- The Four CRC Testing Windows in 2026-2027
- Where the Calendar Stands Right Now
- Fees, Retakes and Window Transfers
- How Scheduling Works: PTC, Prometric and Your Seat
- Eligibility Timing and the Post-Pass Paperwork Conflict
- Why the April Window Matters for Content
- What You Are Scheduling: Format and Domains
- Picking the Right Window: A Domain-Based Plan
- After the Exam: Renewal Clock Basics
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Certified Retirement Counselor exam is offered in four windows each year: January, April, July and October.
- As of the October 5, 2026 review, the October 12-24 window's fee deadline (September 14) has already passed.
- The next published window is January 18-30, 2027, with a December 11, 2026 fee deadline.
- The exam fee is $575; a retake is $275 in a later window, and a window transfer is $150.
The Four CRC Testing Windows in 2026-2027
The Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC) credential does not use a single fixed exam date. Instead, candidates test inside testing windows that open in January, April, July and October. Each window spans roughly two weeks, which gives you flexibility to choose a specific day and time at a Prometric testing center within that span. The CRC is now administered by Boston Institute of Finance (BIF), which acquired the designation on February 25, 2026, from the International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE). Certification decisions remain independently controlled by the CRC Board of Standards and Policy Development.
If you are still deciding whether the credential fits your career, start with What Is CRC Certification? and the broader CRC Certification overview. This article focuses narrowly on the calendar: when you can test, when you must pay, and how to avoid losing a window to paperwork.
| Window | Status as of Oct. 5, 2026 review | Key date detail |
|---|---|---|
| January | Next published window | January 18-30, 2027; fee deadline December 11, 2026 |
| April | Follows January 2027 | Annual statutory-limit and regulatory updates begin entering the exam in this administration |
| July | Follows April 2027 | Confirm exact dates and fee deadline on BIF's schedule page |
| October | Remaining 2026 window: October 12-24 | September 14 fee deadline has passed |
Only the October 2026 and January 2027 specifics are confirmed in the published schedule we reviewed. For April and July 2027, check BIF's official exam schedule and fees page before planning around any specific day.
Where the Calendar Stands Right Now
This article was reviewed on October 5, 2026. On that date, the only remaining 2026 window is October 12-24, and its fee deadline of September 14 had already passed. In practical terms, that means a candidate who has not already paid and registered for October cannot count on testing this year.
Do not wait until the deadline week. Application review, eligibility documentation and the signed Certificate Holder's Statement all take time, and a missed deadline pushes you a full quarter into the next window.
Fees, Retakes and Window Transfers
Dates and dollars are linked in the CRC program because every window has a fee deadline, and several fee types depend on which window you are in. Here is the structure published by BIF:
| Item | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Examination fee | $575 | Due by the published fee deadline for your chosen window |
| Retake fee | $275 | Applies in a subsequent testing window; no same-window retake |
| Transfer to another window | $150 | Moves your registration to a different testing window |
| Optional five-guide set | $540 | Purchasing preparation materials is not mandatory |
| Exam plus all five guides | $1,015 | Bundled option |
Two scheduling rules deserve special attention. First, there is no same-window retake: if you test on October 13 and fall short, you cannot try again on October 22. Your earliest second attempt is the next window. Second, a transfer costs $150, which is more than half the price of a retake, so a transfer is worth it only when you genuinely need the extra time. For a full cost picture, including renewal, see CRC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
How Scheduling Works: PTC, Prometric and Your Seat
Two organizations handle logistics. Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) coordinates scheduling and results. Prometric delivers the computer-based exam at its testing centers. Neither one decides whether you are eligible; that is a certification-program decision made under BIF and the CRC Board.
A typical sequence looks like this:
- Confirm eligibility. Review the requirements before paying anything. Our guide to CRC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify walks through the education and experience pathways.
- Submit your application and fee by the deadline for your target window.
- Receive authorization through the PTC process, then choose a date, time and Prometric site inside the window.
- Test on your selected day, bringing the identification required in the Candidate Handbook.
- Receive results through PTC and complete any outstanding certification paperwork.
Because windows span about two weeks, popular times near the middle of the window and weekend slots can fill first at busy centers. Choose your seat soon after you receive authorization rather than waiting for the last days of the window.
Eligibility Timing and the Post-Pass Paperwork Conflict
This is the part of CRC scheduling where candidates most often get into trouble. The baseline eligibility rules are straightforward:
- An accredited bachelor's degree or equivalent plus two years of relevant retirement-related experience within the preceding five years, or
- A high-school diploma or equivalent plus five years of relevant experience within the preceding seven years.
A signed Certificate Holder's Statement and a professional-conduct review are also required.
Why does this matter for scheduling? Because a candidate who assumes they have five years may let a three-month paperwork deadline lapse and face a retake, with its $275 fee and a wait until the next window. If you are close to meeting experience requirements but not quite there, the safest approach is to schedule your exam only when you can document everything, or to get BIF's answer in writing first. For a broader look at how the credential's requirements fit together, see our requirements guide.
Note also a small document-labeling quirk: the Candidate Handbook is printed Rev. August 2026 even though its filename contains "Sept2026," and the Program Policies Manual is distributed as a September 2026 file. When citing or comparing documents, use the revision printed inside the document.
