Your ACE Certification sets you apart and indicates the utmost credibility and commitment to your clients and employers. In order to keep delivering on your mission to get people moving, you are required to maintain a current ACE Certification and demonstrate your continued competence through continuing education credits (CECs) and certification renewal every two years.

The ACE Certification renewal process is simple, and you do not need to retake the exam. Just follow the 4 Easy Steps to Renew below and you'll keep moving forward with the career you love.

4 Easy Steps to Renew

1

Earn 20 hours of
ACE-Approved CECs

Complete 20 hours of ACE-Approved continuing education credits (2.0 CECs) during your two-year certification renewal cycle. That's only 10 hours (1.0 CECs) per year.

2

Enter your CECs into My ACE

CECs from ACE courses are automatically entered into your My ACE Account. For other ACE-Approved providers, enter the course (CEP) number, CEC value and completion date using this easy tool.

  • Courses that have not yet been ACE-Approved can be petitioned for CECs. View FAQs about the petition process.
  • You cannot repeat continuing education courses to fulfill your renewal requirements.
  • CECs can only be applied toward the renewal cycle in which they are completed. While additional continuing education is always encouraged, CECs in excess of the required 2.0 will not be rolled over and credited toward future certification renewals.
  • If you hold multiple ACE Certifications, CECs for one ACE Certification can be applied to another ACE Certification as long as they are completed within that certification's renewal cycle.
3

Update your CPR/AED information

As a health and exercise professional, it's vital that you're prepared if a client experiences a life-threatening event, which is why ACE requires you to maintain a current adult CPR/AED certificate. You can easily update your CPR (and AED if you are in the U.S. or Canada) certification details in your My ACE Account. Plus, earning this certification is worth up to 0.4 CECs! View CPR/AED course options.

4

Renew your ACE Certification

Once everything has been completed, simply click the "Complete Renewal" button on your My ACE Account, select the certification(s) you are renewing, agree to the affirmation statement and submit your application. Then go to your shopping cart and pay the renewal fee. Done! You're renewed for two years, and have gained new skills to advance your career and help more people reach their goals.

With your ACE Certification now up to date, you can continue showcasing your digital credentials with pride to employers and clients. Renewing means you won't miss out on getting the recognition you deserve, separating yourself from competitors and letting people know you have the qualifications to take on clients. Learn more about digital credentials.

Renew Now

For complete details about renewing your ACE Certification,
download our Certification and Recertification Handbook.

ACE Certification Renewal Fees

Whether you hold one or multiple ACE Certifications, the renewal process remains the same and you never have to retake the exam. Renewal rates are reduced for each additional ACE Certification. If your ACE Certification has expired, it may be eligible for reinstatement and renewal rates will increase depending on the length of expiration.

On-Time Renewal

  • One Certification $129
  • Two Certifications $69 each
  • Three Certifications $59 each
  • Four Certifications $49 each

Late Renewal

  • Up to 3 months past expiration $169 each
  • Up to 6 months past expiration $199 each

More than 6 months past expiration
Contact Support@acefitness.org
or (888) 825-3636.

Renew Now

Grow your career as you maintain your ACE Certification

While continuing education is one step in the ACE Certification renewal process, it's also the best investment you can make toward your future. As you earn CECs, you'll be building knowledge in areas that you're passionate about, which will expand your skill set as a professional and empower you to gain a broader, more varied client base. Check out our robust offering of continuing education that's backed by ACE-sponsored research and available in many formats, at a great value.

Want unlimited CECs? Get your CEC Power Pass!

Take charge of your future with unlimited access to the knowledge you need to be the best trainer, instructor, and coach you can be.

Get Your Pass

ACE Professional Conduct & Ethics Continuing Education Requirement FAQs

ACE wants health and fitness clients to receive safe exercise instruction and health coaching from well-qualified professionals, while at the same time helping ACE Certified Professionals to limit their own professional liability. To achieve these goals, it is important that ACE Certified Professionals remain current on topics related to risk management, professional liability, ethical and legal business practices, scopes of practice and professional boundaries, client confidentiality and protected health information, and best practices for fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and culture.

