What You Need to Know About Payroll Certification and How to Get Certified
Expertise is essential in many jobs. After all, you wouldn’t want an inexperienced doctor, plumber, or defense attorney—and payroll training is just as important. Payroll errors can have big consequences—33% of companies make payroll errors, and this often leads to hefty fines and penalties from the IRS.
Whether you’re pursuing a career in payroll management or just taking on payroll duties as an additional role responsibility, you need the proper training. To ensure you’re qualified to run payroll properly (and to prove your expertise to others), you can earn a payroll certification.
Keep reading for guidance on how to get a payroll certification and how to find the best payroll certification courses online. You’ll also discover how award-winning software like BambooHR can help you streamline your payroll process and allow you to leverage your payroll certification so you can keep the momentum going.
Key takeaways
- Payroll certification isn’t a requirement to carry out payroll but it can give you training to manage payroll more effectively.
- There are several payroll certification levels and options available, the one you need depends on your level of experience.
- Payroll certifications can cost anywhere from around $400 to $600.
What is payroll certification?
Payroll certification is a qualification that shows a payroll professional is experienced in their field and upholds the high standards necessary to do their job well. Several types of payroll certifications are available, and candidates must typically meet certain requirements to take and pass a payroll certification exam.
Many professionals within HR departments and beyond can earn a payroll certification, such as:
- Payroll administrators
- Payroll supervisors and managers
- Payroll consultants and educators
- Payroll systems analysts and coordinators
- Sales professionals in the payroll industry
- Client representatives from payroll service providers.
Payroll certification demonstrates up-to-date knowledge of payroll laws and best practices in an easily recognizable way. As an employer, it can help you feel confident in your staff’s abilities to keep the payroll process running smoothly and ethically as the world changes and your organization grows.
Not every employer requires payroll certification for a new hire, but holding one or more types of payroll certification can help employees reach their career goals. Investing in your payroll administrator's professional development can have a lasting impact on your organization and prevent major errors caused by inaccurate knowledge or compliance failures.
Plus, any continued education (CE) required to keep a certificate helps employees to stay abreast of the latest developments in their field and refine their skill set.
Types of payroll certifications
Employee payroll certifications can vary by institution and program level. Some people get payroll certified in college, but many professionals enroll in programs directly from industry leaders like PayrollOrg and the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB).
Here's an overview of the types of payroll certifications available from these two organizations.
PayrollOrg certification programs
PayrollOrg trains over 100,000 payroll professionals from 100 countries. Several colleges and universities partner with this organization to help students become payroll-certified. They also have several learning paths for professional development and recertification.
PayrollOrg offers a payroll certification for early career professionals:
The FPC program doesn't have any prerequisites, and no payroll experience is required to take the payroll certification exam. However, candidates are encouraged to explore the study materials and training courses online on PayrollOrg. The steps to earn this payroll certification include:
- Submit an FPC exam application and pay the fee.
- Make a reservation to take the test.
- Study for the payroll certification exam.
- Take the exam on your reserved testing date.
You can get recertified by either earning payroll CE credits or retaking the exam.
For those who are more advanced, PayrollOrg offers an additional certification opportunity:
To become a certified payroll professional at this level, you must meet one of the following exam eligibility requirements:
- Criteria 1: You've worked as a payroll professional for the last three years (out of the five years preceding the exam application date).
- Criteria 2: You've worked as a payroll professional for the last 24 months and completed the specified coursework and training.
- Criteria 3: You've worked as a payroll professional for the last 18 months, earned the FPC designation, and completed the specified coursework.
How do you get a payroll certificate?
To get a payroll certification, you’ll need to follow the below steps:
1. Check eligibility
It’s important to determine whether you’re even eligible to apply for the CPP exam. The APA has a list of strict requirements that include specific experience and education prerequisites. Those who’d like to take the payroll certification exam must have fulfilled one of the three criteria:
- They have been employed in payroll for at least three out of the five years before the date of the application
- They have been employed in payroll for at least the last 24 months and completed a series of APA-approved training courses
- They have been employed in the payroll practice for at least the last 18 months and have completed APA-approved courses during this time period.
