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HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application
Processing

The procedures for processing the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application are provided below for each counselor type: Certified and HECM.

Processing the Application for a Certified Counselor

Before you begin, you must have the five-digit HUD Housing Counseling System (HCS) ID issued to the housing counseling agency that employs you. You must also have the ID issued to you by the administrator of the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Examination.

The basic procedure for processing the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application for a certified counselor is as follows:

1. On the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, Personal Information section, select Certified from the drop-down list in the Counselor Type field. A pop-up warning message states: Changing Counselor Type to Certified will clear all training data.
   
   
2. Click OK to clear the pop-up warning message.
   
   
3. Enter your first name, middle initial, and last name in the fields provided. If there is a suffix after your last name, such as Jr, or III, make a selection from the drop-down list in the Suffix field.
   
   
4. Enter your Social Security Number in the Social Security Number field.
   
   
5. In the Contact Information section of the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, enter your business mailing address in the fields provided. Use the drop-down list in the State field to select the state.
   
   
6. Optionally, enter the name of your business in the Business Name field.
   
   
7. Enter your telephone number in the Phone Number field.
   
   
8. Optionally, enter your fax number in the Fax Number field.
   
   
9. Enter your e-mail address in the E-mail Address field. Then, enter it again in the Confirm E-mail field.
   
   
10. Enter the five-digit ID issued to your employer by HUD's Housing Counseling System (HCS) in the Agency HCS ID field. The first digit is "8" or "9" followed by a unique four-digit number. If you are employed by more than one HUD-approved housing counseling agency, enter the information for the primary employer. If necessary, click the Search the map online to find the name of your agency and agency HCS ID link to locate the HCS ID of your agency.
    
    
11. A pop-up message appears stating the name of the housing counseling agency. If it is the correct housing counseling agency, click OK. If not, click Cancel and enter the correct agency ID.
    
    -or-
    
    A pop-up message appears stating the agency was not found. Click OK to clear the message and then enter the correct agency ID.
    
    -or-
    
    A pop-up warning message appears stating the agency has an Inactive status (HUD approval is not in effect). Click OK to continue; otherwise, click Cancel.
    
    
12. Enter the date you started your employment (i.e., housing counseling) in the Hired Date field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format. The Hired Date cannot be earlier than 01/01/1990. If your employment started before that date, use 01/01/1990 as the Hired Date. Note: This information is used for determining when you began housing counseling with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and is not treated as an actual employment record.
    
    -or-
    
    Click to select a date.
    
    
13. Enter the ID issued to you by the administrator of the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Examination in the Counselor's Exam ID field.
    
    
14. Click Send to process the information on the page. If processing was successful, the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Results page appears with a Success message near the top of the page stating: Certified Counselor Application Successfully Completed. Note: A request for validation of employment with the specified housing counseling agency is automatically processed.
    
    -or-
    
    If there was an error, the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page appears with an error message near the top of the page and an Error(s) Detected field in the Details section near the bottom of the page. Make any necessary corrections and process again.
    
    -or-
    
    If the warning message Agency HCS ID Is Inactive appears near the top of the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, the housing counseling agency that employs you (number entered in Agency HCS ID field) currently has an Inactive status in HUD's Housing Counseling System (HCS) and HUD approval is not in effect. Housing counseling can only be performed for the agency when it has an Active status (HUD approval is in effect).
    

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Processing the Application for a HECM Counselor

The basic procedure for processing the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application for a HECM counselor is as follows:

• Enter information on the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page and process. Then, print instructions.
  
  
• Generate and print the Application for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counselor Roster, form HUD-92904. The form is automatically filled with the information entered on the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page. No other information is required on the form.
  
  
• Sign the Application for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counselor Roster, form HUD-92904. Then, scan the two pages of the application into ONE Portable Document Format (PDF) file.
  
  
• Scan each HECM training certificate into a PDF file.
  
  
• Optionally, scan or convert any supplemental HECM training documentation into a PDF or Microsoft Word file (.DOC or .DOCX) file. Note: If there are several documents, include them all in the same file.
  
  
• Upload the files containing the scanned application, training certificate(s), and any supplemental training documentation.

Before You Begin - HECM Counselor

Before you begin, you must have the five-digit HUD Housing Counseling System (HCS) ID issued to the housing counseling agency that employs you. You must also have the following: an e-mail address, access to a scanner, and Adobe® Reader® software to generate, view, and print the required documents. The scanner must be capable of scanning multiple pages into one file.

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Entering Personal Information - HECM Counselor

1. On the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, Personal Information section, select HECM from the drop-down list in the Counselor Type field.
   
   
2. Enter your first name, middle initial, and last name in the fields provided. If there is a suffix after your last name, such as Jr, or III, make a selection from the drop-down list in the Suffix field.
   
   
3. Enter the month, day, and year of your birth in the Date of Birth field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format. You must be 18 years of age or older.
   
   -or-
   
   Click to select a date.
   
   
4. Enter your Social Security Number in the Social Security Number field.
   
   
5. Select your gender from the drop-down list in the Gender field.
   
   
6. Select your ethnic background from the drop-down list box in the Ethnicity field.
   
   
7. Select your racial background by clicking the appropriate check box in the Race(s) field. More than one check box can be selected. For a native of Alaska, select American Indian. For any Pacific Islander, select Native Hawaiian.

