Home Education Certification & Training Programs NFDA Certified Preplanning Consultant

NFDA Certified Preplanning Consultant

The National Standard of Excellence in Preplanning Since 1997

The mission of the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) program is to promote expertise and professionalism in advance funeral planning by recognizing those individuals who have met certain predetermined qualifications and demonstrated their knowledge of prearrangement standards through the CPC examination.

The CPC designation:

  • Promotes advance funeral planning to the public
  • Enhances your credibility and professionalism
  • Ensures recognition of your arrangement expertise
  • Adds value to your relationships with families

The CPC Program is accredited by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (APFSP) and by the licensing boards of most states and provinces. Many insurance licensing boards also approve the program.

Cost  
Members or non-funeral directors      $445
Nonmember funeral directors $575

Self-Study Program

Steps to earn your Certified Preplanning Consultant credential:

  • Review the CPC eligibility requirements.
  • Complete and submit your CPC Application with payment. Download the Self-Study Application
  • Once approved, the Certified Preplanning Consultant Standards Manual will be emailed to you.
  • Complete and submit the short review tests at the end of each chapter for grading via email.
  • Schedule your final certification exam with a proctor near you.
  • After passing the exam, you’ll receive the CPC award package which includes a variety of materials to help you promote and use your new credential.

You must complete the course within six months of enrollment.

Questions? Please contact NFDA at 800-228-6332 or nfda@nfda.org.

What's covered?

Chapters in the CPC manual cover the following topics:

  1. Funeral Preplanning Principles
  2. The Funeral Rule
  3. Ethics in Preplanning
  4. Funding Options
  5. Contract Standards
  6. Attentive Listening Skills
  7. Marketing Principles
  8. Customer Service Excellence
  9. Consultative Sales
  10. Creating Meaningful Ceremonies

Hear it from attendees!

“Certification is a sign to our community of our desire to be the best practitioners in our profession, to protect the consumer, employees, and our business by our continued learning and implementation of the material.” 


“The CPC credential lets me assure families, with confidence, that I am an expert in preplanning services. Families can feel comfortable knowing that I will be their advocate for any preplanning needs.” 


“The whole course was fantastic! As someone who does better with online courses, I am happy that this was an option to obtain my certificate!”

Recipients & employers say it best!

*State CE approval varies. All NFDA online courses are approved for continuing education by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice (APFSP) and most state licensing boards. Contact your state licensing board or NFDA for specific state CE information.

Presented educational material does not denote that NFDA endorses, recommends or supports the opinions expressed by the presenter or author. The content presented is informational only. For specific legal or compliance advice contact your firm's legal counsel. NFDA does not warrant the accuracy of any of the information presented, and NFDA shall not be liable for the actions or inactions of funeral establishment owners, managers or employees in respect to the information presented in this educational product.