CGFM CPE requirements: Maintaining your Certified Government Financial Manager® credential

As a governmental accounting and finance professional, your career grows by expanding your knowledge and skillsets. Being a Certified Government Financial Manager^® gives you the opportunity to stay current and learn more about your practice by completing CGFM CPE requirements. 

Not only is continuing professional education (CPE) necessary to maintain your certification, but it also helps you advance your career specialization. 

About the CGFM credential 

As a Certified Government Financial Manager^®, you’re known as a qualified leader within governmental accounting. CGFMs are certified by the AGA¹ in accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal controls, and budgeting at federal, state, and local levels of government agencies. If you’re in government accounting, the CGFM credential is the choice designation to grow your career. 

Becoming a CGFM requires that you meet education, exam, experience, and ethics requirements. And to maintain your credential, you must complete the CGFM CPE requirements. 

CGFM CPE requirements 

The AGA defines CGFM CPE requirements that apply to all credentialled professionals. To maintain an active status as a CGFM, you must:² 

• Follow the AGA Code of Ethics
• Pay the renewal fee and renew your credential by March 31st each year
• Complete at least 80 hours of CPE every two calendar years 

Your CPE learning must also follow these additional stipulations: 

• You must complete 4 hours of ethics CPE each cycle.
• Qualifying CPE must be in government financial management or related technical subjects applicable to government financial management.²
• You can earn no more than 20 hours of taxation CPE each cycle. 

Your two-year CPE cycle begins January 1 of the year following that in which you earned your CGFM designation. For example, if you became a CGFM in 2023, your first CPE cycle will start January 1, 2024 and end December 31, 2025. 

Reporting your CGFM CPE requirements 

You do not need to report your CPE learning each cycle. Instead, your renewal payment serves as affirmation that you have successfully completed the CGFM CPE requirements. 

That said, the AGA may perform random audits to ensure CPE compliance. You should keep records of your learning for at least three years after completion and be ready to present them upon request. 

How to meet your CGFM CPE requirements 

Your certification depends on completing your CGFM CPE requirements, so it’s imperative that you stay compliant. Consider these tips to completing your CPE. 

Find courses that interest you 

Taking time out of your busy schedule will be much easier to do if you’re learning content that’s interesting, relevant, and useful to your career. Your CPE is your chance to learn new skills and industry updates that make an impact on your career growth. Use this opportunity to your advantage! 

Seek learning that fits your style and schedule 

Just as important as finding courses and instructors you like, is finding a way of learning that fits your needs. Both your learning style and your schedule are important, so multiple and flexible learning formats should be a part of the CPE that you choose. 

Becker offers CPE podcasts, on-demand courses, and live webcasts so that you can complete CPE requirements on your schedule and in the way that you learn best. 

Pace yourself 

Don’t wait until December of the cycle's second year to start completing your CPE! While you aren’t required to meet an annual learning quota, if you start early and give yourself plenty of time to work ahead, you’ll save yourself the stress of cramming your learning right before it’s due—and you’ll get more out of your courses. 

One smart approach is to plan to complete 50 hours in the first year of your cycle. This will set you up to complete just 30 hours in the cycle's second year, giving you built-in leeway should you face unexpected circumstances that put pressure on your schedule. 

Keep track of your CPE 

Knowing how many hours of CPE you’ve completed—and how many you still need to earn—is an important part of good CPE habits. You should also keep track of what you’ve learned alongside the topic stipulations outlined in your CGFM CPE requirements (especially for tax and ethics CPE courses). This organization is also vital to maintaining your CPE records for at least 3 years, in case the AGA requests proof of compliance. 

Becker’s Compliance Tracker, included in our Prime CPE subscription, does this work for you, even offering course suggestions and letting you upload certificates of completion from other sources to track all your CPE in a single place. 

Consider “double dipping” 

If you hold additional related credentials—like a CPA license or CIA or CMA certification—you’re also obligated to complete CPE for that designation. While not all CPE course topics cross-qualify (like personal finance planning, estate planning, or practice management, for example), you can count many other CPE courses for both qualifications—saving yourself time and stress. 

Consider double dipping courses like ethics, tax, financial management, accounting, leadership, auditing, business law, and many other CPE courses. 

Find a great CPE provider 

Balancing your busy professional schedule, personal priorities, and CGFM CPE requirements can be tricky. But finding a great CPE provider makes all the difference. 

Becker combines convenience and quality into our CPE subscriptions, individual courses, and bundles, making learning stress-free and impactful as you grow your governmental accounting career. Prime CPE, our most popular subscription, offers these features and more:

• 700+ on-demand courses
• 1,000+ annual live webcasts
• Compliant ethics courses
• CPE podcasts
• Personalized CPE Compliance Tracker
• Unlimited credit consumption
• 1 or 2-year access
• Expert instruction from certified professionals 
   

Get started with Becker CPE 

Start completing your CGFM CPE requirements with Becker CPE. With learning that’s complaint, updated, and convenient, we're excited to support your growth as a CGFM professional. 

Unlock unlimited CPE with a Prime Subscription

Becker makes it easy to meet your CPE requirements, gain new skills, and stay aware of critical updates and changes in the industry! 

With Prime, you can access over 1,700 courses for a full year and earn unlimited CPE credits. 

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