GFOA Certified Public Finance Officers

The Certified Public Finance Officers Program (Certification Program) of the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) is a broad educational self-study program designed to verify knowledge in the disciplines of government finance. The Certification Program was designed by the GFOA Executive Board and is being implemented by the Council on Certification, the governing body for the program.


To earn the designation of Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO), candidates must pass a series of five examinations covering the major disciplines of public finance. A candidate has seven years in which to successfully complete the program. Once earned, the CPFO designation is maintained by participating in 30 hours of continuing professional education each year.


The Certification Program offers the following examinations:

* Governmental Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Reporting
* Cash Management and Investments
* Debt Management
* Operating and Capital Budgeting
* Pensions & Benefits, Risk Management, and Procurement


An individual need not commit to taking all five examinations to benefit from participating in the program. Each examination is of such scope and quality that passing any one examination constitutes a recognizable achievement.


While GFOA certifies that an individual who passes one or more of GFOA’s certification examinations demonstrates certain competencies, GFOA withholds an opinion as to the capabilities of any individual to successfully perform in a given position. GFOA encourages prospective employers and employees to share information regarding the requirements of the position and the capabilities of the candidate in a forthright manner to promote sound employment and professional decisions.

Eligibility Requirements
An applicant must establish eligibility to participate in the Certification Program. Information supplied on an application or as part of documentation provided to establish eligibility is considered confidential and will not be released unless authorized by the applicant.

All information provided by or on behalf of an applicant is assumed to be truthful. The GFOA reserves the right to verify information supplied by or on behalf of an applicant. The GFOA does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or physical or mental handicap.

To participate in the Certification Program, a candidate must meet the following eligibility requirements:

A. Education: A candidate must have, at a minimum, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. An official transcript reflecting the candidate's degree is accepted as fulfilling this criterion. If the transcript is in a language other than English, a certified translation into English is required. An official transcript must be submitted with any application. A candidate-produced photocopy is not acceptable.

B. Current Employment: A candidate must (i) have as primary employment a position with a government, or (ii) be last primarily employed in government and currently unemployed and actively seeking employment in government. A candidate's signature following the statement on the application fulfills this requirement.

C. Employment History: A candidate must have had at least three (3) years of primary government employment during the previous ten (10) years at the time of application for each examination. A history of employment reflecting the prescribed government experience submitted on an "employment history" form provided by the GFOA fulfills this requirement. An employment history must be submitted with all applications.

D. GFOA Membership: A candidate who is employed with a government must be (i) an active member of the GFOA or (ii) eligible for active membership in the GFOA at the time of application for each examination.

For the purpose of establishing eligibility for the Certification Program, an active member of the GFOA is defined as an individual who meets any of the following conditions:

* The individual is employed by a GFOA member jurisdiction and holds a membership included in the base membership dues.
* The individual is employed by a GFOA member jurisdiction and does not hold a membership included in the base membership dues, but holds membership through payment for an additional member.
* The individual is employed by a state, or province or the federal government, and holds membership in GFOA through payment for an individual member.

For the purpose of establishing eligibility for the Certification Program, eligible for active membership in the GFOA is defined as an individual who meets either of the following conditions:

* The individual is employed by a GFOA member jurisdiction, but the individual does not hold a membership included in the base membership dues or a membership through payment for an additional member.
* The individual is employed by a jurisdiction that is not a GFOA member, but the jurisdiction is eligible for membership.

E. Ethics: A candidate must accept and observe the GFOA Code of Professional Ethics. A candidate's signature following the statement on the application fulfills this requirement.

Content of Examinations:

* A special committee was appointed for each examination to define the body of knowledge to be tested on the examination. Committees were charged with preparing "draft" inventories of the tasks performed by a practicing public finance officer. Once the lists of job responsibilities were prepared, members of the GFOA's standing committees were asked to review inventories for completeness and to rate responsibilities by relative importance. Results of these surveys serve as the basis for specifications for certification examinations.

* Each edition of a certification examination is constructed in accordance with examination specifications that list topics to be covered and assign numbers of examination items to topics. Presented in outline form, examination specifications ensure that the character of the examination remains consistent from one edition to the next.

* Each examination is composed of up to 175 multiple-choice items presented in the English language. A multiple-choice item consists of a stem, which poses a problem, and possible answers. Only one possible answer is correct or best. For GFOA certification examinations, each item has four or five possible answers. Sample items for all five examinations can be found in the Candidate's Guide.

Examination specifications, reading lists, study material order forms, and sample examination items for all five examinations can be found in the Candidate's Guide to GFOA's Certification Program.