Certified Municipal Finance Officer

Certified Municipal Finance Officer

Training Programs

Contact Us

MTAS Training Team

The Certified Municipal Finance Officer (CMFO) is an 11-course fee-based program that culminates with an exam at the end of each course. Courses are offered every month, except December. This program can be completed in one calendar year.

To Register for Upcoming Classes

To register for upcoming CMFO classes go to the Training Calendar and click on an upcoming course.

If you do not have an account in our system K@TE, it will ask you to sign up.

If you just want to register and get an account in K@TE, visit Training / Register for Training.

History of the CMFO Program

The Municipal Finance Officer Certification and Education Act of 2007 as passed by the Tennessee General Assembly, requires each municipality to have in its employ a CMFO by a specified date.

The legislation also provided an alternative for cities with gross annual revenues of $500,000 or less and $500,000 or less in outstanding debt. These cities are given the option of having an employee complete 16 hours of qualifying continuing education each year. These cities may also elect to send an employee through the CMFO program. 

Additional Helpful Information for CMFOs

All tests must be taken by December 5, 2026. The testing cutoff date is necessary to ensure all grades and records are finalized before the end of the calendar year.

2026 CMFO Program Schedule (PDF)

Login to the CMFO Act System to apply to be recognized as a CMFO, report CPEs, and more to keep your certification active. This site is maintained by Local Government Audit, a division of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

The guide for CMFOs in Tennessee which includes an overview of the program, how to maintain the certification, CPEs, municipal requirements, ethics and the CMFO incentives program. This manual is provided by Local Government Audit, a division of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

Read the manual (PDF)

Helpful resources from MTAS to successfully navigate the CMFO program. 

The TN Comptroller has provided this list of helpful websites (DOCX).

If you would like to get more information or express interest in earning the CMFO certification, please fill out this form.

Have questions?

We’re here to help

For general questions about the CMFO program, please contact us.

Email Us

Legal statement regarding CMFO materials

© Municipal Technical Advisory Service, University of Tennessee, 2025. All rights reserved. Copyright in the entirety and in any and every portion thereof of this course material whether printed manual, document, audio, video, computer or electronic file or otherwise belongs to the Municipal Technical Advisory Service, University of Tennessee and may not be used, sold, licensed, copied, transferred or otherwise reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or form without the prior written consent of the owner. Requests for permission or questions concerning copyright or licensing of this material should be directed to Lisa Shipley, MTAS Information Technology Analyst at lisa.shipley@tennessee.edu.