Which HR certification is right for you?
Answer three questions. We'll suggest a first choice and a strong alternative, with links to the full guides.
All 11 HR certifications compared
Sort by any column or filter by name. Costs are current exam fees, including application fees.
| SHRM-CP SHRM Certified Professional | SHRM | Early to midcareer | $350 to $499 | None | Prometric test centers during two testing windows a year: May 1 to July 15 and December 1 to February 15 | Not published | 60 credits every 3 years |
| SHRM-SCP SHRM Senior Certified Professional | SHRM | Senior and strategic | $350 to $499 | Yes | Prometric test centers during the May to July and December to February windows | Not published | 60 credits every 3 years |
| PHR Professional in Human Resources | HRCI | Midcareer | $495 | Yes | Year-round at Pearson VUE test centers or online through OnVUE remote proctoring | 72% | 60 credits every 3 years |
| SPHR Senior Professional in Human Resources | HRCI | Senior and strategic | $595 | Yes | Year-round at Pearson VUE test centers or online through OnVUE | 76% | 60 credits every 3 years |
| aPHR Associate Professional in Human Resources | HRCI | Entry level | $400 | None | Year-round at Pearson VUE test centers or online through OnVUE | 71% | 45 credits every 3 years |
| GPHR Global Professional in Human Resources | HRCI | Midcareer to senior | $595 | Yes | Year-round at Pearson VUE test centers or online through OnVUE | 56% | 60 credits every 3 years |
| FPC Fundamental Payroll Certification | PayrollOrg | Entry level | About $359 to $459 | None | Pearson VUE | Not published | 60 credits every 3 years |
| CPP Certified Payroll Professional | PayrollOrg | Experienced | $419 to $609 | Yes | Pearson VUE | Not published | 120 credits every 5 years |
| CCP Certified Compensation Professional | WorldatWork | Midcareer to senior | $7,812 to $11,160 | None | Online | Not published | Ongoing credits |
| CBP Certified Benefits Professional | WorldatWork | Midcareer | $6,835.50 to $9,765 | None | Online | Not published | Ongoing credits |
| CEBS Certified Employee Benefit Specialist | IFEBP | Midcareer to senior | About $5,324 | None | Virtual exams taken online with webcam monitoring | Not published | 30 credits every 2 years |
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Certifications by career path
Generalist HR certifications
The credentials most HR job postings ask for, from SHRM and HRCI.
SHRM-CP: SHRM Certified Professional
Generalist, operational HR. None required.
SHRMSHRM-SCP: SHRM Senior Certified Professional
Strategic HR leadership. At least 3 years of strategic-level HR work, with at least 1,000 hours a year.
HRCIaPHR: Associate Professional in Human Resources
HR fundamentals. None required.
HRCIPHR: Professional in Human Resources
Operational HR and US employment law. One of: a master's degree and 1 year of professional-level HR experience, a bachelor's degree and 2 years, or 4 years of HR experience with no degree.
HRCISPHR: Senior Professional in Human Resources
Strategic HR and US policy. One of: a master's degree and 4 years of professional-level HR experience, a bachelor's and 5 years, or 7 years of HR experience.
HRCIGPHR: Global Professional in Human Resources
Global, cross-border HR. One of: a master's degree and 2 years of professional-level HR experience, a bachelor's and 3 years, or 4 years without a bachelor's.
Payroll certifications
PayrollOrg's two-step ladder for payroll professionals.
FPC: Fundamental Payroll Certification
Payroll fundamentals. None required.
PayrollOrgCPP: Certified Payroll Professional
Advanced payroll management. One of: 3 years of payroll practice in the 5 years before applying; 24 months of payroll practice plus approved PayrollOrg coursework; or the FPC, 18 months of payroll practice, and approved coursework.
Compensation and benefits certifications
Course-based credentials for total rewards specialists.
CCP: Certified Compensation Professional
Compensation design. None required.
WorldatWorkCBP: Certified Benefits Professional
Benefits design and administration. None required.
IFEBPCEBS: Certified Employee Benefit Specialist
Benefits and retirement plans. None required.
SHRM certification overview HRCI certifications overview Payroll certification overview
HR certification by the numbers
The data behind the decision, each figure linked to its source.
- 500,000+HR professionals in over 150 countries hold an HRCI certificationSource
- 63,311people held the PHR in January 2026, HRCI's most held credentialSource
- 56% to 76%range of HRCI pass rates in 2025, from the GPHR to the SPHRSource
- $196the most SHRM cut its senior exam price for the December 2026 windowSource
- ~$10,000average extra pay for CPPs compared with uncertified payroll pros, per PayrollOrgSource
- 60%of compensation hiring managers require a WorldatWork credential, per WorldatWork's 2023 studySource
- 2 in 3CEBS graduates say the designation helped them get a promotion or new jobSource
- 53%of HR professionals say their employer offers no AI training, in HRCI's 2026 State of HR survey of 4,583Source
- 6%projected job growth for HR specialists and managers from 2025 to 2035, per BLSSource
What HR leaders say about certification
We can and we must make ourselves essential to the future of business.
We believe that continued learning and collaboration are at the heart of professional growth.
Having certification forces you to stay current on what's happening in the world from an HR perspective.
How to choose an HR certification
- Start with the job you want next. Look at five job postings for that role and note which credentials they name. That's the market telling you what it values.
- Match the level to your experience. No experience: SHRM-CP, aPHR, or FPC. One to four years: PHR or SHRM-CP. Strategic roles: SHRM-SCP or SPHR.
- Pick generalist or specialist. Generalists choose SHRM or HRCI. Payroll, compensation, and benefits specialists get more from the CPP, CCP, or CEBS.
- Check the calendar. SHRM and PayrollOrg test in windows. HRCI tests year-round, online. WorldatWork and CEBS exams are on demand.
- Price the full three years. Add the renewal fee and study materials to the exam fee, and ask your employer to pay. Many will.
Head to head: SHRM-CP vs PHR, aPHR vs SHRM-CP, and SPHR vs SHRM-SCP.
How we researched this guide
We built this library the way a careful HR professional would research a credential before spending their own money. Every fee, eligibility rule, exam format, and pass rate comes from the certifying body's own site or handbook, and we link to each one. Where official figures conflict, as SHRM's 2026 handbook and fee page did after the June 2026 price cut, we use the most recent official page and explain the change.
Pass rates and holder counts come from HRCI, which publishes them every year. SHRM and PayrollOrg don't publish pass rates, so we say so rather than repeat estimates from test prep sites. Salary and job outlook figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. No certifying body or test prep company paid for, reviewed, or influenced this content. Read our editorial standards.
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<a href="https://www.hrtally.com/hr-certifications/">HR certifications compared (2026)</a> (source: HRTally)
Suggested citation: HRTally Research Team. "HR certifications compared (2026)." HRTally, updated October 24, 2026. https://www.hrtally.com/hr-certifications/
Frequently asked questions
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Fees, eligibility rules, and testing dates change. We checked every figure against the certifying body on the date shown, but confirm with the official source before you apply. HRTally isn't affiliated with SHRM, HRCI, PayrollOrg, WorldatWork, or IFEBP.
Written by the HRTally Research Team
Our guides are written and reviewed by people with hands-on US HR, payroll, and HR technology experience. Legal and tax facts are checked against primary sources, such as the Department of Labor, IRS, EEOC, and USCIS, and linked at the end of each guide. Vendors never review or pay for our editorial content.