Take your payroll career to the next level with an FPC or CPP certification.

Scholarship Opportunities

Cover your tuition and fees with our Local Impact Grant ›

2024-2025 Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship ›

Join over 16,000 payroll professionals who have earned the prestigious Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) and Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designations and prove your knowledge, competency, and value to colleagues and employers.

Enhance your skills while you prepare for exam-day success with Prince George's Community College‘s PayTrain® Fundamentals and PayTrain® Mastery.

FPC and CPP Certification Information

American Payroll Association (APA)

As an official APA PayTrain® College & University partner, we can offer you the most comprehensive, effective, and up-to-date exam preparation tools available. The PayTrain® programs are designed to help you with the following:

ASSESS your current knowledge.
  • The online assessment determines current knowledge and identifies topics for improvement.
STUDY your way to success.
  • Read learning modules that cover payroll concepts, recent changes, trends, and best practices.
  • Quizzes, calculations, exercises, and flashcards reinforce learning.
  • Course games review content and make learning fun.
ACHIEVE success as a payroll professional.
  • Post-test mimics the FPC and CPP exam formats and weighting to build exam-day confidence.
  • Score 80% or higher on the post-test to qualify for a certificate of achievement and earn Recertification Credit Hours (RCH).

The following features are included with our PayTrain® courses:

ASSESSMENT
  • Online assessment helps determine your current knowledge and identify areas for improvement.
CALCULATIONS
  • Complete calculations for each topic based on the scenarios provided.
  • Hints and feedback guide you in developing your calculation and payroll skills.
MODULE QUIZZES
  • Check your understanding of the lessons covered in reading modules, calculations, and exercises.
  • Decide whether you need further study or practice on the topic.
FLASHCARDS
  • Interact with flashcards covering all learning modules.
  • Practice learning key terms and concepts to reinforce your knowledge.
GLOSSARY
  • Look up key terms from anywhere in the system with the glossary.
  • Use the search box or browse by letter.
GAMES
  • Engage with the module games for a fun and interactive way of reinforcing material at the end of each module.
  • Review topics of the entire course with the entertaining and challenging course games.
RESOURCE CENTER
  • Additional resources, including tax tables, forms, and publications, are mentioned in the modules.
  • Certification information is available on the American Payroll Association's website.
  • Feedback forum for evaluation and suggestions.
  • Payroll updates with legislative changes and new developments.
POST-TESTS
  • Tests are weighted and balanced based on the same percentages as the FPC and CPP exams.
  • Includes a flag for review, a review of each item, and time limits, similar to the FPC and CPP exams.
REPORTS
  • Track your progress, and compare the results of quizzes and pre- and post-tests.
  • View a per-module breakdown of your test scores to determine your learning gain.
Course Details and Options

In cooperation with the American Payroll Association, Prince George's Community College presents the PayTrain College & University® Certificate Program for payroll professionals. Comprised of two professional development courses, PayTrain Fundamentals and PayTrain Mastery, this program is designed for all levels of payroll administration. Whether you are interested in preparing for the Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification exams, or are new to the industry and need to learn the basics of payroll, the Certificate Program will help you meet your goals.

PayTrain Fundamentals teaches the fundamental payroll calculations and applications necessary for individuals who are new to the payroll industry, those who support the payroll industry, and those who are preparing for the FPC or CPP certification examinations. This part of the program will provide you with the basic knowledge and skills required to maintain payroll compliance and prevent costly penalties.

PayTrain Mastery is a continuation of PayTrain Fundamentals and provides students with an in-depth understanding of the advanced payroll topics necessary for payroll managers and supervisors. This part of the program is ideal for experienced payroll professionals seeking compliance training, professional development, or CPP certification preparation.

The two parts of the program are required for the Certificate Program and together offer the knowledge and skills necessary to sit for the FPC and CPP exams.

Students are required to register for the full instructor-facilitated program, which consists of 60 contact hours.

Course Topics

Course Outline for PayTrain Fundamentals and PayTrain Mastery Certificate Program

Note: Similar topics are covered in both courses. However, PayTrain Level 1 is only an introduction to these topics and PayTrain Level 2 examines each topic in more depth.

