions on
earning CPE hours are granted on an individual case basis. All requests
for waivers must be sent in writing to the AGA’s Office of Professional
Certification no later than April 30 in the year following the end of
the two-year CPE cycle.
CPE requirements
page contains detailed information on CGFM CPE requirements.
Retired
status:
Individuals who
have permanently retired from AND
are not working in the field of financial
management can request an adjustment of their status to
“retired” by contacting AGA’s Office of Professional Certification (by
mail or e-mail at
agacgfm@agacgfm.org).
CGFMs must be active at the
time of retirement in order for their status to be changed to “retired”;
if the CGFM first becomes inactive, the individual must reactivate the
designation before being able to change the CGFM status to “retired”.
Therefore, CGFMs retiring in the second half of the year should renew
their designation that year – to avoid their CGFM become inactive and
not being able to adjust it to “retired” status.
Additional clarifications for the new retired definition:
-
Individuals must be
fully retired, not just stop working or change fields.
-
Individuals must be
fully retired AND not working in the field. Individuals who have
retired but continue working part-time, consulting, teaching or
working as a contractor in the field of financial management are NOT
considered retired.
-
The field of
financial management includes not-for-profit and private sectors
(for example, CPA firms) – individuals working in these sectors are
NOT considered retired.
-
If an individual
retires and then starts working in another field with no
responsibilities for financial management (for example, working as a
florist), that individual is considered retired.
-
Volunteering does
not count as “working in the field” – individuals can volunteer and
qualify for retired status; however, AGA members/CGFMs are
encouraged to maintain the active status if the nature of the
volunteer work requires current expertise in government financial
management.
-
The election of the
retired status is voluntary – individuals who are retired but want
to maintain their AGA membership/CGFM in the active status can do so
by fulfilling the active status requirements.
CGFMs in retired status are not required to
remit the CGFM renewal fee or earn the 80 CPE hours. CGFMs in
retired status can continue to use the CGFM designation, but must
clearly indicate their retired status by using “CGFM-Retired” after
their name and using “Retired” or “Retired status” on a resume, bio or
other statements of qualification.
Newly retired CGFMs may still be
audited in the first year of their retirement if they were still active
during their last CPE cycle.
If retired CGFMs return to work in the financial management field, they
must contact AGA's Office of Professional Certification to reactivate
their CGFM designation. NOTE: CGFMs who want to change their status
from retired to active would need to follow the same reactivation
requirements as inactive CGFMs (see Inactive Status below).
Inactive status:
If a CGFM
fails to meet the requirements to maintain the CGFM in an active or
retired status, the CGFM becomes inactive.
Inactive
CGFMs may not present themselves as CGFMs either in writing or orally or
display the CGFM certificate. Any reference to the CGFM
designation on a resume, bio or other statements of qualification must
clearly indicate that the CGFM is inactive.
Inactive
CGFMs may request a reactivation by complying with current reactivation
requirements, but may not use the “CGFM” after their name until after
they receive a written confirmation from the AGA’s Office of
Professional Certification that their reactivation submission has been
approved.
Current
reactivation requirements:
- Submitting a completed
CPE
report listing at least 40 CPE hours earned within the last 12
months with required back-up documentation (Note: the report will not be
accepted without required back-up documentation – see
Guidelines document
for more details. The
report and the documentation must be submitted no later than 30 calendar
days after the end of the 12-month period).
- Paying the current year’s renewal fee and
reactivation fee (see
Payment Form).
Professional
Certification Board reserves the right to revise the reactivation policy
without notice.
A CGFM can remain
in inactive status for up to 5 consecutive years. After that period, the
CGFM is voided. A CGFM can only enter inactive status twice. The third
time the CGFM is automatically voided.
Voided status:
CGFM designation
will be voided if the holder is inactive for longer than 5 consecutive
years or enters inactive status for the third time.
Individuals who have had
their CGFM certification voided may not present themselves as CGFMs
either in writing or orally
and must remove any
reference to their CGFM designation on a resume, bio or other statement
of qualifications.
. They must also destroy or return their CGFM
certificate to AGA.
Individuals seeking
reinstatement need to contact the Office of Professional Certification
at
agacgfm@agacgfm.org.
Certification Revocation:
The Professional Certification Board
reserves the right to revoke any certification for cause as determined
by the PCB. Cause may include, but is not limited to a violation of
AGA's Code of Ethics, repeated violations of the CGFM policies,
or actions discreditable to the CGFM Program.
Individuals who have had
their CGFM certification revoked may not present themselves as CGFMs
either in writing or orally
and must remove any
reference to their CGFM designation on a resume, bio or other statement
of qualifications. They must also destroy or return their CGFM certificate to AGA.