- Why "ABAR Exam Dates 2026" Isn't a Typical Search
- No New Testing Windows: ABAR Closed to New Applicants
- The Real 2026 Calendar for Existing ABAR Holders
- CPE Hour Deadlines and Fee Waiver Windows
- Attestation, Recordkeeping, and Audit Timing
- Scheduling Around Inactive or Emeritus Status
- What Business Appraisal Review Still Requires You to Know
- Active Credential Windows Worth Watching in 2026
- Mapping Your 2026 Maintenance Calendar
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ABAR has no new exam sittings - NACVA suspended the program in 2016 and it's terminated for new applicants.
- Existing holders follow a three-year recertification cycle needing 60 applicable CPE hours and a $400 fee.
- Completing 15-29 NACVA CPE hours earns a $200 fee waiver; 30+ hours earns the full $400 waiver.
- Since 2025, holders attest to CPE completion and keep records three years in case of audit.
Why "ABAR Exam Dates 2026" Isn't a Typical Search
If you're searching for ABAR exam dates in 2026, the honest answer is different from what most exam-prep sites tell you. Accredited in Business Appraisal Review (ABAR), the credential administered by the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), has no exam calendar to publish because the program has been suspended since 2016 and is closed to new applicants. There is no registration window, no testing month, and no seat to reserve.
That doesn't mean the credential is irrelevant. Thousands of business valuation professionals still hold ABAR, and for them, 2026 does have real deadlines - just not exam deadlines. This guide walks through what actually needs to be scheduled this year: recertification cycles, CPE reporting, attestation timing, and how to decide whether to pursue an active alternative instead.
No New Testing Windows: ABAR Closed to New Applicants
NACVA's own program history confirms that ABAR was suspended in 2016 and remains terminated for new applicants. In practical terms, this means:
- There are no scheduled ABAR exam windows in 2026, and there will not be any until or unless NACVA reopens the program (which is not currently indicated).
- No new candidates can register, sit for, or schedule an ABAR exam - regardless of experience level or interest.
- Existing ABAR holders are unaffected in terms of their designation, but they operate under maintenance rules rather than exam rules.
If you found this page while researching whether to pursue ABAR as a new credential, it's worth reading What Is ABAR? and ABAR Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before going further - both explain the current eligibility landscape and why most candidates today are directed toward active alternatives instead.
Key Takeaway
Stop searching for an ABAR exam registration deadline - none exists in 2026. The deadlines that matter now belong to the recertification cycle, not a testing window.
The Real 2026 Calendar for Existing ABAR Holders
For professionals who already hold ABAR, the "calendar" that matters is built around two recurring obligations: annual membership with NACVA and a three-year recertification cycle. Missing either can put a designation at risk of lapsing into inactive status.
- Annual membership: Recognition of ABAR status is tied to maintaining NACVA membership every year - this is not optional and should be tracked like any other license renewal.
- Three-year recertification: Every three years, holders must document 60 applicable continuing professional education (CPE) hours and pay a $400 recertification fee.
Because the cycle is three years long, the specific month your renewal falls in depends entirely on when your last cycle closed - not on a fixed calendar date NACVA publishes for everyone. The practical takeaway for 2026 is to check your own cycle end date now, rather than waiting for a reminder.
Three-Year Recertification Cycle
What holders need to track heading into or through 2026:
- 60 applicable CPE hours completed within the cycle
- $400 recertification fee due at cycle close
- Eligibility for fee waivers based on NACVA course hours completed
CPE Hour Deadlines and Fee Waiver Windows
The most schedule-relevant detail for 2026 is how NACVA course hours affect the recertification fee. This is where planning ahead genuinely pays off financially:
- Completing 15 to 29 hours of NACVA courses within the cycle earns a $200 fee waiver against the $400 recertification cost.
- Completing at least 30 hours of NACVA courses earns a full $400 waiver, effectively eliminating the recertification fee.
These waivers are the closest thing ABAR maintenance has to a "deadline strategy" - the earlier in your cycle you accumulate qualifying hours, the less pressure there is at the end of the three-year window. Holders who wait until the final months to stack CPE hours risk running out of course availability or scheduling conflicts.
Attestation, Recordkeeping, and Audit Timing
Another timing shift affects how - not just when - holders confirm their CPE compliance. Since 2025, NACVA has moved from a course-by-course reporting model to an attestation model: holders attest that they've completed the required CPE hours rather than submitting documentation for every course as it's finished.
This simplifies the process, but it adds a recordkeeping deadline that's easy to overlook:
- Supporting records must be retained for three years after the reporting cycle in which they were used.
- Holders may be selected for an audit, meaning those records need to be retrievable, not just stored somewhere informally.
Practically, this means your "exam date" equivalent in 2026 is really a recordkeeping checkpoint: the date you attest to your CPE completion, and the multi-year window afterward during which you need to be ready to produce documentation if asked.
