Accredited Automated Clearing House Professional - AAP

A professional designation awarded by NACHA (The Electronic Payments Association) to individuals who are experts in electronic payments. Successful applicants earn the right to use the AAP designation with their names for five years, which can improve job opportunities, professional reputation and pay. Every five years, AAP professionals must complete 60 hours of continuing education or successfully retest in order to continue using the designation.

To pass the AAP exam, applicants should understand ACH rules and regulations, operational requirements, ACH products and applications, the electronic payments cycle, risk management, marketing ACH services, providing ACH-related customer service and more. It is also helpful to have at least two years of professional experience working with ACH payments. Individuals with the AAP designation may work for financial institutions such as banks and credit unions as well as federal or state government entities that process electronic payments.