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Canada · Certification exam

The CFP designation in Canada

CFP stands for Certified Financial Planner, and in Canada FP Canada grants the CFP designation to people who finish the education, pass the CFP exam, show three years of experience and agree to its ethics standards. FP Canada also grants QAFP certification, for Qualified Associate Financial Planner, for core planning needs. FP Canada is a national, not-for-profit professional body, not a government regulator, though Ontario’s regulator does approve CFP certification for the Financial Planner title.

Search FP Canada’s Planner DirectoryFree practice test

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What does the CFP designation in Canada mean?

FP Canada describes CFP professionals as planners who look at every part of a client’s financial life, including cash flow, investments, tax, retirement, estate planning and insurance, however complex the situation. QAFP professionals give personalized advice to individuals and families with core needs, such as budgeting, saving, debt and retirement planning.

The CFP marks are trademarks of the Financial Planning Standards Board, which FP Canada uses under licence. That’s why CFP professionals certified in another FPSB member country have their own shorter path in Canada.

QAFP vs CFP and other designations →CFP salary in Canada →

The Financial Planner title in Ontario

Ontario’s Financial Professionals Title Protection Act came into force on March 28, 2022. Under it, FSRA, Ontario’s regulator, approved FP Canada as a credentialing body, and approved CFP and QAFP certification as credentials for the Financial Planner title. They don’t cover the Financial Advisor title: a CFP professional needs a separate approved credential to use that one in Ontario.

FSRA keeps a Check Credentials Tool for anyone in Ontario who wants to confirm a person may use those titles. FP Canada passes a yearly FSRA fee to certificants with an Ontario connection. These are Ontario rules only.

FP Canada: Ontario title protection ↗

Financial planners in Quebec

In Quebec, the F.Pl. is a licence held with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). FP Canada offers F.Pl. planners in good standing their own path to CFP certification, through the CFP Certification Program for F.Pl. Professionals.

How to find a CFP or check one

FP Canada’s Planner Directory shows whether someone is a CFP professional, with their legal name, certification status and any discipline history. Its Find Your Planner tool on FP Canada’s consumer site searches certified planners by location, specialization, areas of focus and language. In Ontario, FSRA’s Check Credentials Tool is a second check.

FP Canada: Planner Directory ↗

Keeping the CFP designation

The CFP designation has to be renewed every year by March 31, with 25 hours of continuing education. QAFP professionals renew by July 31 with 12 hours.

CFP continuing education requirements →How to become a CFP →
Sources: FP Canada and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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