2. Apply for the CPP exam
If you meet APA’s requirements, you must complete an application, receive approval from the APA’s certification department, and pay the exam fee before registering for the CPP exam. It typically takes the APA 10 to 15 days to process applications from the time that they receive them.
3. Schedule/register for the exam
Once the APA approves your eligibility to take the CPP exam, they’ll issue an identification number that the test-taker will use to schedule their payroll certification exam. You have a year from the date of approval to schedule this.
4. Study and take the exam
The APA offers preparatory materials, such as training courses, booklets, classes, and online webinars. They also offer a CPP Bootcamp package that features 20 online courses covering a wide range of topics. APA chapters host informational and study sessions ahead of exam season.
5. Seek recertification
If you pass your CPP exam, you must renew your certification every five years. This recertification process requires that CPPs fulfill over 120 recertification credit hours (RCHs). These hours entail continuing educational activities such as APA-accredited events and webinars.
NACPB certification and licensing programs
As a top bookkeeper organization in the US, the NACPB provides training, professional education, certification, and licensure to professionals in the field. Among other related programs, the NACPB offers payroll certification and payroll licensure.
To get an NACPB payroll certification, you must complete the required training and pass the Uniform Payroll Certification Examination. Here's an overview of the steps needed to complete this milestone:
- Take the NACPB pre-assessment test
- Complete the Payroll Fundamentals course (or an approved alternative)
- Take the post-assessment test
- Pass the payroll certification exam.
Additionally, the NACPB offers licensing for payroll specialists:
To earn your payroll license from NACPB, you must fulfill the following requirements:
- Have one year of professional payroll experience.
- Complete the NACPB payroll certification and QuickBooks certification programs
- Pass each program examination
- Agree to follow the CPS Professional Code of Conduct
- Apply for and receive your license.
Where to find payroll classes online
A wealth of free and low-cost resources and payroll certification courses for payroll professionals and other key HR roles are available online.
Here are some ways you can brush up on the fundamentals and see what's new in the world of payroll processing:
- Take online payroll classes: Many educational institutions, organizations, and industry leaders host online classes and workshops on sites like Udemy and Coursera.
- Search free payroll resources: From HR webinars to blogs and news articles, a variety of free content is available online.
- Listen to industry podcasts: Listening to podcasts specifically geared toward payroll and other HR topics is a great way to gain a little extra knowledge.
- Enroll in local payroll training sessions: PayrollOrg's resources aren't just available online—they also offer live payroll training in major cities nationwide.
- Learn more about your payroll software: Many payroll software providers have guided training courses for their own systems. This helps payroll specialists become experts in the platform their organization uses every day.
Payroll certification FAQs
Got further questions regarding payroll certification? Find the answers to your questions on how to get payroll certification below.
Do I need a payroll certification to do payroll?
No, you don’t need a payroll certification to perform payroll. Lots of employees do payroll without formal certification, they simply develop their skills on the job. However, doing payroll requires an understanding of relevant laws and practices, as well as the ability to use payroll software—payroll certification can help to strengthen these skills and also illustrates to employers that you’re capable.
What is a CPP test?
The Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) test is an exam that certifies the expertise of payroll specialists, managers, and supervisors. Developed by the American Payroll Association (APA), it entails various high-level components of payroll. It’s conducted electronically and broken down into seven sections. The exam is four hours long and features 190 multiple choice questions, with 25 trial test questions that are not counted toward the score. Examinees are notified on the day of the exam whether they have passed or failed.
Is the CPP exam difficult?
As with any evaluation, whether anyone finds the CPP exam difficult or not depends on the person (their background/experience level and/or the amount of time they have invested in studying). The passing score of the CPP exam is 300.
The exam questions are weighted, so rather than scoring the test based on how many questions the examinee gets right, it’s based more on getting the higher-value questions correct. Those who fail the CPP exam can retake it in the next testing cycle.
How much is the CPP exam?
As of 2026, the CPP exam in the US costs $419 for members, and $609 for non-members. Prices are subject to change.
Next steps: Choose the right payroll certification for you
Now that you know what certification is available, it’s time to decide on the right one for you and your business. Prioritize your team’s development and ensure that payroll is being done securely and correctly.