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Entering Contact Information - HECM Counselor

1. In the Contact Information section of the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, enter your business mailing address in the fields provided. Use the drop-down list in the State field to select the state.
   
   
2. Optionally, enter the name of your business in the Business Name field.
   
   
3. Enter your telephone number in the Phone Number field.
   
   
4. Optionally, enter your fax number in the Fax Number field.
   
   
5. Enter your e-mail address in the E-mail Address field. Then, enter it again in the Confirm E-mail field.
   

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Entering Training Information - HECM Counselor

Information on up to three completed HECM training courses can be entered in the Training Information section of the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page as follows:

1. Enter the name of the first completed HECM training course in the Course Name field for Training #1 (up to 50 characters).
   
   
2. Enter the name of the company that performed the training in the Training Company field (up to 50 characters).
   
   
3. Enter the date you completed the HECM training course in the Completion Date field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format.
   
   -or-
   
   Click to select a date.
   
   
4. Optionally, enter a description of the HECM training course completed in the Course Description reflecting HECM content field (up to 1,000 characters).
   
   
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for Training #2 and Training #3, if applicable.
   
   

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Entering Employment Information - HECM Counselor

If you are employed by more than one FHA-approved housing counseling agency, enter the information for the primary employer.

1. Enter the five-digit ID issued to your employer by HUD's Housing Counseling System (HCS) in the Agency HCS ID field. The first digit is "8" or "9" followed by a unique four-digit number. If necessary, click the Search the map online to find the name of your agency and agency HCS ID link to locate the HCS ID of your agency.
   
   
2. A pop-up message appears stating the name of the housing counseling agency. If it is the correct housing counseling agency, click OK. If not, click Cancel and enter the correct agency ID.
   
   -or-
   
   A pop-up message appears stating the agency was not found. Click OK to clear the message and then enter the correct agency ID.
   
   -or-
   
   A pop-up warning message appears stating the agency has an Inactive status (HUD approval is not in effect). Click OK to continue; otherwise, click Cancel.
   
   
3. Enter the date you started your employment (i.e., housing counseling) in the Hired Date field. Use an mm/dd/yyyy format. The Hired Date cannot be earlier than 01/01/1990. If your employment started before that date, use 01/01/1990 as the Hired Date. Note: This information is used for determining when you began housing counseling with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and is not treated as an actual employment record.
   
   -or-
   
   Click to select a date.
   

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Processing Entered Information and Printing Instructions - HECM Counselor

1. Read the HECM Counselor Certification. Then, if you agree, click the check box next to I agree and certify to these terms. A check mark appears.
   
   
2. When all of the information is entered on the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page, click Send to process the page. If processing was successful, the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application - Upload Files page appears with a Warning message near the top of the page stating processing is not completed. Continue to step 3.
   
   -or-
   
   If there was an error or warning, the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application page appears with an error message near the top of the page and an Error(s) Detected field in the Details section near the bottom of the page. Click More Details next to the listed error to get further information. Make any necessary corrections and process again.
   
   

   Notes:
   •	The error message Found As Claim/Default on Prior Federal Debt. Email Housing.Counseling@hud.gov is displayed when a record is found in the Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAIVRS). To get additional information or dispute the finding, send an e-mail message to the e-mail address provided.
   •	The error message No Exam Data on File is displayed if HUD does not have your HECM Roster Exam information. If you recently took the test and received a qualifying score, wait a week or so and apply again. HUD may not have received your exam information yet.

   
   
3. Verify the information on the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application - Upload Files page. Information is view only and if changes need to be made, click Go Back and Edit to return to the prior page. To continue with the application process, click Instructions to display a pop-up window with instructions. Click Print to print the instructions. Follow the instructions for generating the application and uploading files.
   
   

   Notes:
   •	The 8a. Date HECM Exam passed and 8b. HECM Exam administered by fields on the generated Application for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counselor Roster, form HUD-92904 are automatically filled if there is an exact match of the counselor with a HECM Counselor Exam record. If an exact match cannot be made, Not Provided is displayed instead.
   •	If you do not have immediate access to a scanner or your scanner cannot create a file for a multiple page document, take the signed, printed Application for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counselor Roster, form HUD-92904 and, if necessary, HECM training certificate(s) to a vendor that provides document scanning services. The vendor must scan the two pages of form HUD-92904 into one PDF file. Each training certificate must be scanned into a separate PDF file. The PDF file(s) provided by the vendor can be copied to your computer's hard drive (usually the C: drive). Then, complete the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application again, exactly as you did before. Use the information on the printed form HUD-92904.

   
   
4. When processing is successfully completed, the HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Results page appears with a Warning message at the top of the page. The application is held for review by HUD personnel. The date the application was held is displayed in the Application held for HUD review on field. An e-mail message is sent to the counselor when a decision is made to accept or reject the application. The uploaded Application for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counselor Roster, form HUD-92904 file can be viewed by clicking View Application. An uploaded certificate file for a completed training course can be viewed by clicking View Training Certificate next to the training information. If supplemental training documentation was uploaded, it can be viewed by clicking View Additional Documentation.
   

   Note: If the application is accepted, official placement on the FHA HECM Counselor Roster occurs after validation of employment is entered by the FHA Connection Application Coordinator for a housing counseling agency that employs you.

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See Also

HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application - Business Background

HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Page - Field Descriptions

HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application - Upload Files Page - Field Descriptions

HUD Certified Housing Counselor Application Results Page - Field Descriptions

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