Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) CE Requirements

Here is a link to the CGFM website to access FAQs on CPE requirements and Regulations for Certified Government Financial Managers.

CPE that would satisfy the CGFM program's requirement must be in government financial management topics or related technical subjects applicable to government financial management. Examples of such topics and subjects include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Accounting
• Acquisitions management
• Analytical procedures
• Assessment and evaluation methodologies
• Auditing
• Budgeting
• Business law
• Compliance with laws and regulations
• Contracting and procurement
• Current industry risks
• Data management and analysis
• Economics
• Enterprise risk management
• Ethics and independence
• Financial management
• Financial management systems
• Financial planning or analysis
• Financially-related fraud
• Financial reporting
• Government structure, organization, and authority
• Human capital management
• Information security
• Information technology
• Internal control
• Oral and written communications
• Organizational change management
• Performance measurement and reporting
• Performance improvement
• Principles of leadership, management, and supervision
• Project management
• Public administration
• Public finance
• Strategic planning
• Taxation (these hours have a limit – please see note below)

Note: Some courses related to taxation, such as the ones that cover personal tax preparation or business taxation, may not be considered applicable to government financial management or may only qualify for specific CGFM job responsibilities. To avoid ambiguity on whether or not taxation courses are acceptable for CGFM and because taxation is part of government financial management, the Professional Certification Board has issued a new provision on this specific topic:

• CPEs in various taxation topics are acceptable (including individual and business taxation) if CGFMs determine that this training contributes to their professional proficiency as CGFMs.
• The number of CPEs in taxation topics or fields of study may not exceed 20 hours for any two years.

CLICK HERE for further reference on the CGFM website.

No, there are no minimum CPE requirements in a particular subject area.

All of the following myCPE Learning Activities are recommended for CGFM professionals.

1. Self-Study Courses (Videos)
2. Live Webinars
3. Virtual Events
4. Articles
5. Packages
6. E-Books
7. Certificate Courses

In addition to the above activities the following mentioned activities may also contribute towards continuing education:

• Group programs such as the portion of a financial management organization staff meeting in which a structured educational program with learning objectives is used to provide staff with knowledge regarding qualifying topics and subjects.
• Group programs such as accredited university and college courses (credit and non-credit).
• Group programs such as education and development programs are presented at conferences, conventions, meetings, seminars, and workshops of professional organizations.
• Serving as a speaker, instructor, or discussion leader at group programs that qualify for CPE hours.
• Developing courses or the course materials for programs that qualify for CPE hours.
• Publishing articles and books on topics and subjects that qualify for CPE hours and that contribute directly to the author's professional proficiency. For example, writing an article published in The Journal of Government Financial Management.
• Serving as a subject matter expert for CGFM program activities approved for CPE credit by the Professional Certification Board such as participating in the development or technical review of CGFM examinations or CGFM preparation products, such as study guides, online courses, or practice exams.

CLICK HERE to view our CPE programs which are suitable for Continuing Education for CGFM.

For renewal, CGFMs do not need to submit supporting documentation of the CPE hours. 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.

The CGFM's records must include the following information for each CPE program or activity attended or completed:

a)The program sponsor — the name of the organization providing the training (for example, AGA National Office, a local AGA chapter) 

b)The title of the training program, including subject matter, the field of study, or a brief description of its contents; 

c)The dates attended for group programs or dates completed for individual study programs; 

d)the number of CPE hours earned; and 

e)Evidence of attendance or completion. This might include the following: 

• A certificate of attendance, a CPE form or other evidence, or completion of CPE from the CPE provider for group and individual study programs. 
• A grade report received for a university or college credit course. 
• A letter from the program sponsor or CGFM's employer, documenting the CPE courses presented and/or developed. 
• A copy of the published book, article, or materials that names the writer as author or contributor, a written statement from the writer supporting the number of CPE hours claimed, and the name and contact information of the publisher, if applicable. 
• An official report from the employer that has the employer's name and lists all of the required information (employee's name, program sponsor, title of the program, completion date, and the number of hours earned).

The annual recertification fee of CGFM is $40 for AGA members and $85 for non-members. Annual CGFM renewal payments are due by March 31 and AGA reserves the right to periodically adjust the renewal rates.

Click here for more details.

No, the Short video (Nano learning) method is not approved for the CPE requirements of the Certified Government Financial Manager.

No, Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) cannot carry over excess credit earned in a particular renewal cycle.

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. Individuals should include their date of retirement and confirm that they are not working in the field of financial management.

CGFMs must be active at the time of retirement 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 becoming inactive and not being able to adjust it to “retired” status.

CLICK HERE for further reference on the retired status of CGFM.

• 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 indicate that the CGFM is inactive.
• Inactive CGFMs may request 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.

CLICK HERE for further reference.

Yes, the Professional Certification Board may grant partial or complete exceptions from the CPE requirements for valid reasons such as ill-health, maternity or paternity leave, extended family leaves, sabbaticals, leave without pay absences, foreign residency, military service, or disasters. 

The individual requesting an exception must demonstrate that an effort was made to satisfy the CPE requirement before the situation that makes the exception necessary. Workload, budget, or travel constraints are not considered valid reasons for a CPE exception. 

The CGFM needs to fully describe the reasons for requesting an exception and must submit it to the Office of Professional Certification no later than April 30 in the year following the end of the two-year CPE cycle. The Office of Professional Certification will notify the CGFM of the board's decision and retain that documentation for an appropriate period.

CGFMs who have not completed the required number of CPE hours for any two-year CPE cycle will have a grace period of three months (Jan. 1 – March 31) immediately following the two-year cycle to make up for the deficiency. 

Any CPE hours completed within this grace period toward a deficiency in one CPE cycle must be documented in the CPE records and may not be counted toward the requirements for the next two-year cycle. CGFMs do not need to request an exception if they catch up on their hours during this grace period.

The CPE reporting cycle for Newly Certified CGFM professionals starts on Jan. 1 of the year following the one when the CGFM designation was earned and ends on December 31 biennially. Any hours earned during the year your CGFM is awarded do not count towards the first CPE cycle.

MY-CPE LLC is approved by NASBA to offer Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses for Certified Government Financial Managers (CGFM). MY-CPE LLC has effectively met the standards set up by AGA’s Professional Certification Board (PCB) that oversees AGA’s CGFM program and we recommend the programs/ webinars to be suitable for Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) specified in each webinar. However, it will be the responsibility of each attendee to ensure that they are eligible for the Continuing Education Credits based on their occupation/ job profile, knowledge requirements as well as guidelines laid down by their regulatory board before registering for the webinars. 

CLICK HERE to view the website for CPE requirements for CGFM.