Recertify

Every credible program of professional certification has a mechanism to ensure that certified members remain current. The CDFM Program requires its certificants to recertify every two years by earning Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and paying a recertification fee.

To keep their CDFM or CDFM-A certification active, certificants must adhere to the SDFM Pledge of Professionalism, pay the CDFM recertification fee ($49 members/$89 non-members) and complete 80 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE), with at least 20 CPEs per year and 2 CPEs in an ethics-related topic, by their recertification deadline.

How do you recertify?Log into your SDFM account, click on “My SDFM” and select “My CPEs” to ensure your account reflects the 80 CPE requirement. Then go back to “My SDFM” and click on “My Invoices” to pay the recertification fee. Email certification@sdfm.org for assistance. 

Read the Recertification Policy for full details.

Recertification is a personal responsibility. However, SDFM sends a courtesy email reminder to certificants 3 months before, 2 months before, and the month of expiration of certification. We strongly recommend providing a personal email address and mobile phone number (and check the express consent box) so we can send email and text recertification notices. To update contact information, log into your SDFM account, click on “My SDFM” then “My Profile”. 

CPEs

Any course or training related to defense financial management or that assists a certificant in their role as a defense financial manager can be used for CPEs in CDFM recertification. Any credits earned toward the DoD FM Certification Program during the CDFM certification cycle qualify for CDFM recertification.

Some methods of obtaining CPEs include:

• Attending relevant formal training courses
• Attending relevant college courses
• Attending briefings or lectures on relevant subjects
• Attending professional conferences
• Teaching and course preparation for relevant subject matter
• Preparing and delivering briefings and work-related documents outside of the scope of routine business
• Preparing and publishing articles in professional journals

One fifty-minute block of learning yields one CPE unit.
1 CPE = 1 CET = 1 CLP = 0.1 CEU

For more information, see the CDFM Recertification Policy.

Recertification Schedule

The first recertification deadline is two years from the last day of the month that the CDFM certification is first awarded. For example, if certification was awarded during the month of October in 2023, then the recertification deadline will be October 31 of the next ODD-numbered year. If certification is awarded during the month of April in 2024, then the recertification deadline is April 30 of the next EVEN-numbered year.  Certificants must recertify every 2 years to maintain active certification. 

CDFM certificants who later pass the Module 4 exam, earning the CDFM-A, continue with their original recertification deadline. There are no additional CPE requirements for CDFM-A certificants. The CPE requirements apply to all CDFM and CDFM-A certificants, regardless of employment status. To check your recertification deadline, log into your SDFM account, click on “My SDFM”, select “My Certifications”, and look at the “Paid Thru Date”. 

Extension Requests

Certificants who need additional time to complete the recertification requirements can request a 90-day extension BEFORE the recertification deadline by writing to certification@sdfm.org.

Reactivation

In honor of the CDFM’s 25th anniversary, we are currently holding a CDFM Reactivation Campaign! We invite all of you with an inactive CDFM or CDFM-A to come back into the fold! Simply send an email to certification@sdfm.org and request reactivation, then pay the regular recertification fee ($49 SDFM members / $89 non-members).

Note: the regular reactivation process is to submit proof of 80 CPEs and pay the recertification fee plus a reinstatement fee to bring their CDFM/CDFM-A back to active status. 

Certified Retired Status

CDFMs who have permanently retired from and are not working in the field of financial management can request Certified Retired status by writing to certification@sdfm.org. Those who are Certified Retired are sent a digital badge but do not need to earn CPEs or pay a recertification fee.

Certified Retired individuals who wish to reactivate their CDFM are required to earn at least 80 CPEs in the two years preceding the request for reinstatement and pay the normal recertification fee. See the Recertification Policy (above) for details.