Certification Requirement

Housing counseling required under or provided in connection with HUD programs must be provided only by certified housing counselors who work for organizations approved to participate in HUD’s Housing Counseling Program. In order to be certified, an individual must both pass a standardized written examination covering six major topic areas, and work for an agency approved to participate in HUD’s housing counseling program. In other words, you can take the certification exam without being employed at a HUD-approved agency; however, to become certified you must pass the exam and work for a HUD-approved agency.  

Please visit the HUD Exchange to learn how to become a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency. For steps to certification visit the HUD Exchange website and view the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Process.

To create an account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov, select "Sign Up" at the top of the page and enter the information required: 

• First name
• Last name
• Email address*
• State

Then, select the "Create new account" button at the bottom of the form. Verify your email to complete your registration.

*A valid email address is required for registration and account recovery purposes. Your email address will not be made public and will not be sold to third party vendors. News and notifications from HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov will be sent to this address.

To access the exam registration, you must be signed into your account on HUDHousingCounselors.hud.gov.

Select Begin Exam Registration in the Countdown to your Exam! section of your User Profile Dashboard. Follow the steps to register for the exam and complete the form at the bottom of the page.

If you are attempting to register using your mobile phone or tablet, you may not be able to complete your transaction. Please use a computer to register.

Please note, the links listed in the instructions are for informational purposes only. If you click on a link, it will open a separate page that is not part of the registration process. You must return to the registration page to continue.