By requiring at least 0.1 CEC (1 hour) of education every two years be focused on topics in the Professional Conduct & Ethics category, ACE is helping ACE Certified Professionals to stay current on these topics.

The topics in the Professional Conduct & Ethics continuing education category are pulled directly from the “Professional Conduct and Risk Management” Domain in the exam content outlines for each ACE Certification.

Relevant topics include ethical and legal business practices, risk management and liability procedures, client confidentiality and protected health information, and best practices for fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and culture.

Effective 9/13/23, ACE is requiring all ACE Certified Professionals to complete one hour (0.1 CEC) out of the total 20 hours (2.0 CECs) of continuing education focused on Professional Conduct & Ethics during every two-year certification period to become eligible to renew their ACE Certification(s).

  • ACE Pros renewing their ACE Certifications before 9/13/23 may renew without meeting the requirement, regardless of their certification expiration date. These ACE Pros will need to meet the requirement on all subsequent certification renewals.
  • ACE Pros renewing after 9/13/23 will be required to complete one hour (0.1 CEC) of qualifying Professional Conduct & Ethics continuing education, whether their certification expiration date falls before or after 9/13/23.

Complete renewal requirements starting 9/13/23 include:

  • 20 hours (2.0 CECs) of ACE-approved continuing education
  • 1 hour (0.1 CEC) out of the total 20 hours (2.0 CECs) must be from the Professional Conduct & Ethics category*
  • A current CPR/AED certificate
  • A renewal fee

*This is the only change in the requirements to renew an ACE Certification.

ACE reviews its certification and recertification requirements on a regular basis to ensure that they are current for the specific job role (e.g., personal trainer) and aligned with industry-wide best practices for professionals to remain competent. Questions specifically addressing scope of practice, ethical and legal business practices, risk management and liability procedures, client confidentiality, privacy and protected health information, and best practices for fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and culture make up 15-19% of all ACE Certification exams. Knowing that competence in these areas is required to earn an ACE Certification, staying current in them is important to maintain an ACE Certification.

ACE decided to make this small change to its certification renewal requirements to help ACE Certified Professionals stay current with these key professional conduct and risk management topics. The decision was made with input from ACE’s certification committee members and feedback from employers that the change was both reasonable and appropriate for the professions for which ACE offers certifications.

You may choose from any of the following options to meet the requirement:

  • Complete an ACE-approved course from the ACE Continuing Education catalog here. Eligible courses are denoted with an Ethics Course icon.
  • Complete an ACE-approved course from a trusted provider listed here. Eligible courses are denoted with an Ethics Course icon.
  • Petition a non-ACE approved course that you believe meets the requirement for education on Professional Conduct & Ethics. Learn about the petition process here.
  • Earn an additional ACE Certification.

Starting in May 2023, ACE Certified Professionals will be able to petition education they completed on topics in the Professional Conduct & Ethics continuing education category. The online petition process is currently being updated to allow for courses that include one or more hours of education in this category.

The cost of courses varies. View a list of eligible courses here.

If you complete one eligible course within the timeframe when all ACE Certifications are current, it will count toward all certifications.

Eligible courses taken within your current certification cycle will fulfill this requirement and be reflected in your My ACE Account, whether they were taken before or after the 9/13/23 effective date. Any eligible courses taken during a prior certification cycle would not apply to your current certification renewal.

Eligible courses will be automatically recognized in your My ACE Account as fulfilling this requirement. You can track your status in the Manage My CECs section of your My ACE Account.

Yes! You can easily recognize eligible courses in the CEC Power Pass course catalog by looking for the Ethics Course icon next to the course.

Give us a call at 888-519-9845 or email us at support@acefitness.org and we'll be happy to help you out.