Membership FAQs

The FAAP designation after a pediatrician's name stands for Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Physicians who maintain their FAAP designation have obtained initial board certification in pediatrics or a pediatric surgical specialty and made an ongoing commitment to lifelong learning and advocacy for children.

While the AAP operates on a July-June fiscal year, AAP membership operates on an anniversary date year. New members’ start date is the date their membership is approved and the payment is processed. All memberships are 12-months long. Members may join chapters, sections, or councils anytime of the year with a full chapter/section/council dues payment. On the subsequent national membership renewal invoice, the recently added chapter/section/council memberships are included at a pro-rated price to extend the entity expire date to match the national date. This enables future memberships to line up with matching expire dates.

Memberships that are not renewed by the expiration date will lapse and all benefits and online access will be stopped. All benefits and access are restored upon receipt and processing of the late dues payment. If dues are paid 95 or more days after the expiration date, the anniversary date moves to the new date of the payment. It is very important for members to pay dues ahead of their expiration date to avoid missing important communications and access to benefits.

The most efficient way to renew membership is online at shop.aap.org with a credit card. You will receive a confirmation/receipt via email which can be printed if needed.

Installment payments might be available upon request for national dues $200 or higher on a case by case basis. For more information, please contact Member and Customer Care at mcc@aap.org or 866-843-2271.

Advance payments are accepted and are held as a credit to be applied toward the following year’s membership dues. The member is responsible for notifying Member and Customer Care once the renewal invoice is created so that the credit can be applied. Advance payments are only accepted by check. Dues are subject to increase each year. The member will be responsible for paying the difference in price from one year to the next.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is a 501(c) 3 organization which spends a minimal amount on lobbying. Some AAP state Chapters engage in lobbying. Each state contributes a different percentage. For more information contact your state’s chapter Executive Director.

Due to the AAP's status as a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization with insubstantial lobbying expenditures, membership dues paid to the AAP are tax deductible as a business expense to the degree allowed under Internal Revenue Service regulations. National dues cannot be treated as a charitable donation.

Most AAP chapters are 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organizations and fall under the same rules as the AAP. There are many chapters organized as 501(c)6 tax exempt nonprofit, that have to declare the percent of dues spent on lobbying efforts. That portion of dues is not tax deductible as a business expense. Chapter tax information is included with each annual dues renewal invoice. Contact your specific chapter for additional information.

At any given time, AAP is actively working on hundreds of issues advancing child health and the professional and personal satisfaction of its members. The annual budget of the AAP varies year to year but is usually in the range of $115-125 Million. Member dues makes up 20-25% of the total revenue required to fulfill the mission and operate the AAP. For a membership organization, keeping dues under 30% of total revenue is considered "best in class". The remainder of revenue is generated from AAP programs; publishing business, scholarly journals, educational programs, and development (fundraising).

When looking at where dollars are expended it is impossible to separate out dues from the rest of the revenue generated. The budget of the AAP is developed based on forecasts of total cumulative revenue, rather than segmented revenue in each business unit. The $115-125 Million in revenue that is generated supports the following major areas of expense:

• Roughly 50% of expenditure is utilized to maintain and sustain the AAP's workforce. The AAP maintains a staff of 475 full and part-time staff that are second to none in providing service to members, contributing to the advance of AAP intellectual property, and advocating for children at the federal and state levels. This also includes contracts with consultants, both within and outside pediatrics, to carry out specific roles or develop specific materials.
• Roughly 25% of expenditure is utilized to bring AAP members, liaisons, and experts together to advance the AAP mission through research, policy development, and education. This includes support of the Council, Committee and Sections of the AAP as well as governmental and nongovernmental grant work awarded to AAP.
• Roughly 5-8% of expenditure is utilized for printing and shipping to support the AAP as the # 1 publisher of pediatric titles in the world including Red Book, PEDIATRICS, etc.
• Roughly 10-12% of expenditure is utilized for general administrative support such as building upkeep, IT, HR, Finance, supplies, etc.

There is overlap in each of these categories i.e. the staff is essential to the work of committees, but this is a general breakdown of major areas where dollars are allocated.

You can update your membership, demographic, and contact information on shop.aap.org by:

1. Logging in using your AAP ID and password
2. Clicking on “My Account” in the upper right
3. Editing as needed in “My Account” and also in “My Memberships” in the left side navigation bar menu

The AAP Member Advantage programs provide additional services and discounts to enhance your AAP membership. Personal benefits include: Car Rental, Personal Credit Cards, Car Insurance, Life, Disability and Long-term Care Insurance. Professional Benefits include: Credit Card Processing, Business Credit Cards, Certificate Framing, Business Office Services and Practice Web Site Development and Internet Marketing.

Chapters are separately incorporated state-based organizations for pediatricians and other health care professionals working to achieve AAP goals in their communities.

Councils are membership entities designed around subspecialties or multidisciplinary fields. Each council is the primary source of expertise in a given field within the Academy.

Sections are groups within the AAP for members who share a pediatric subspecialty, surgical specialty, special area of interest, or stage of life.

To join, you must meet the membership criteria and submit an application. Criteria and applications can be found online here.

Sections dues are required (where applicable) for processing.

Although not mandatory, the AAP strongly encourages and supports membership in chapters. Chapter activities include promoting the interest of pediatricians in their state to the academy; building relationships with other organizations working toward improving children’s health and well-being; and increasing involvement in the legislative arena to improve the welfare of children. You can visit each chapter's website to learn more about the work being done on behalf of children in each state.

Members of the AAP can belong to another state’s chapter and/or more than one chapter. Chapter dues for each state are required (where applicable).

Board policy effective January 2008 mandates that chapter dues are to be include on all invoices.

A Resident member transitions to a Candidate member after the residency training is completed; at the time membership is up for renewal. If the member chooses to complete a post residency training program, they will roll to a Post Resident Training Member (PRT). First year Candidate members receive a 50% discount.

A Fellow is board certified in pediatrics and receives all the academy’s benefits and privileges of membership in addition to the right to vote, hold national office and use the FAAP designation. A Candidate member has completed a pediatric residency and is eligible for board certification. For more information on membership benefits go to member benefits.

Any member in good standing who has attained the age of 70 OR is 65 or older and no longer derives income from professional activities shall be eligible for the Senior Member Category. AAP does not automatically move members into this category. Eligible Members must contact AAP to request this category change.

Yes, we can stop mailing print issues of either of these subscriptions provided through your AAP membership. Contact the Member and Customer care team at  mcc@aap.org or call them at 866-THE-AAP1 (843-2271).

Members may request category changes to Senior Member, or Post-Residency Training Member. There are also dues discounts available for AAP Fellows who also belong to ACP, CPS, SPAP, AAPOS, or are married to an AAP Fellow, or are working in a medical missionary setting. To request a category/status change, complete an AAP Change of Membership Type and Dues Discount Form.

For more information, please contact Member and Customer Care at mcc@aap.org or 866-843-2271.