Scheduling Around Inactive or Emeritus Status
Not every ABAR holder plans to actively maintain the credential through every cycle. NACVA offers separate maintenance paths for qualifying holders:
- Inactive status - for holders who want to step back from active recertification requirements without fully relinquishing their designation history.
- Emeritus status - a separate option generally aimed at holders further along in their career who meet NACVA's qualifying criteria.
If either path applies to you, the "scheduling" question changes: instead of tracking CPE hour deadlines, you're tracking the application windows and eligibility confirmations tied to inactive or emeritus designation. These are worth reviewing well before your current three-year cycle closes, since switching status mid-cycle is a different process than renewing normally.
What Business Appraisal Review Still Requires You to Know
Even without new exams, the subject matter behind ABAR - reviewing business valuation reports and appraisal conclusions for defensibility - remains directly relevant to how holders keep their skills current through CPE. If you're mapping out which courses to take toward your 60-hour requirement, prioritize topics that mirror what a review-focused credential actually tests conceptually:
Report and Methodology Review
Understanding how to critique a valuation report's internal consistency, assumptions, and methodology selection.
- Identifying unsupported assumptions in income, market, and asset approaches
- Evaluating whether conclusions logically follow from the data presented
Standards Compliance
Recognizing where a report may fall short of applicable professional standards for valuation and appraisal review.
- Checking disclosure and documentation completeness
- Spotting gaps between stated scope of work and actual analysis performed
Communicating Review Findings
Framing review conclusions in a way that's defensible and clearly distinguishes review opinion from original appraisal opinion.
- Structuring review commentary logically
- Avoiding conflation of review findings with a restated valuation conclusion
For a more structured breakdown of these content areas and how they connect to the credential's history, see ABAR Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 0 Content Areas. Pairing that with ABAR Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt can help legacy holders refresh foundational review skills even outside a formal exam context.
Active Credential Windows Worth Watching in 2026
Since ABAR itself has no 2026 testing calendar, anyone researching business appraisal review credentials for career purposes should look at what's actually active. NACVA continues accepting new applicants for its CVA and MAFF certifications, both of which have their own current application and exam processes. Separately, the International Society of Business Appraisers (ISBA) offers the Business Certified Appraiser in Review (BCA-R) credential, with a program cycle referenced for September 2026.
It's worth being precise here: neither CVA nor BCA-R is a renamed or updated version of ABAR. They are distinct credentials from distinct or differently structured programs, and the review-focused BCA-R is administered by ISBA, not NACVA. Treat them as separate paths with their own requirements, not substitutes with identical mechanics.
| Credential | Status | New Applicants | Administering Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABAR | Suspended since 2016 | Not accepted | NACVA |
| CVA | Active | Accepted | NACVA |
| MAFF | Active | Accepted | NACVA |
| BCA-R | Active | Accepted | ISBA |
Before deciding whether any of these fits your goals, it helps to weigh cost and outcome data honestly. ABAR Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown outlines the maintenance-side fees discussed above in more detail, while Is the ABAR Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 discusses how legacy holders and new professionals should think about value differently.
Mapping Your 2026 Maintenance Calendar
Whether you're a legacy holder managing a recertification cycle or a professional deciding which active credential to pursue instead, a simple quarter-by-quarter approach keeps things manageable without turning into generic productivity advice unrelated to ABAR's actual mechanics.
Audit Your Cycle Position
- Confirm your current three-year recertification cycle end date
- Tally CPE hours completed so far against the 60-hour requirement
Close the Waiver Gap
- Target 15-29 NACVA course hours for a partial fee waiver, or 30+ for the full waiver
- Prioritize courses covering report review and standards compliance
Organize Attestation Records
- Compile documentation supporting your CPE attestation
- Set a personal retention system for the required three-year post-cycle window
Submit and Reassess
- Complete attestation and pay any remaining recertification fee
- Decide whether inactive, emeritus, or continued active maintenance fits your next cycle
If you're instead approaching this from the outside - deciding whether to train for an active credential rather than maintain a legacy one - build your own practice routine around the domain-level content above and test your recall regularly using practice questions on ABAR Exam Prep before committing to a specific certification path.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. NACVA suspended the ABAR program in 2016, and it remains terminated for new applicants, so there are no exam dates, testing windows, or new registration periods in 2026.
No. New applications are not accepted. Existing ABAR holders remain recognized, but the credential is closed to anyone who did not already hold it before the suspension.
The end of your individual three-year recertification cycle, at which point 60 applicable CPE hours and a $400 fee (subject to waivers) are due, along with your CPE attestation.
Completing 15-29 NACVA course hours during your cycle earns a $200 waiver, and completing 30 or more hours earns a full $400 waiver, eliminating the fee entirely.
NACVA currently accepts new applicants for CVA and MAFF, and ISBA offers the separately administered BCA-R credential. None of these is a renamed ABAR, so compare requirements carefully, starting with ABAR Requirements 2026.