ETA Certified Payments Professional (ETA CPP) Program
Unlock new career opportunities with the ETA Certified Payments Professional (CPP) certification. Our comprehensive certification is designed for individuals seeking to advance in the payments industry. The CPP exam can be taken via live online proctoring, providing flexibility for busy professionals.
1. Applying
- Completed application and payment must be submitted prior to the deadline for the applicable exam window. If you fail to complete your application prior to the deadline, you will be eligible for the next available exam window.
- Upon completion of the application, candidates will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) email 30 days prior to the opening of the applicable exam window.
- The NTS will provide you instructions to choose your day and time for taking the exam.
- Exams are offered via our live online proctoring option.
- You must submit your test scheduling request at least seven (7) days prior to your preferred test date.
Exam Fees
ETA Member: $450 (USD)
Non-Member: $600 (USD)
Fee is due in full at the time of application submission. Failure to submit payment with your application will result in an incomplete application and may result in missing your preferred available testing window. This fee includes a non-refundable and non-transferable application processing fee of $125.
2. Scheduling
Exam Dates and Deadlines
| Application Deadline | First Window of Eligibility | Subsequent Windows of Eligibility |
| February 1 | March | June, September, December |
| May 1 | June | September, December, March |
| August 1 | September | December, March, June |
| October 31 | December | March, June, September |
Please note that if you wish to cancel or reschedule you just do so no later than five (5) business days prior to your testing appointment.
The application and fee must be submitted prior to the application deadline to schedule the ETA CPP exam. Applications received after the deadline will result in the candidate being eligible for the subsequent testing window.
If the candidate does not take the exam in the first eligible window, then a new Notice to Schedule email will be sent 30 days prior to the next eligible window. If the candidate fails the exam, then the candidate is eligible for a retake exam. Additional fees will apply.
Candidate Handbook
The ETA CPP Candidate Handbook contains all of the information you need to know in order to qualify, schedule, and maintain your certification.
3. Preparing
The ETA CPP Examination Study Guide is developed by the ETA CPP Credentialing Committee and is designed to help you prepare for the exam. The study guide contains information for each domain of the ETA CPP exam and includes further reference tools to provide additional preparation options. Purchase a copy of the study guide here.
We also offer the ETA CPP Study Review Course which has been developed by the ETA CPP Credentialing Committee to further assist in your preparation for the ETA CPP exam. This course guides you through each domain of the ETA CPP exam. The course can be accessed here.
The practice test consists of 65 multiple choice questions similar in context to the actual ETA CPP exam. The practice test will help the candidate understand what to expect when sitting for the actual ETA CPP exam.
Watch the test-taker experience video for more information on what you can expect.
For interest in an ETA Mini Study Guide, please contact [email protected] to set up a live, online review session for your company. A minimum of 10 attendees is required.
| Purchase Review Course ($175) | Purchase Practice Test and Retest ($25/ea) |
4. Maintaining
All ETA CPPs are required to obtain continuing education credits (CE Credits) to remain certified. Your ETA CPP credential is valid for three (3) years from the date of certification. During this three year period, you are required to obtain and record 36 CE Credits.
To find out what qualifies for CE Credits, please refer to the Maintaining Your Credential guidelines here.
CE Credit Recording
You can start recording your CE Credits seven (7) days after receipt of your certification. To record/upload your CE Credits use this link. Upon login, go to Account > Education Credits.
CE Credit Requirements
As an ETA CPP, you are required to obtain and record 36 CE Credits within every three (3) year recertification period. There are various ways to earn your CE Credits, including ETA’s educational courses, webinars, and events.
Educational programs do not necessarily need to be produced by ETA; however, they do need to be payments industry-related.
ETA reserves the right to audit and verify the CE Credits that you have reported. Please be as detailed as possible when describing your entry for CE Credits. ETA may request backup documentation to confirm and verify the information.
Any reported CE Credits that cannot be verified may be denied. Records that can be used as backup documentation should be retained for two (2) years after the recertification period.
Approved CE Credits
- Attendance at industry-related workshops, seminars, courses, conferences, and live teleconferences/cyberconferences/webinars (these programs do not need to be sponsored/produced by ETA)
- Industry-related college or university courses
- Serving as a lecturer or speaker on industry-related workshops, seminars, and college/university courses
- Publication of authored articles on industry-related topic areas (not restricted to ETA publications)
- Volunteering on ETA or other industry-related organization committees
- Completion of an independent/self-study course (with a method of evaluation or certificate of completion) in an industry-related topic area
- Successful completion of another industry-related certification or licensure examination
Activities Not Approved For CE Credits
- Organizational products and/or sales-specific marketing or business development presentations
- Fundamental, introductory, or exam prep courses in industry-related topic areas
- Personal career development topics not specific to the electronic payments industry
- ETA CPP exam prep
Download Maintaining your Credential GuidelinesRecord your CE credits