Why the April Window Matters for Content
The CRC exam tests applied retirement planning, and a large share of that work is sensitive to statutory limits and regulatory figures. BIF states that annual statutory-limit and regulatory updates enter the exam beginning with the April administration. That has a direct scheduling implication:
- If you test in January, you are being examined before the new year's updates enter the exam, so study the figures and rules that were in force before the April update.
- If you test in April, July or October, expect the updated limits and regulations to be in play.
The practical risk is mixing years. Candidates who study from an older guide but test after the April update, or the reverse, can memorize the wrong numbers. Check the dates on every reference you use and confirm which administration your materials align to. The CRC Cheat Sheet 2026 is a useful place to cross-check must-know facts, but always verify limit-sensitive figures against current primary sources.
What You Are Scheduling: Format and Domains
Before you lock in a window, make sure you understand the exam you are scheduling. The CRC exam is computer-based and closed book:
- 200 multiple-choice questions, each with a single correct answer
- 175 scored items and 25 unscored pilot items, which you cannot tell apart
- Four hours of testing time
- An on-screen calculator is available
- No penalty for incorrect answers, so answer every question
- No scheduled break. Restroom breaks use your examination time.
Passing requires a scaled score of 500 on a 200-800 scale, not a fixed raw percentage. See CRC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for how to interpret that. The four exam domains and weights come from the CRC Test Specifications, based on the August 2025 job-task analysis:
Domain 1: Identify Needs, Concerns and Goals in Terms of Quantitative and Qualitative Factors by Career Stage/Phase of Retirement (25%)
Client discovery across the life cycle, balancing numbers (income, assets, expenses) with the human factors behind them.
Domain 2: Design Retirement-readiness and Post-retirement Strategies Considering Resources, Risks, Tax Implications, and Regulations (38%)
The largest domain. Expect strategy design under real-world constraints: resources, risks, taxes and regulatory rules, which is exactly where the April statutory-limit updates matter.
Domain 3: Facilitate the Implementation of the Retirement-readiness and Post-retirement Strategies (20%)
Moving from plan to action: coordinating the steps that turn a recommended strategy into executed decisions.
Domain 4: Evaluate, Adjust, and Document Retirement Strategies Across Career Stages/Retirement Phases (17%)
Monitoring, revising and recordkeeping as circumstances and regulations change.
For a deeper breakdown of each area, read CRC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas. To get a feel for question style before you commit to a date, try the CRC practice tests.
Picking the Right Window: A Domain-Based Plan
Rather than generic advice about "giving yourself enough time," tie your window choice to how much of the content you have already covered. Domain 2 carries 38% of the exam, so it deserves the most calendar time. One reasonable way to work backward from the January 18-30, 2027 window, with its December 11 fee deadline:
Domain 1 foundations
- Client needs, goals and career-stage differences
- Quantitative and qualitative discovery factors
Domain 2 deep work
- Resources, risks, tax implications and regulations
- Use pre-April limits if you test in January; confirm which figures apply
Domains 3 and 4
- Implementation steps and coordination
- Evaluation, adjustment and documentation practices
Timed practice
- Full-length 200-question runs at a four-hour pace
- Practice with no break so restroom timing is not a surprise
Adjust the length of each block to your background. A candidate with years in plan administration may compress Domain 3; someone coming from a planning or advisory role may need more time on regulation-heavy Domain 2 content. For methods and resources, see CRC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Key Takeaway
Set your fee deadline as your commitment date, not your starting date. If a gap analysis shows you are weak in Domain 2 as the deadline approaches, a $150 transfer to the following window is often smarter than testing underprepared and paying a $275 retake.
Reading the difficulty signal honestly
BIF's 2025 activity report records 31 passes among 59 candidates, a published 52% pass ratio, with 1,467 active certificants at December 31, 2025. Treat these as historical cohort figures, not a prediction of your own result in any 2026 or 2027 window. The cohort is small, and your outcome depends on your preparation. For more context, see CRC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and How Hard Is the CRC Exam?.
After the Exam: Renewal Clock Basics
Scheduling does not end when you pass. Once certified, your credential renews annually. Renewal requires:
- 15 continuing-education hours each year
- At least two ethics hours in every two-year period
- A signed Certificate Holder's Statement
- A $150 renewal fee
Excess continuing-education hours carry only into the next renewal period, so front-loading hours beyond that does not build a larger cushion. If you are weighing the long-term commitment, read Is the CRC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and, for earnings context, the CRC Salary Guide 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of the October 5, 2026 review, the remaining 2026 window is October 12-24, but its September 14 fee deadline has passed. The next published window is January 18-30, 2027, and the fee deadline is December 11, 2026.
The exam is offered in four testing windows per year: January, April, July and October. You choose a specific date and time within your window at a Prometric testing center, with scheduling coordinated by Professional Testing Corporation.
No. There is no same-window retake. A retake costs $275 and must occur in a subsequent testing window. If you need more time before testing at all, a transfer to another window costs $150.
The sources conflict. BIF's website describes a five-year window to complete unmet requirements, while the Candidate Handbook and Program Policies Manual require post-pass forms within three months of passing notification or a retest. Get written clarification from BIF before relying on either, and do not use the designation until all requirements are met.
Yes. Annual statutory-limit and regulatory updates enter the exam beginning with the April administration. Candidates testing in January are examined before those updates, so align your study materials to the window you choose.
Choose your window, confirm your eligibility paperwork, and verify any date-sensitive details on BIF's official pages before paying. When you are ready to test your readiness against the real format, work through the CRC practice exams and review the CRC exam dates page again as new windows are published.