Module 1:   Payroll Concepts

Module 2:   Calculations of Pay

Module 3:   Calculations of Deductions and Net Pay

Module 4:   Fringe Benefits and Other Payments

Module 5:   Retirement Plans

Module 6:   Cafeteria Plans

Module 7:   Payroll Reporting and Employment Taxes

Module 8:   Record Keeping and Payroll Practices

Module 9:   Payroll Accounting and Audits

Module 10: Payroll Administration (PayTrain Fundamentals) and Management (PayTrain Mastery)

Module 11: Health Benefits (PayTrain Mastery Only)

Module 12: International Payments (PayTrain Mastery Only)

Eligibility Requirements

There are no payroll experience requirements for taking the FPC exam. However, APA requires that candidates meet specific payroll experience or educational criteria to be eligible to sit for the CPP exam.

For details on eligibility requirements, visit www.americanpayroll.org/home/.

Who Should Enroll?

Our course is designed primarily for individuals seeking FPC or CPP certifications but is also ideal for those looking for payroll professional development training, including:

  • FPC and CPP exam candidates.
  • Experienced and entry-level payroll professionals.
  • Managers and supervisors providing strategic payroll management.
  • Sales professionals and consultants serving the payroll industry.
  • Systems analysts and engineers writing payroll programs.
  • Payroll service bureau client representatives.
Why Enroll?

Offered in partnership with the American Payroll Association, the curriculum in the PayTrain® College & University course is updated each year to include the latest payroll concepts, recent changes, trends, and best practices. Our course is designed to help you learn and retain the material effectively and efficiently by combining the best exam preparation system with expert instruction and peer discussion.

By completing PayTrain Fundamentals and PayTrain, you will gain: 

  • A foundation of knowledge for starting or advancing your payroll career.
  • Improved job performance by increasing accuracy and compliance.
  • Access to a network of peers to learn about payroll practices in other organizations.
  • Preparation for the FPC and CPP exams.
  • Recertification Credit Hours (RCH) or Continuing Education Units (CEU) to help maintain your FPC or CPP credential.

For complete certification details, visit www.americanpayroll.org.

Prince George's Community College's program offers you a preparation course to help meet your needs and increase your success on the FPC and CPP exams.

Course Details

Summer 2025 Semester

PayTrain Fundamentals (formerly PayTrain Level 1)
MGT 763 | SYN #17984

Saturdays, 6/14-7/19
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Format: Remote
Contact Hours: 30

Fall 2025 Semester

PayTrain Fundamentals (formerly PayTrain Level 1)
MGT 763 | SYN #20996

Saturdays, 10/11-11/8
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Format: Remote
Contact Hours: 30

 

PayTrain Mastery (formerly PayTrain Level 2)
MGT 776 | SYN #19319

Saturdays, 8/2-9/6
9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Format: Remote
Contact Hours: 36

PayTrain (Formerly PayTrain Level 2) 
Section not offered.

 

Tuition and Sessions

PayTrain® Fundamentals Tuition

$895 (Course materials included).

PayTrain® Mastery (Level 2) Tuition

$960 (Course materials included).

Classroom Sessions Include:
  • A high-level review of course material.
  • Interactive discussions and learning activities.
  • Sample assessment questions.
  • Study and test-taking tips.

eLearning Methods at PGCC

Online Classes: Learn on Your Own Time Online

Students taking an online class can access course content 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and engage in discussions using Canvas with their instructors and fellow learners. Instructors will set deadlines and due dates for assignments, tests, projects, and other coursework.

Remote Classes: Learn in Real Time

Students taking a remote class will meet online via the Canvas platform at scheduled times. Students will access learning materials, view assignments, and participate in discussions via Canvas.

Explore eLearning at PGCC ›

Ready to Register?

Registering online via myPGCC is the fastest and best way to get your desired classes. To get started, you'll need an email address and a credit card to register online.

How to Get Started

See our instructions for logging in to myPGCC and registering for Continuing Education classes.

Registration Forms

Students are encouraged to register for classes online. You can also submit a registration form to the Office of Records and Registration.

Contact Information

Gnansi Konan
Business and Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator
Prince George’s Community College
301-546-0032 | konange@pgcc.edu