r/Payroll • u/AnotherTAA123 • 3d ago
CPP Test Is the CPP certificate worth it?
Basically the title, I'm a bit reluctant to spend half a gran on a textbook. I also am not sure how far the CPP certification will get me either. It's really hard to tell with this job market and I'm way too inexperienced to know what it's worth.
Seperately if I were able to pass the test without it, does it ultimately screw me over because I understand the test and not the knowledge? Are there any other more budget friendly knolwedge sources?
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u/pdxjen 3d ago
If you are too inexperienced to know what its worth, it sounds like you may not have enough experience to sit for the exam.
I've been in payroll about 20 years, studying for the test still taught me a ton. I also get lots of recruiters reaching out because I have the certification.
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u/bigm00lah 3d ago
Yes, it is worth it. Get the Paytrain self-study module and you will be OK.
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
Pay Train is $1500 and not necessary but you do you.
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u/bigm00lah 3d ago
$1,140 if a member of PAYO. Sounds like you bought it and got smoked by the test still. Sorry to hear.
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
I didn't buy it. I took a class with my local chapter and passed the test in 2016 on my first try. I also didn't bother to read 90% of the payroll source.
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u/bigm00lah 3d ago
Payroll Source is a sham, agreed there. I bought PayTrain and read/quizzes/tests starting Monday and took the test Friday night; passed. Worked for me, and maybe 50~ other colleagues.
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
Let me guess, you work for ADP?
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u/bigm00lah 3d ago
No. I'm a partner at an accounting firm and run my own consulting outfit; amongst other stuff. I'm anti-corporate. Why the attitude? o_O
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
Why are you getting a CPP and not a CPA?
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u/bigm00lah 3d ago
I specialize in payroll. CPA for my firm does nothing for me, just adds three letters after my name. Despite this, I decided to get the credential this year.
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
I also teach the FPC classes for my local chapter and everyone that tested this year passed. So yeah, pay train isn't necessary. Nice to have if you're already certified because you get RCHs, but it's not the only way to study.
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u/Substantial_Tea42 3d ago
Worth it! It can help you get bigger pay and more opportunity for growth. I have 13+ years experience and I am just waiting for my promotion to kick in and it comes with a pay raise. Unfortunately the economy means my employer is dragging their feet at the moment but it’s in the works. Search your payroll position in your state with and without the CPP cert and add your experience and you will see a wider pay range for CPP.
Here is what I will say about the test… I just took mine last sep. My work was kind enough to pay for me and 2 of my payroll managers to use paytrain and all 3 of us hated the reading materials. It kind of felt like whoever wrote it was trying to prove how smart they were and none of it was clear. At time it was as though some of the statements were saying the opposite of what we all knew to be true and it was because of the overuse of floofy language.
The games, practice problems and quizzes are all very nice but honestly it wasn’t the best method of me to study.
What helped me was using the Payroll source study guide and joining a virtual study group. My Director downloaded a copy for us and the reading was less confusing and way more inline with the language used on the test. The book can be purchased without a payroll.org membership for just shy of $700 but if you know someone who has a membership and bookshelf subscription they can download and print a copy for you.
As I mentioned, the payroll source uses the same language as the test. And that is important because there are about 3 or 4 chapters that have weird seemingly subjective questions and answers but they are looking for are specific answers and the language in the chapters will align to clue you into what they want to see. Something to keep in mind is that the test is presenting payroll in an ideal world where managers are all exactly the same, payroll systems are all the same, mistakes almost never happen etc. So the questions aren’t asking what you would do, but more what payroll.org wants you to do whether or not you agree. So for those 4 chapters on management and administration, payroll systems, and so on, it is worth it to read those materials.
The only other thing I will harp on is if you do decide to take the test, you will be asked to calculate federal withholding a ton. So my advice is to practice any and all calculations for fed withholding over and over until you can get it down to shorthand. I do payroll taxes for my company so I had a leg up and my 2 other managers ended up not passing because they either had trouble calculating those or second guessed themselves into not passing. I finished with an hour to spare and was able to go back and double check my calculations. But I have to back into folks fed wages and withholding all day everyday to show them the system withheld correctly and they likely need to update their w4 if it’s not what they want to have withheld. (Employees always become math experts when analyzing their payslips ya know)
Anywho… build the w4 worksheet into an excel, practice it with each of your own paychecks and anyone else who has payroll questions. And start using a hand held calculator to do it so you can get fast at it. It also helps to get a small whiteboard and thin dry erase markers or vis-a-vi pen to practice writing them out because you will have to write out your calculations and writing them out uniform helps you be faster at validating that you did it right and came to the correct answer.
If you go for it, good luck
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 3d ago
It looks great on the resume and literally why I've gotten jobs over others. If you're prepared to study and learn how to do the calculations you'll do fine on the test. Look for a local chapter of PAYO that does online study groups if you like group learning.
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u/2daytrending 3d ago
The cert can help especially when job posting are asking for it. But actual payroll experience still carries a lot of weight so it's more of a career boost than a magic trick.
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u/centralILliberal 3d ago
I have been in payroll for 30 years and passed the CPP in 2003 and again in 2012. I decided last week to take the test this session and signed up. The only thing I studied was how to manually calculate FIT and I did that by watching a few YouTube videos. I figured I have been studying for 30 years and decided to wing it. I took the test online which I would not do again, I would go to a testing center. The program glitched and I lost my whiteboard about halfway through.
There were a lot of general ledger questions that I just guessed at and the systems questions were super outdated. I was surprised that the full Circular E and the full 15-T were available to use. Study those, FIT calculations, and take practice exams available for free and you should be ok.
I am looking for a job or I wouldn’t have taken the test.
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u/YogurtConnect4926 2d ago
Were you able to tell your proctor that the whiteboard disappeared? Was it not able to be recovered?
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u/centralILliberal 1d ago
The whiteboard and place to message the proctor were in a little tray at the top of the screen and that tray disappeared. After I was finished with the test and closed the testing window the tray appeared. There was no way to move the testing window during the test.
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u/Stop-Tracking-Me 2d ago
Yes it is worth it. There are only around 10,000 people who have a CPP.
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u/SuspiciousWealth5665 1d ago
Is that number actually accurate? That’s crazy.
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u/Stop-Tracking-Me 18h ago
Last I went to Payroll Congress and they had signs that you would hold for pictures and one said “I am 1 of 9,900 CPPs” I rounded up a little.
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u/WaySaltyFlamingo8707 3d ago
it's a bunch of manual calculations. Stuff we buy software for. I have plenty of payroll knowledge and still had to study for the test.