Fees and rules
Continuing education after you pass
Enter the date you were first registered: the calculator gives your next Regulatory Element deadline and the days left.
Regulatory Element deadline
Complete it by
December 31, 2027
| Days left | 431 |
| Then | every year by December 31 |
| Fee per session, 2026 | $25 |
Miss the deadline and the registration becomes CE inactive: no business and no pay for securities activity until it is done; after two years inactive it is terminated.
Passing the exam is not the end of the requirements. Under FINRA Rule 1240, every registered person completes the Regulatory Element of continuing education each year, by December 31. The content is assigned by FINRA according to the registrations a person holds, and it is taken online. Someone registered for the first time completes the first session by December 31 of the year after the year of registration: a representative first registered on May 4, 2026 has until December 31, 2027. A person who misses the deadline becomes CE inactive and may not perform, or be paid for, the activities that need registration until the content is done; a registration inactive for two consecutive years is administratively terminated. Each session has a fee, $25 in 2026, up from $18, usually paid by the firm. Firms also run their own yearly training, the Firm Element, on the products and rules that matter to their business. People who leave the industry can keep their qualifications alive in the Maintaining Qualifications Program by doing the same yearly content.
Your score · SIE
0 / 0
0 / 5 answered
Choose an answer to begin
| Pass: scaled score of 70; here 4 of 5 correct (70%), an approximation |
| You can still miss 1 |
Practice questions written by Radif Partners from the official outline topics. They are not questions from the real exam. Progress is kept in this browser only (local storage) and never sent.
Questions, formats and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Three parts of the CE system
| Part | Who | When |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Element | every registered person | each year by December 31 (first year: by December 31 of the next year) |
| Firm Element | covered registered persons, through the firm | each year, under a training plan set by the firm |
| MQP content | people out of the industry who joined the program | each year in the program, $100 a year |
The deadline, case by case
The calculator takes two dates: when you were first registered and today. If you are still in the year after your first registration, the deadline is December 31 of that year; otherwise it is December 31 of the current year. Three examples:
- First registered on May 4, 2026: first session by December 31, 2027.
- First registered on November 20, 2025: first session by December 31, 2026.
- Registered for years: the current session by December 31, 2026.
Rule 1240 counts from the registration, not from the exam. A candidate who passed the Series 7 in March but whose registration was approved in April is first registered in April; the year is what matters for the deadline.
CE inactive status
A missed deadline is not a fine but a stop. While inactive, the person may not do the work the registration covers or receive transaction-based pay for it. Firms track the deadline closely for this reason. Completing the content ends the status.
Two years inactive
If a registration stays CE inactive for two consecutive years, FINRA terminates it. The person then faces the rules on lapsed qualifications: after 2 years without registration the exams have to be retaken, unless the person is in the MQP. The two-year rule page explains those limits.
What it costs
The Regulatory Element fee is set in FINRA's fee schedule: $25 per session since January 1, 2026 (fee schedule). Firms generally pay it with the other registration fees; check your employment terms if you hold a registration through an independent firm.
Why it matters before the exam
The SIE outline lists registration and continuing education among the topics of its regulatory framework section, with Rule 1240 among the rules candidates should know. The five questions above come from that section. For the exams themselves, the fee page and the sponsorship page cover what comes before registration.
Practical tips
Complete the Regulatory Element as soon as it is assigned rather than in late December, when many people rush to finish and a technical problem can push you past the deadline. Keep the confirmation of completion. If you change firms during the year, the requirement follows you, not the firm: the new firm will see whether the session is done. And if you leave the industry, the Maintaining Qualifications Program asks for the same yearly effort to keep your exams alive.
For a newly registered person, the first deadline is often more than a year away, which makes it easy to forget. Note it on the day your registration is approved.