CFP® Exam Tax Planning Practice Questions

Tax Planning is 14% of the CFP® exam. Our questions follow 2026 tax law, the year CFP Board tests for the July and November 2026 windows, and give any dollar limit a question needs, as the exam’s tax tables do.

Take the full timed CFP mock exam

170 four-choice questions in two timed 3-hour sections, with short scenarios and a case study in each, weighted like the real exam, with a score by domain and an explanation for every answer. 24 of the 170 questions are tax planning.

Or try the free tax planning drill
  • 46 original tax planning questions with explained answers
  • 14% of the exam: domain E, CFP Board topics E.36–E.43
  • 24 of the 170 questions in our full mock
Free sample · Question 1 of 3Tax Planning

Ivy bought 500 shares for $40,000 and sold them for $32,000 on March 1. On March 18 she bought 500 shares of the same stock for $33,500. What is her basis in the new shares?

What our tax planning questions cover

  • Filing status, gross income, above-the-line deductions, the standard deduction and itemized deductions, credits
  • The kiddie tax, the alternative minimum tax and the net investment income tax
  • Sole proprietorships, partnerships, S corporations, C corporations and LLCs: liability and taxation
  • Basis of gifted and inherited property, holding periods and capital gains
  • The home sale exclusion, like-kind exchanges, installment sales and wash sales
  • Passive activity and at-risk rules; tax issues in divorce
  • Charitable deduction limits, appreciated property, donor-advised funds and qualified charitable distributions
Line drawing of stacked tax forms with a pencil, a receipt spike, a stamp and a calculator

This list is our own summary of the domain, written for practice. CFP Board publishes the official list of principal knowledge topics.

Drill tax planning, then sit the full mock

Take the full timed CFP mock exam

170 four-choice questions in two timed 3-hour sections, with short scenarios and a case study in each, weighted like the real exam, with a score by domain and an explanation for every answer. 24 of the 170 questions are tax planning.

Or try the free tax planning drill

Rules the questions test most

  1. Inherited property generally takes a basis equal to its fair market value at death. Gifted property keeps the donor’s basis for gains; if its value at the gift was below the donor’s basis, losses use that lower value (the double-basis rule).
  2. A seller can exclude up to $250,000 of gain on a principal residence ($500,000 for most joint filers) after owning and using it as a main home for two of the five years before the sale.
  3. A wash sale disallows a loss when substantially identical securities are bought within 30 days before or after the sale; the disallowed loss is added to the basis of the new shares.
  4. Like-kind exchange treatment under Section 1031 now applies only to real property held for business or investment.
  5. The 3.8% net investment income tax applies to the lesser of net investment income or modified AGI above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly); those thresholds are not indexed.

Start the free tax planning drill · Full CFP mock exam · Case study drill · Mixed drill

Common questions

Which tax year does the CFP exam test?

CFP Board posts the tax rates, tables and law tested for each exam window: 2025 for March 2026 and 2026 for July and November 2026. You receive the tax tables during the exam. Check CFP Board’s tax tables page for the window you register for.

How much of the CFP exam is tax planning?

Tax Planning is 14% of the CFP® exam, about 24 of the 170 questions, covering CFP Board topics E.36 to E.43. Tax rules also appear in retirement, estate and investment questions.

Take the full timed CFP mock exam

170 four-choice questions in two timed 3-hour sections, with short scenarios and a case study in each, weighted like the real exam, with a score by domain and an explanation for every answer. 24 of the 170 questions are tax planning.

Or try the free tax planning drill

More CFP exam domains

Domain weights and exam format: CFP Board: What you’ll be tested on (domains and weights) · CFP Board: Exam format · CFP Board: Tax tables and formulas, checked November 2026.

Game Assessment Prep is an independent practice site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a registered education program of CFP Board, and CFP Board does not review or endorse these questions. Every question is original; none is taken from CFP Board practice exams or other CFP Board materials.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.