What are Certification Maintenance Fees?

Certified Child Life Specialists pay Certification Maintenance Fees to support the administration of the certification program, and to maintain their individual certification.

When are Certification Maintenance Fees due?

Certification Maintenance fees are due by January 31 in each of the first four years of the five-year certification cycle. The first payment is due January 31 of the year immediately following the day the Certified Child Life Specialists passed the certification exam. Or January 31 immediately following the year a CCLS recertified.

For example, if you passed the exam in March, August, or November 2025, your first maintenance payment is due on or before January 31, 2026. You will also pay the fee by January 31 of 2027, 2028, and 2029. In 2030, you will not pay a maintenance fee because you will need to recertify in the year in which your certification expires.  

If you recertified during 2025, your first annual maintenance fee payment for your new cycle is due by January 31, 2026.

What am I paying for? Where does my money go?

Certification Maintenance Fees fund activities that promote the growth of the certification program such as job analysis studies, surveys which lead to policy development, and efforts to market the value of certification in order to provide Certified Child Life Specialists with a competitive edge.

In addition, maintenance fees subsidize the general administration of the certification program, including the continual assessment of the Certification Commission's policies in relation to best practices for credentialing, the implementation of leadership decisions, maintenance of accurate certification records, and the communication of a clear message of quality for the profession.

In contrast, the Examination Fee covers the costs incurred by the association to administer the exam, such as exam development and testing agency fees. 

How will I be notified when my payment is due?

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of all Certified Child Life Specialists to pay their maintenance fees every January for the first four years of their certification cycle. However, we will send email reminders regarding certification maintenance in December and January; this means it is very important that you keep your profile up-to-date with an active email address that you check regularly.

What if my payment is late?

A late fee is applied to payments that are received after January 31. Late payments will be accepted through March 31, after which certification will become inactive due to non-payment.  Individuals who have an inactive certification status are not permitted to refer to themselves as a Certified Child Life Specialist or use the initials “CCLS” after their name. These individuals must pay a reinstatement fee in addition to the maintenance and late fees already accrued by December 31 of the year in which the delinquent payment was due.

If certification is not reinstated by the end of that calendar year, certification lapses.

What happens if I don’t pay Certification Maintenance Fees?

Certification will lapse if Certification Maintenance Fees are not paid in a timely fashion. If certification lapses due to non-payment of maintenance fees, an individual will no longer be permitted to refer to him/herself as a Certified Child Life Specialist or use the initials “CCLS” after his or her name. To regain the credential, individuals with lapsed certification must re-establish eligibility for, take and pass the certification examination.  All eligibility requirements in place at the time the CCLS seeks to regain the credential must be met prior to being seated for the exam

I just paid my dues; why do I have to pay again?

Certification Maintenance Fees are due once a year in January for the first four years of your certification cycle. If you recently made a payment to the Association of Child Life Professionals, it was probably for ACLP membership dues. Certification maintenance fees are separate from ACLP membership dues. ACLP membership dues are paid annually for membership in the Association. ACLP members receive many benefits, including reduced rates on most Child Life Professional Certification fees; however, membership is not required for certification.

Does my ACLP membership dues cover my certification, too?

Child Life Professional Certification and ACLP membership are completely separate programs, each with distinct fees and associated benefits. Certified Child Life Specialists are not required to be members of ACLP, just as certification is not a requirement for ACLP membership. However, ACLP members receive discounted rates on most certification fees.

Can I join ACLP now and receive the discounted rate for my Certification Maintenance Fee?

If you join ACLP in January, you will receive the discount on your certification maintenance or recertification fee for the following year. Invoices for maintenance fees are created based on membership status as of the invoice date in mid-December, and it is ACLP policy to make no adjustments based on new or renewed memberships after that date. If you are not a current ACLP member when your certification maintenance invoice is created, you will not receive the discounted rate until the following year’s invoice is created.

My hospital will pay my Certification Maintenance Fee. How do I get an invoice?

An invoice is sent via email to all Certified Child Life Specialists® who have a maintenance fee balance due. If you need assistance, please contact certification@childlife.org.