Maintaining Qualifications

Overview

The Maintaining Qualifications Program (MQP) provides eligible individuals who terminate their registrations with the option of maintaining their qualifications by completing annual continuing education (CE). Individuals who choose this option have up to five years in which to reregister with a member firm without having to requalify by exam or having to obtain an exam waiver.

The MQP does not eliminate the two-year qualification termination period. Rather, it provides participants with an alternative means of staying current on their regulatory and securities knowledge for up to five years following the termination of their registration(s).

Eligibility

To be eligible for the MQP, individuals must meet the following conditions.

  1. Have been registered in the terminated registration category for at least one year immediately prior to the termination of that category
  2. Elect to participate within two years from the date of termination of the eligible registrations

For full information on eligibility requirements please visit FINRA’s MQP webpage.

Participating in the MQP

Individuals enrolled in the MQP are required to complete all assigned CE coursework by the due dates specified in FinPro. MQP-enrolled individuals must complete their MQP learning plan, which consists of two elements of CE.

  1. Regulatory Element: Consists of courses targeting rules, current issues and regulatory concerns relevant to each registration category
  2. Practical Element: Consists of courses reminding individuals of products, services and strategies relevant to the job functions that they would be qualified for upon return to the industry as a registered person

How to Enroll

Eligible individuals may elect to participate in the MQP immediately after a registration category is terminated via a full or partial Form U5. They may also elect to participate later, within two years from the termination date of the registrations.

Eligible individuals must take the following steps to enroll in the MQP:

  1. Sign up for or Log in to FinPro: This will allow individuals to review and enroll eligible qualifications, receive notifications from FINRA and monitor their CE completion dates and statuses. See the Accessing FinPro section below to learn more about creating or retrieving your FinPro account.
  2. Pay the Annual Participation Fee: MQP participants will be required to pay an annual $100 fee, regardless of the number of qualifications enrolled.