CESŪ Eligibility Requirements
The Federation of Exchange Accommodators, Inc. (FEA) and the CESŪ Certification Council
requires candidates to meet the following requirements in order to be eligible to apply to
sit for Certified Exchange SpecialistŪ examination:
1. Must have earned a high school diploma or GED.
2. Must have a minimum of three (3) years out of the past seven (7) years of full-time
equivalent work experience at a Qualified Escrow, Trust, or Intermediary Company as defined
below. "Full-time work experience" must include substantial time spent counseling
taxpayers and their advisors (e.g., lawyers, accountants, and real estate professionals) on
issues relating to tax-deferred exchanges under IRC Section 1031. "Full-time work
experience" does not include those periods where significant time was devoted solely to
such tasks as data input, accounting, and company marketing. Qualifying work experience may
be an aggregate accumulation and does not have to be consecutive years and may either be d
irect, such as an owner or employee, or indirect, such as in an independent contractor status.
The application review committee will take into account only that work experience accrued
during the seven (7) year period from the date of the review of the candidate's
application for certification.
A Qualified Escrow, Trust, or Intermediary company, as defined under Treasury Regulation
Section 1.1031(k)-1(3) and (4), is any sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability
company, trust, corporation, association, or any other going concern whose primary business
is that of facilitating like-kind exchanges under Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 and the
Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
3. Must not have any prior felony convictions for any crime involving fraud, embezzlement,
misappropriation of funds, or conversion of property of another.
4. Must be an owner or employee of a Member in good standing of the FEA or an individual
member of the FEA
Any candidate who meets the eligibility requirements can apply for to sit for the CESŪ examination. | 
