PFS (Personal Financial Specialist)
AICPA-branded financial planning specialty for CPAs; combines CPA's tax authority with planning scope — particularly valuable for tax-led financial-planning practice.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links.
Visit Official Site →Founded
1987
HQ
Durham, NC, USA
Target Audience
CPAs serving personal-financial-planning clients alongside tax/accounting work — particularly in mid-sized public accounting firms with wealth-management practice arms.
Key Features
- PFS Exam: 5 hours, 165 MCQ, online proctored
- Covers tax planning, retirement, estate, investment, risk management, financial planning process, employee/business benefits
- Pass rate: ~70%
- Required: AICPA membership, active CPA license, 75 hours of personal-financial-planning education within preceding 5 years, 3,000 hours of professional experience in PFP
- 60 hours of PFP-related CPE every 3 years
- ~5,000+ active PFS designees in the US
- Grants Series 65 exam waiver in most US states (similar to CFA waiver pathway)
How to Get This Certification
Prerequisites
Active CPA license + AICPA membership + 75 hours PFP education (within 5 years) + 3,000 hours of PFP experience (within 5 years preceding application; reduced for those with academic credentials).
Why Get Certified — ROI
Salary Impact
PFS designees in tax-led planning practices often earn $20,000-$40,000 premium versus non-PFS CPA tax preparers (AICPA 2024 PFP Practice Study). Median US PFS total compensation: $130,000-$180,000.
Career Benefits
- What makes this stand out
- AICPA-branded financial planning specialty for CPAs; combines CPA's tax authority with planning scope — particularly valuable for tax-led financial-planning practice.
- Industry recognition
- AICPA proprietary.
Who Should Get This Certification
Ideal for:
- CPAs serving personal-financial-planning clients alongside tax/accounting work — particularly in mid-sized public accounting firms with wealth-management practice arms.
Consider alternatives if:
- CPA-license prerequisite excludes non-CPA planners (CFP doesn't have this barrier)
- Brand recognition outside AICPA member firms is limited; many consumers don't distinguish PFS from CFP
How to Maintain This Certification
- Renewal cycle:
- 3 years
Pricing
Pricing varies.
Weaknesses
- CPA-license prerequisite excludes non-CPA planners (CFP doesn't have this barrier)
- Brand recognition outside AICPA member firms is limited; many consumers don't distinguish PFS from CFP
- Smaller community (~5,000) than CFP's 100,000+ limits referral-network value
- Adds AICPA membership + PFS fees on top of CPA-license costs
Markets Served
US
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links.
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