Frequently Asked Questions

Our mission is to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary to help clients increase financial literacy, address negative money behaviors, and implement sound financial management while realizing career and employment aspirations and goals.

The National Association of Certified Credit Counselors has been helping people achieve their goals since 1999.

The National Association of Certified Credit Counselors certifications are approved in all states that require certification under the Uniform Debt Management Services Act. We are also recognized by the United States Department of Justice Executive Office of the United States Trustees, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Trade Commission, and are approved for veterans training through the Department of Veterans Affairs (veterans can learn how to get certified through the VA here).  In addition, we are approved by creditors who require counselor certification as well as the credit counseling industry recognizing our status as an objective third-party credentialing organization. The creditors and industry associations have granted approval of our programs.

NACCC is approved by the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund to provide Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) training.

We currently have thousands of individuals on our national registry of certified counselors.  Many have been recertified multiple times in our years of operation.

Our counselor certification programs cover:

Our curriculum is holistic in that it emphasizes not only the financial side of debt-related issues but also the emotional/cognitive aspects related to destructive money behaviors. The program is based on a needs and job analysis conducted by Florida Tech (one of the top 50 universities in the country).  Therefore, it is application-based and enhances counselors ability to help consumers in financial distress.

Our new Certified Financial Counselor program is completely comprehensive – it includes the curriculum from all of the Core AND Advanced programs:

Core programs:

• Certified Credit Counselor
• Certified Financial Health Counselor

Click here to learn which certification is right for you

Advanced programs:

• Student Loan Counselor
• Housing Counselor
• Financial and Career Coach

Both of the Core programs (Certified Credit Counselor and Certified Financial Health Counselor) share a core curriculum, Keys to Success, which is made up of four modules:

1. Counseling and Communication Skills: Including rapport building, listening skills, conducting interviews, and maintaining non-judgmental communication. 
2. Problem Solving Skills: Includes, as they relate to managing personal finances, gathering information, establishing financial goals, and implementing action plans. 
3. Consumer Credit: Including how credit works, choosing and using credit cards and loans to your advantage, and understanding credit scoring. 
4. Dealing with Debt: Includes alternatives for resolving consumer debt. 

Each program also includes industry-specific supplemental materials: 

1. Credit Counselor program: Credit Counseling Today, explores covers the history of credit counseling, how debt management plans work, and consumer legislation related to the debt management industry. 
2. Financial Health Counselor program: Essential Financial Topics, which explores the top three financial goals of most consumers—paying for an education, buying a home, and saving for retirement. 
3. Student Loan Counselor advanced program: this program explores loan types, repayment options, and payment relief options in addition to loan discharge, rehabilitation, and counseling techniques. 
4. Housing Counselor advanced program: this program explores obtaining affordable housing to include the home-buying process, credit basics, and financing in addition to counseling skills and ethical training. 
5. Financial and Career Coach advanced program: this program further explores the field of coaching and includes the following supplemental materials: 
   • Personal Finance, Garman and Forgue
   • The Art of Speed Reading People, Tieger and Barron-Tieger
   • Motivational Interviewing, Miller and Rollnick
   • Emotional Intelligence 2.0, Bradberry and Greaves

The cost of programs varies depending on which you choose. Visit our Certifications page to explore different programs and costs.

Yes.  You must take the certification exam within one year of the date of your enrollment. Extensions are possible for extenuating circumstances; for example if a member of the military were not able to test due to deployment additional time would be allowed for review and testing if requested.

We understand that the cost of our program can be prohibitive for some, but we don’t want the cost of our program to be a barrier to earning your certification.

Visit our NACCC PAYGO page for more information on payment plans.

You have up to one year from your enrollment date to study and take your exam. The estimated number of hours to complete each course is listed below:

The programs offered are self-paced study. Students will receive their material and they have one year from the date of enrollment to take their test.  We want all of our students to succeed, so we do offer review material at the request of the student.  

Congratulations!  When you are done studying and are ready to take the exam, the first step will be finding a proctor.  We offer webcam proctoring for $50, but you may also find proctoring services at your local library or community college.  You will need the proctor’s information in order to request your exam, and once they are approved, we will send them the exam.  You may then schedule a time to take the exam with your proctor.   

The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, and you have two hours to complete it.  You will need a 70% or higher on your exam to become certified. 

We’re sorry to hear that, but we want students to succeed, so you are able to take the exam again.  The cost of re-taking the exam is $150.  We recommend that students review all the material before taking the exam again because you must achieve a 70% or higher to be certified. 

When you are certified through NACCC, you are entered in a national registry of counselors and are required to complete 16 hours of continuing education units (CEUs) every two years.  We offer many CEUs to best enable clients to maintain up-to-date education. 

Once you have completed 16 CEUs, you’ll submit your application for renewal.  You will need to have your certificate number and CEU information handy to do this. 

The National Association of Certified Credit Counselors asks that all Credit Counselors, Financial Health Counselors, Financial Counselors, and Financial and Career Coaches display their designations as follows:

NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™

NACCC Certified Financial Health Counselor™

NACCC Certified Financial Counselor™

NACCC Certified Financial and Career Coach™

Yes!  For groups of ten or more, we can send a trainer who will present the material in a six or eight-hour seminar.  Ideally, students will have registered for the program and studied the material for at least one month beforehand.  The trainer will present the information on the first day, and administer the exam in person the second day. 

Success rates for students are higher with this format, and the process is streamlined.  Once a year the seminar is offered for anyone enrolled to register.  In addition, we offer webinars periodically.  If you have a group that would like to participate in a webinar, the rate is $150 per hour. 

Contact Heather Aiello if you are interested in a group training at (321) 704-7098. 

Yes! You can enroll in one of our preview courses at no cost. You can also call us at (321) 725-3497 for more information.