Professionalism Counts, October 2026
Actuarial designations signal that the holder has attained a certain level of knowledge and experience and has promised to uphold the Code of Professional Conduct—that the holder of the designation is honest, competent, and worthy of the public trust. Actuaries proudly use their designations and credentials to demonstrate that they have attained actuarial knowledge and experience and are committed to upholding the ethical principles enshrined in the Code.
Precept 12 of the Code requires actuaries to use membership titles and designations of an actuarial organization “only in a manner that conforms to the practices authorized by that organization.” (See guidelines on authorized use of titles and designation on the Academy website.)
Though this requirement seems fairly straightforward, Precept 12 issues come before the Actuarial Board for Counseling and Discipline several times a year. Issues raised in inquiries included misrepresenting status as a currently licensed Enrolled Actuary to clients and the IRS, falsely advertising membership in actuarial organizations, and the improper use of a membership title and designation. Over the years, two discipline notices have cited Precept 12.
In the last five years, RFG discussions related to Precept 12 have covered whether an actuary’s misuse of a job title is a material violation that falls under Precept 13 and whether to report an actuary who uses an unauthorized actuarial designation. Another RFG discussed corrective steps an actuary could take after discovering that a lapsed actuarial designation had been inadvertently listed in a statement of actuarial opinion—all of these examples highlight the importance of keeping your actuarial memberships up to date and ensuring they are appropriately used to reinforce the value they and the actuarial profession represent and deliver.
Use the Updated USQS Attestation Form
The Academy’s U.S. Qualification Standards (USQS) attestation form, a tool members can use to voluntarily attest to their full qualifications, has been updated.
Actuaries may use the form to attest that they have met the requirements of the USQS—formally the Qualification Standards for Actuaries Issuing Statements of Actuarial Opinion in the United States—for either the general qualification standard, which covers most statements of actuarial opinion, or the specific qualification standard, which covers three NAIC annual statement opinions.
The form walks through the USQS, prompting the actuary to attest to meeting basic education, experience, and continuing education requirements. The tool also allows the actuary to upload documents to demonstrate their qualifications and experience. Before the attestation is completed, the actuary is shown a summary of their responses and links to any uploaded documents.
If the actuary has not met a qualification necessary for the attestation, the attestation can be saved and completed once the missing qualification has been met. When the actuary completes all required qualifications and attests, the attestation and supporting documents can be downloaded in a zip file that can be shared with regulators and others.
To use the new form, log in to the Academy’s website and visit actuary.org/attest.