CFA® Program Emergency Deferral Policy

August 2025 Candidates:

The emergency deferral request window is open until 2 September 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. 

All other registered candidates: Continue to check back for form availability and deferral request deadlines closer to your exam window.

Scheduled candidates may request an Emergency Deferral until the emergency deferral deadline. You are eligible for an emergency deferral if you are experiencing a:

• life-threatening illness (candidate or immediate family member),
• death of a candidate’s immediate family member,
• mandatory military deployment (candidate only) during the exam window,
• pregnancy (candidate only); please note the candidate may request only one pregnancy deferral per level,
• rescheduled exam by Prometric within 30 days of the start of the exam window and after contacting Prometric, you are unable to find a new acceptable appointment date*.

You must provide documentation to support your claim for an emergency deferral. Once the deferral is approved, you may defer your exam appointment for up to 12 months, depending on your exam level and appointment availability. See below for eligible exam windows. Registration and scheduling deadlines apply.

Beginning with exams in 2025, we will charge a USD 100 processing fee* for all approved emergency deferral requests. This fee is to cover the administrative costs associated with canceling your registration.

*There is no processing fee for exams rescheduled by Prometric.

If you do not qualify for an emergency deferral, or do qualify but cannot provide the proper documentation, then you are not eligible for an emergency deferral and your request will be denied. However, you may purchase a paid deferral before the paid deferral deadline.

Completion of the emergency deferral form represents your consent for CFA Institute to use the information provided by you to verify your eligibility for an exam deferral and monitor exam deferral volumes. All deferral requests are subject to the terms of the Candidate Agreement, up to and including review by our Professional Conduct department. We reserve the right to deny any emergency deferral request.

Please allow up to two weeks for us to validate the documentation you provide. If approved, you will have 7 days to submit the USD 100 processing fee. Once you submit payment for the processing fee, your registration and scheduled appointment will be cancelled immediately. Please note that your decision is binding. If you fail to pay within the deadline, your deferral will be voided.

Request an emergency deferral

CFA Institute has received numerous false Emergency Deferral requests. Providing false documentation is a serious violation of the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. If we suspect your documentation is false, your request will be denied and you will be referred to our Professional Conduct department for disciplinary sanctions, including possible restriction from the CFA Program exams.

If you do not qualify for an Emergency Deferral, purchase a paid deferral instead. Do not risk disciplinary sanctions by falsifying documentation.

Professional Conduct at CFA Institute has discovered that some candidates have been providing the usernames and passwords of their CFA Program accounts to third parties unaffiliated with CFA Institute, who are often using that information to provide false deferral information on behalf of these candidates. As a candidate, you are responsible for keeping your account safe, private and secure. Candidates who permit third parties to have access to their accounts will be held responsible for any falsified or misleading information provided and may receive a sanction (including suspension or prohibition from participation in the CFA Program) for such activity. We remind all registered candidates to read and uphold the CFA Institute Code and Standards, and to abide by all terms outlined in the Candidate Agreement.