American Payroll Association (APA)
Important Notice:
Please note that you cannot make an exam reservation until after you have completed your application, paid your examination fee, and received notification from the APA that you are authorized to take the exam. All candidates must complete the Application for Certification by Examination. If you have any questions, please contact certification@americanpayroll.org.
More information.
Applications
Applications MUST be submitted to the APA PRIOR to registering for the FPC/CPP exam. Any candidates who do not submit an application before taking a certification exam may be subject to sanctions, including disqualification of status, upon audit.
Candidates must use their full legal name (First and Last) as it appears on their primary government ID that will be used for admittance to the examination area at the testing center. Please note that Middle Name is not required for testing.
To create an account and purchase an exam, please go to the APA website.
Candidate Handbooks / Forms
Downloads
It is imperative that all APA candidates read the appropriate Candidate Handbooks prior to making an exam reservation.
Cancel or Reschedule Policy
Please review the complete cancellation/reschedule policy in detail (see FPC/CPP Handbook) prior to making an exam registration. If you need to cancel your APA exam appointment, you must do so 31 or more calendar days in advance to avoid any fees.
Do NOT contact Pearson VUE’s local testing center if you need to cancel or reschedule an exam appointment. All candidates must telephone Pearson VUE or go to www.pearsonvue.com/apa at least 96 hours before the scheduled examination date to change or cancel a reservation. Changed reservations with proper notice may be transferred to a new reservation (within the current testing window for the Northern Americas region). Candidates will forfeit the entire examination fee and be considered a no-show if the change or cancel request is received less than 96 hours from the exam reservation.
Candidates who cancel an exam 96 hours to thirty (30) calendar days before their exam reservation will incur a non-refundable cancellation fee of $50 USD. Cancellations that occur more than thirty (30) calendar days prior to an exam reservation are not subject to additional fees. Please note that there is no fee to change a reservation during this same period.
Examination fees are fully refundable only if the candidate cancels the reservation with proper notice (96 hours from the scheduled exam). Note: the cancellation fee will apply to exams cancelled 96 hours to thirty (30) calendar days from the exam reservation.
Please see the tables below for additional information.
Cancellations:
| Cancel by: |
Action: |
| Less than 96 hours |
|
| 96 hours-30 calendar days |
- Full refund of exam fee
- Non-refundable penalty of $50 USD
|
| 31 or more calendar days |
- Full refund of exam fee
- No additional penalty
|
Reschedules:
| Reschedule by: |
Action: |
| Less than 96 hours |
- Forfeit of exam fee
- No additional penalty
|
| 96 hours or more |
- Full refund of exam fee
- No additional penalty
|
Test Scheduling
Candidates may pay the examination fee directly to APA online or by check. If you are unable to pay online or by check, please call Membership Services at (210) 224-6406 for assistance. Payment is not accepted at the local Test Center. Please consult the APA Candidate Handbooks for additional instructions and forms.
Appointment date and time options vary on the selected test center availability.
Please refer to the FPC or CPP Candidate Handbook for more information on how to apply, special accommodations, rescheduling, and more.
Contact the APA at Certification@americanpayroll.org or 210-226-6406.
Ordering Your Certificate and Lapel Pin
Step 1
Login to be directed to the Scribes certificate order portal by using your APA ID and password.
Step 2
Follow the links and instructions on the Scribes Inc. portal to submit your certificate order.
- Prior to ordering, verify the spelling of your name as you want it to appear on your certificate.
- If you need to make corrections to your name or to change your legal name, email your request (along with legal documentation for name changes) to apa@americanpayroll.org. Allow 3 to 5 business days for updates to be completed.
- You must wait for name changes to be effective on your APA profile before ordering your certificate. If a FPC or CPP Certificate is ordered with the wrong name the APA will not be responsible for the cost of a corrected certificate.
Step 3
Once you submit the certificate order, you will receive a confirmation email from Scribes Inc. If you have any questions during or after placing a certificate order, please contact Scribes Inc. at (800)-441-6726 or orders@scribesinc.com.
- Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for your certificate to arrive.
If you have any questions contact the certification department or call 210-226-4600.