FFEBA issues the designation and trains the people who hold it. This site is written for federal employees; everything a candidate needs, the application, the course, pricing and enrollment, lives on federalretirementconsultant.com.
Why the federal market needs its own designation
Federal employees do not retire like everyone else. They have two retirement systems with their own formulas, a Thrift Savings Plan with its own withdrawal rules, group life and health insurance that follow their own eligibility clocks, special provisions for law enforcement, firefighters and air traffic controllers, and a Social Security and Medicare picture that depends on which system they are in. Most planning education covers these briefly or not at all.
About 2.7 million federal and postal employees work under those rules, and OPM's data shows them filing for retirement at a growing pace. Very few professionals can read a federal benefits statement end to end. The FRC exists so that the ones who can are easy to find, and easy for a federal employee to verify.
- One credential, one niche, in depth. The course is built around CSRS, FERS, the TSP, FEGLI, FEHB, FLTCIP, Social Security and Medicare, not a general curriculum with a federal chapter.
- Listed with FINRA. The designation appears in FINRA's professional designations database with its prerequisites, exam and continuing-education requirements, so a client or a compliance officer can look it up.
- A network behind it. FRC holders can join the network FFEBA uses to introduce federal employees who ask for a free benefits review, present FFEBA workshops, and use the member tools on this site.
What the course covers
The FRC curriculum is fifteen modules and 111 lessons, taught lesson by lesson. Each retirement system gets its own module, the forms are covered alongside the rules, and the second half of the course moves through the insurance programs, Social Security and Medicare.
| Module | Lessons | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) | 11 | Creditable service, deposits and redeposits, unused sick leave, high-3, optional, disability and survivor annuities, CSRS forms |
| 02 CSRS Offset | 4 | How the offset annuity and the government pension offset work |
| 03 Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) | 14 | Eligibility, creditable service, high-3, optional, early, discontinued and disability retirement, survivor annuity, the special retirement supplement, FERS forms |
| 04 A rapidly changing federal workplace | 11 | RIF, VERA, VSIP, deferred retirement, the deferred resignation program, discontinued service retirement, gathering records and building trust |
| 05 CSRS-to-FERS transfers | 3 | Transfer rules and the combined annuity |
| 06 Special provision employees | 11 | Law enforcement officers, firefighters, air traffic controllers and customs and border protection officers under CSRS and FERS |
| 07 Voluntary Contribution Program (VCP) | 4 | Contributions, the annuity option and IRA or TSP transfers |
| 08 Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) | 9 | Government matching, the individual and lifecycle funds, loans, withdrawals and the Roth option |
| 09 Mutual fund window | 6 | Eligibility, fees, investment procedure, risk and closing an account |
| 10 Advisor's guide to indexed annuities | 9 | Mechanics, the regulatory landscape, suitability, fees and income planning |
| 11 Social Security | 7 | Full retirement, spousal, child, survivor, divorced-spouse and disability benefits |
| 12 Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) | 6 | Basic and optional coverage, order of benefits and assignment |
| 13 Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) | 5 | Eligibility and economic protection, with Medicare Advantage |
| 14 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) | 5 | The program, flexible spending accounts and Part D coordination |
| 15 Medicare | 6 | Parts A and B, high-deductible plans with HSAs and HRAs |
Source: FRC Designation Course module list, federalretirementconsultant.com, retrieved 2026-10-13.
Every topic in the course has a plain-language counterpart on this site. The FERS, CSRS and TSP guides and the calculators are the same material your federal clients read, which makes them a useful check on how you explain a rule.
What it takes to earn it
- 01
Prerequisites
Meet two of three: a bachelor's degree or higher in business, finance or economics, or two years of industry experience; a state insurance license or certain FINRA registrations; or a listed credential such as CFP, ChFC, CLU, JD or CPA (FINRA, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- 02
Apply
The application on federalretirementconsultant.com takes about two minutes. You choose your track during the application, and the team confirms enrollment within one business day.
- 03
Coursework
Fifteen modules and 111 lessons on federal employee benefits, self-paced online or as a live, guided express course.
- 04
Exam
An online, closed-book, proctored final exam: 100 questions with a 70 percent pass standard on the self-study track, or a 20-question exam on the live tracks.
- 05
Background check
Candidates pass a background check before the designation is awarded (federalretirementconsultant.com, retrieved 2026-10-12).
- 06
Upkeep
Six continuing-education credits every year, plus an annual renewal that keeps the designation current and the FINRA listing active.
Three ways to earn it
Every track leads to the same designation. The difference is pace, format and whether federal appointments are included.
| Basic | Express | Express+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course fee | $1,000 one-time | $1,500 one-time | $3,500 one-time |
| Format | Self-study, on your schedule | Live, guided video training with Q&A | Live, guided video training with Q&A |
| Approximate length | About 20 hours | About 2 hours | About 2 hours |
| Exam | 100 questions, 70 percent to pass | 20 questions | 20 questions |
| Federal appointments | Not included | Not included | 10 included |
Source: federalretirementconsultant.com pricing, retrieved 2026-10-13. One-time course pricing; the designation renews annually at $150 to stay listed and in good standing. Prices and program features are set at enrollment and subject to change.
After the designation
The designation opens the door. These are the programs FRC holders can add, each optional and priced individually.
- Federal appointmentsFFEBA refers federal employees who asked for a free benefits review directly to your calendar, in person or virtually. $100 each, ten included with Express+, buy more any time. A referral is a real conversation to earn, not a guaranteed sale.
- Live workshops and webinarsPresent to local federal employees about their retirement benefits, in person or online. Deliver it yourself once designated, or bring in a qualified FFEBA presenter. From $2,500 per event.
- Member tools on this siteFRC holders can point clients to the free guides, the 23 calculators and the saved-plan account on ffeba.com, so the numbers you review together are the numbers the client already has.
- Renewal and standingAn annual renewal of $150 keeps the designation current and the FINRA listing active.
- Marketing servicesA custom website, logo and branding built for federal-benefits professionals, quoted individually.
- Fed Retire Software reportsFRCs are trained to read and apply reports from Fed Retire Software's CSRS-FERS Benefits Calculator and Retirement Analyzer when building a client's plan. Fed Retire Software is an independent company; FRC does not sell the software.
Appointment, workshop and marketing outcomes vary and are not guaranteed; results depend on the professional.
How the referral network works
FFEBA is an education organization. Federal employees come to this site for the guides, the calculators and the free workshops, and some of them ask for a free 1:1 benefits review. FFEBA introduces those employees to FRC holders who serve their state. FRC professionals sponsor that free education and matching, which is how the review stays free for the employee, and nothing is booked until the employee chooses a time. The employee sees who you are and where the designation is listed before anything is scheduled, and is never obligated to work with anyone FFEBA introduces.
How the designation must be described
Teach a workshop
FRC holders can present FFEBA's free benefits workshops for agencies, HR offices and employee groups. The presenter standard sets what a session covers and what it never does. Running an agency or HR office instead? See workshops for agencies.
Apply
Applications, course access, pricing and enrollment are on the designation site. Already designated? Federal employees can confirm your standing on the verify page.
Apply at federalretirementconsultant.com · See the full curriculum · Read FINRA's listing · Verify an FRC