How much do AHIMA certification exams cost?
AHIMA certification exams cost $259 for AHIMA members and $329 for non-members for CHDA, CHPS, and CDIP - the three exams you can take online from home. RHIA and RHIT cost $229 for members and $299 for non-members. The Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) exam is $299 or $399, and the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam is $199 or $299. Retakes cost the same as the exam, every time.
The Full AHIMA Fee Table
AHIMA publishes per-exam pricing on each credential's official page, split by membership status. Two patterns hold across the family. First, the member-versus-non-member gap is $60 to $70 on every exam, so the membership question is worth doing before you apply. Second, the delivery route does not change the price: the pages list one fee per credential, whether you sit at a Pearson test center or, for the three online-eligible exams, at home through OnVUE. The table below collects every fee from the official pages retrieved today.
Read the table with the retake column in mind, because every AHIMA retake costs the same as the first attempt - the fee is always per attempt, never per pass.
| Exam | Member fee | Non-member fee | Delivery | Retake fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHDA (Certified Health Data Analyst) | $259 | $329 | Test center or OnVUE at home (US) | Same as exam, after 90 days |
| CHPS (Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security) | $259 | $329 | Test center or OnVUE at home (US) | Same as exam, after 90 days |
| CDIP (Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner) | $259 | $329 | Test center or OnVUE at home (US) | Same as exam, after 90 days |
| RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator) | $229 | $299 | Pearson test center only | Same as exam, after 30 days |
| RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician) | $229 | $299 | Pearson test center only | Same as exam, after 30 days |
| CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) | $299 | $399 | Pearson test center only | Same as exam |
| CCS-P (Certified Coding Specialist - Physician-based) | $299 | $399 | Pearson test center only | Same as exam |
| CCA (Certified Coding Associate) | $199 | $299 | Pearson test center only | Same as exam |
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
Does AHIMA Membership Pay for Itself?
The member-versus-non-member gap is $60 to $70 per exam: $259 versus $329 on CHDA, CHPS, and CDIP; $229 versus $299 on RHIA and RHIT; $299 versus $399 on CCS; $199 versus $299 on CCA. AHIMA's membership dues are set on its membership page, and the break-even is simple arithmetic - if one exam attempt saves you $60-70, membership covers its cost the moment your exam savings exceed the dues.
One caution: membership must be active when you apply and pay the exam fee for the member price to apply. Check the current dues on AHIMA's membership page before counting the saving, and never assume the member price at checkout without an active membership on record.
Retake Economics: the 90-Day Wait Versus the 30-Day Wait
Every AHIMA retake costs the same as the first attempt - the fee is per attempt, always. What changes by credential is the calendar. CHDA, CHPS, and CDIP candidates must submit a new application with the full fee and wait 90 days before the application is approved and the retake can be scheduled. RHIA and RHIT candidates wait 30 days under the same new-application-plus-fee rule. AHIMA states it cannot waive retest periods for any exam.
The arithmetic is worth doing before exam day. A two-attempt CHDA path costs $518-$658 and at least 90 days of calendar. A two-attempt RHIT path costs $458-$598 and at least 30 days. On the online-deliverable trio, first-time pass rates run 48-68% depending on the credential - so a meaningful share of self-funded candidates pay the retake price at least once.
The Fee Traps: Refunds, Reschedules, and the Four-Month Window
Three published rules catch candidates who do not read them. First, the eligibility window: Pearson VUE's AHIMA program page warns that candidates who do not schedule and sit the exam before the four-month eligibility end date forfeit the exam fee entirely - the 120-day scheduling window from AHIMA's pages is the same clock. Second, the $75 processing fee on all refund requests, credited back to the original payment card. Third, the reschedule ladder: free cancellation or rescheduling up to 15 business days before the appointment, a fee inside that window, and no rescheduling at all inside 24 hours.
The at-home route adds a technical forfeit risk. Pearson publishes that failing the OnVUE minimums on exam day - Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher, webcam, microphone and speaker with no headphones, one display, 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, all other applications closed - can result in immediate cancellation and forfeiture of the exam fee. Run the system test on the same device and network before exam day.
What the Exam Fee Does and Does Not Include
The published exam fee covers the attempt itself - application review, the Authorization to Test, and the sitting at a Pearson test center or, for CHDA, CHPS, and CDIP in the United States, at home through OnVUE. AHIMA's official preparation materials, like the CDIP preparation course or the CHDA Exam Preparation volume with its practice exams, are separate purchases, and AHIMA is explicit that they are optional and not endorsed as the sole means of preparation.
What the fee never includes is the service side of sitting the exam. If you want the sitting handled end to end, Exam Assist handles the exam sitting end to end, and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts - a separate fee from AHIMA's, and one that follows the result rather than the attempt.
The Clean AHIMA Budget
One attempt on CHDA, CHPS, or CDIP: $259 member or $329 non-member, plus the risk priced into the published rules - the 90-day retake wait at full fee, the $75 refund processing fee, the four-month eligibility window that forfeits an unsat exam, and the OnVUE technical minimums that can cancel an at-home sitting before it starts. RHIA and RHIT run $229 or $299 with a 30-day retake wait, at a Pearson test center only.
If you want the sitting handled by someone who runs these every week, start with the take my CHDA exam, take my CHPS exam, or take my CDIP exam pages - the three credentials you can sit online from home in the United States.