Best Medical Coding Programs
Pencils and paper laid out on a desk before an examination

AHIMA certification

How to Become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA) in 2026

Edited by Taylor Rupe, B.S., B.A.

Published · Last updated

To become a Certified Coding Associate (CCA) you pass the CCA exam set by AHIMA. AHIMA's entry-level coding credential, the usual first exam for a certificate graduate.

On cost, $199 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members.

AHIMA states a high school diploma as the only requirement, which makes this the most open door of its credentials.

There is no licence and no state board in medical coding, so the credential is the qualification. What follows is what the CCA covers, what it costs in total, who can sit it, what keeps it current, and when it is the right one to choose over CCS or CCS-P.

Exam

$199 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members

Awarded by

AHIMA

Renewal

recertification every two years, which means submitting continuing education units and paying the recertification fee

What is the CCA certification?

The CCA, or Certified Coding Associate, is a certification awarded by AHIMA that validates entry-level competence across the coding body of knowledge, in both hospital and physician settings. In practice it is AHIMA's entry credential, and the usual first exam for a graduate of a PCAP-approved certificate.

AHIMA points the CCA at three groups in particular:

  • Certificate graduates sitting their first credential
  • People who want an AHIMA credential without hospital experience first
  • Coders whose local employers are hospitals rather than practices

What does the CCA exam cover?

The CCA exam covers 5 areas, as AHIMA describes them:

  • ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding
  • CPT and HCPCS Level II procedure coding
  • Coding across both inpatient and outpatient settings
  • Compliance and regulatory guidelines
  • Health information documentation fundamentals

What that means in practice: the breadth at entry level is deliberate. AHIMA tests both hospital and physician settings, so a CCA holder is not pigeonholed, but the trade-off is that it shows competence rather than mastery in either.

How much does the CCA exam cost?

The CCA exam costs $199 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members. That is the exam alone. Current code books, any programme tuition and, for AAPC credentials, annual membership all sit on top of it.

The CCA is taken computer-based through Pearson VUE, scored against a pass mark of 300.

AHIMA scores the CCA against a pass mark of 300, so the exam is criterion-referenced: you are measured against a fixed standard rather than graded on a curve against other candidates.

Set that against what the training costs. Tuition on the programmes we rank runs from about $1,100 to $10,100 a year, so for most people the exam is the smaller number, and a programme that bundles the voucher is worth more than its sticker price suggests. See the ranked programmes.

Who can sit the CCA exam?

Anyone meeting AHIMA's stated conditions can sit the CCA. AHIMA states a high school diploma as the only requirement, which makes this the most open door of its credentials.

Meeting it is not the same as being ready for it. AHIMA is describing who may register, not who tends to pass, and the gap between those two is where most failed first attempts sit. A programme built specifically around the CCA is worth more than one that merely leaves you eligible for it, which is why our ranked programmes record the exam each one names.

How do you keep the CCA?

Keeping the CCA takes recertification every two years, which means submitting continuing education units and paying the recertification fee. Worth pricing in before you choose: lapse it and you pay the full exam fee again to recover it.

What sets the CCA apart

  • The cheapest exam of any credential on this site, at $199 for members
  • The only AHIMA coding credential whose sole stated prerequisite is a high school diploma
  • AHIMA PCAP-approved programmes carry a pathway to it, which is why the approval matters when you choose a programme

How does the CCA compare with other coding certifications?

The CCA compares most directly with CCS and CCS-P, and the choice between them follows the employer rather than the credential. The CCA is AHIMA's entry credential, and the usual first exam for a graduate of a PCAP-approved certificate.

Credential Body Where it fits
CCS AHIMA the inpatient hospital standard, and the credential most worth working toward if acute care is the goal
CCS-P AHIMA AHIMA's physician-practice credential, and the direct alternative to the CPC if your employer prefers AHIMA
RHIT AHIMA not a coding credential at all but the health information one, and the practical reason to choose the associate degree over the certificate
CPC AAPC the default first credential for physician-practice and outpatient work, and the foundation the other AAPC credentials build on
COC AAPC the facility-side counterpart to the CPC, for people whose employer is a hospital outpatient department rather than a practice

What jobs and pay does the CCA lead to?

The CCA leads to medical coder, medical billing and coding specialist roles. The occupation the government counts them in is Medical Records Specialists (SOC 29-2072), median $51,140 , with the bottom tenth at $37,000 and the top tenth at $81,150, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. That median covers the whole occupation, experienced staff included, so treat the bottom of the range as the realistic starting point.

Medical Coder

Translates diagnoses, procedures and services into ICD-10-CM, CPT and HCPCS codes for reimbursement and reporting.

Medical Billing and Coding Specialist

Does both jobs, the norm in small practices, where one person codes the encounter and then chases the claim.

Common questions about the CCA

How much does the CCA exam cost?
The CCA exam costs $199 for AHIMA members and $299 for non-members. Code books and any programme tuition are separate.
Who is eligible to sit the CCA exam?
For the CCA, AHIMA states a high school diploma as the only requirement, which makes this the most open door of its credentials.
How do you keep the CCA once you have it?
Keeping the CCA takes recertification every two years, which means submitting continuing education units and paying the recertification fee. It is an ongoing cost rather than a one-off, and worth counting before you take on a second credential.
Is the CCA worth it?
The CCA is worth it if the employers you want name it, and not otherwise. It is AHIMA's entry credential, and the usual first exam for a graduate of a PCAP-approved certificate. The cheapest way to test that is to read a handful of job adverts from employers you would actually apply to.

Sources

Certification fees and continuing-education requirements change. Confirm the current figures with AHIMA before you budget.