For credentialed professionals nearing or having entered retirement, it might seem like a good time to give up the credentials you have worked so hard to maintain rather than worry about earning CEUs or retaking the exam to keep them. However, that AACE credential may have become part of your identity and, therefore, not so easy to abandon. For those of you who are nearing the end of your career or already in retirement, there may be an alternative to recertifying that will allow you to maintain your certificate.

When it comes time to recertify, AACE will reach out and ask if you intend to recertify by CEUs or recertify by exam. In lieu of these two options, you may have the opportunity, under certain conditions, to apply for emeritus certification. AACE provides an emeritus certification category for retiring/retired certified professionals for the certificant’s lifetime with no fees or renewal credits required. To be eligible to obtain emeritus certification, you must be at least 60 years of age, retired, and not engaged in consulting activities or part-time cost engineering-related work of any kind. This seems like a no-brainer for those leaving the workforce and desiring to keep their certification. It is free, and it is a lifetime. What could be better than that?!

As with everything, some terms and conditions come with emeritus certification, which you must know. The first is that if at any time in the future, you accept cost engineering-related work, you must reapply for certification, submit the required fees, and sit for the examination. In other words, you cannot reenter your career field and present yourself as an emeritus certificant. You are not allowed to regain your original status by recertifying with CEUs. You must retake the test. The second stipulation is that you must hold AACE harmless from any future liability associated with, or arising out of, an emeritus certification.

If you opt to go the emeritus certification route, meet the eligibility requirements, and agree with the terms and conditions, it is as simple as filling out a one-page online application. Once approved for emeritus certification, your credential will be switched to emeritus status. You will continue to be carried in the AACE Directory in your credentialed field and listed, for example, as “Jordan Smith, Emeritus PSP.” If you hold multiple credentials, all of your credentials will go into emeritus status simultaneously, and all will be included in the AACE Directory. Credentialed professionals with multiple certificates will likely have staggered renewal dates for their credentials, so those in this category may hold off on applying for emeritus certification until it is time to renew their most up-to-date credentials. For example, you may hold an EVP credential that expires in 2024 and a PSP credential in 2026. When it comes time to renew the EVP credential in 2024, you can inform AACE that you will not be renewing your EVP credential in 2024 but will be applying for emeritus certification in 2026 when your PSP credential comes up for renewal. Once you apply for and are approved for emeritus certification in 2026, you will then be listed in the directory as both an Emeritus EVP and an Emeritus PSP, even though your EVP credential lapsed in 2024. The bottom line for those of you holding multiple certifications is that you cannot become an emeritus certificant in one certificant field and continue to hold an active credential in another certificant field until that second credential is up for renewal. In the case above, if you choose to go the emeritus certification route when the EVP credential is up for renewal, then the PSP credential goes into emeritus status at that point as well.

There are multiple reasons why emeritus certification may be for you. You may want to hold onto your credential because it was hard to attain and maintain, and it still means a lot to you. Or you may be a person who dislikes giving up anything. The best reason is that emeritus status is currently free and is for a lifetime. There are currently over 200 active emeritus certificants and several serve as volunteers with AACE and in other organizations. If emeritus certification seems like a good fit for you and you would rather go that route than continue to maintain your credential through the traditional recertification process, then fill out the online application for emeritus certification when it comes time for renewal and enjoy retirement. If you would like more information or help with guidance through the application process, you can reach out to AACE Credentialing Analyst Sara Peters at speters@aacei.org or (304) 296-8444 ext. 1110.