AAO Membership Dues Waiver

Eligibility requirements: To be considered for a waiver of dues and/or assessments, members must be in good standing with AAO and meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • Force majeure – Significant financial hardship due to a force majeure or other similar event beyond the member’s control.
    • A force majeure event is an event or occurrence that is beyond the control of the member and directly impacts their ability to work and/or pay dues. Traditionally, a force majeure event includes natural and man-made events such as fires, floods, storms, war and labor disputes.
  • Medical condition – Significant financial hardship due to a debilitating medical condition in which one is unable to work or perform normal work duties for an extended period of time.
  • Medical condition (permanent disability) – Significant financial hardship due to a debilitating  medical condition that permanently prevents the member from practicing.
  • Primary caregiver – The orthodontist has an immediate family member such as a parent, spouse, child or sibling, who requires the orthodontist to be the primary caregiver and the orthodontist significantly reduces their practice time.
  • Activation to active military duty – Significant financial hardship due to activation from reserve status to active military duty for the U.S. or Canadian government.
  • Civil unrest – Significant financial hardship due to civil unrest or acts of military authority.
  • Limited practice – A limited practice waiver of 50% of full active member dues and assessments may be requested by Active or Life Active members with at least 30 cumulative years of membership (excluding student membership) and who practice no more than 416 hours per year.
  • Humanitarian service – A humanitarian service waiver of full dues and assessments may be requested by doctors in full-time humanitarian service.

Waiver requests are made for the current year’s dues and/or assessments only. A waiver may be granted for the same condition up to three consecutive years and a maximum of three years total for a single event, with the following exceptions:

  • Humanitarian service waivers, which are not subject to the three-year limitation.
  • Debilitating medical condition waivers, which may not be limited to the three-year limitation if a member has a permanent disability that prevents them from practicing and they are not yet eligible for retired status. A waiver application must be filled out each membership year.
  • Limited practice waivers, which may only be used for three years total.

Please complete the form below to apply for an AAO membership dues waiver. Once the form is submitted and eligibility is verified, the application will be forwarded to your constituent organization for approval, followed by the AAO Council on Membership, Ethics and Judicial Concerns. For questions, please contact [email protected].