Continuing Education

State Licensing and Professional Credit Information

Many CEBS registrants use CEBS courses to meet licensing and other continuing professional education requirements. The following information is provided to give you a basic understanding of the continuing education credit available for completing a CEBS course. Credit hours and filing procedures vary by discipline and from state to state. If you plan to use a CEBS course for continuing education credit, please call the International Foundation for instructions and filing information.

CPAs

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is not registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of self-study courses. The CEBS self-study format does not meet NASBA standards for interactive self-study courses.  Whether credit can be earned for CEBS courses when self-studied and the examination is passed, would be subject to the individual state boards of accountancy regulations. It may be possible to earn credit because your state board accepts self-study courses, or because the courses are recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education, or because the academic integrity of the courses is governed by and the examinations written by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Contact us at (262) 786-6710 option 2 or email continuinged@ifebp.org if you need assistance determining how credit might be earned in your state.

Attorneys

Credit is contingent upon whether the state granting credit accepts self-study courses or whether classes were attended at a college/university. In either case, attorneys generally are more successful in receiving CLE credit if they apply for credit on an individual basis and explain how the content of the CEBS course relates to their practice of law.

Certified Financial Planners

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans sponsor agreement has been accepted by the International Board of Standards and Practices for Certified Financial Planners. CEBS courses are accepted for 36 hours each. No credit is awarded for CMS 1, CMS 2 or CMS 3. The original notice (with seal) from the computer based testing center is the certificate of satisfactory completion.  

Enrolled Actuaries

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is an accepted sponsor under Section 20, CFR Part 901(g)(2)(iii) of the final Rules and Regulations governing those enrolled to perform actuarial services under ERISA. It is the actuary's responsibility to identify "core" and "noncore" credit hours.

PHRs and SPHRs

Passing a CEBS examination can be used to meet your recertification requirements.  HRCI awards 30 credit hours for each CEBS examination passed.  Your pass notice from the Prometric Testing Center is your proof of satisfactory completion.  HRCI recommends you retain all supporting documentation for at least six months after successful recertification.  No further documentation is needed from the International Foundation.

Insurance Producers

Most CEBS courses are accepted for credit in those states that require continuing education credit for insurance producers. The assigned hours of credit and the reporting procedures vary from state to state. Some states require the producers to report credit; other states require credit to be reported by the International Foundation. Information for each state is on file at the International Foundation. NOTE: Some states require a course be reevaluated when the course is revised, and this may result in different credit hours being approved than noted in the summary chart that follows. Contact the International Foundation for confirmation of the number of hours to be earned for a revised course.

To receive credit for passing an examination:

• Complete the Continuing Education Credit section of the CEBS Order Form to request the International Foundation to automatically confirm credit for the exams applied for on that application.
• Credit will be issued for successfully completed exams no later than 30 days after the exam takes place.
• Credit for exams that are rescheduled will be confirmed when a passing grade is received.
• A $25 service fee per course is charged when credit is requested (this fee does not apply to Illinois and Michigan producers).
• Producers in ALASKA and TEXAS can use their pass notice as a certificate of completion. No further documentation from the International Foundation is needed. $25 service fee does not apply in these states.

If an individual attends formal classes at a college or university (and is unsuccessful at passing the exam or does not sit for the exam), it may be possible to earn credit. Contact the CEBS coordinator at the school for information. The list of CEBS coordinators by region is available online.

Each CEBS course has been approved to receive the following number of continuing education credit hours for insurance producers. For continuing education credit information on other professions, call (262) 786-6710, option 2 or e-mail at continuinged@ifebp.org.