CERTIFICATION FEES
Fees and Policies
Every fee INBGC charges is published here. There are no hidden costs, no path-based surcharges, and no fees tied to where you completed your training. The certification fee is the same for every candidate.
Overview
What does board certification cost?
The certification fee is $3,750 for every candidate, regardless of pathway. The optional INBGC curriculum adds $1,250, bringing that route to $5,000. Annual renewal is $495. There are no hidden costs, no path-based surcharges, and no fees tied to where you completed your training.
| Fee | Amount | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Certification fee | $3,750 | Yes. Covers both pathways. |
| INBGC curriculum | $1,250 | No. An add-on for candidates who want structured preparation. |
| Payment plan, down payment | From $975 | No. Down payment plus three monthly payments. |
| Additional practice exam attempts | $125 | No. One attempt is included in the certification fee. |
| Board Examination retake | $375 | Only if you do not pass. |
| Annual renewal | $495 | Yes. Required to maintain active certification. |
The credential
What does the certification fee cover?
The certification fee is what you pay for the credential, not for a course. It covers the full credentialing process from application through your first year as a Board Certified Grief Coach, and it is identical on both pathways.
- Application and eligibility review
- One practice exam attempt
- The proctored Board Examination
- Verified practice hours submission review
- First year of credentialing, including your credential number, verification page, badge, and printed certificate
- The Practice Building Curriculum, released once your designation is awarded
The fee is identical on both pathways. Whether you complete the INBGC curriculum or arrive with training from elsewhere, the cost of the credential does not change. A board that charged its own students less would be selling a discount on its own standard.
The published fee does not vary. Where cost is a genuine barrier, the Access Award covers part of it for coaches serving communities with limited access to grief support. A board can reduce what a coach pays. It cannot reduce what a coach must know.
Optional preparation
Is the INBGC curriculum required?
No. The curriculum is a $1,250 optional preparation course, available to candidates on either pathway. It is preparation for the examination, not the credential, and completing it confers no advantage on the Board Examination.
The curriculum is a structured course covering every Board Examination topic area. It exists for candidates who want exam-aligned preparation, and for candidates whose documentation does not yet meet the published education requirement.
- The complete INBGC grief coaching curriculum
- Structured preparation covering every Board Examination topic area
- Available to candidates on both pathways
Candidates may meet the education requirement with grief-specific training from any qualified provider. INBGC maintains no list of approved programs. See the eligibility requirements.
Examination
What do practice exams and retakes cost?
One practice exam attempt is included in the certification fee. Additional attempts are $125 each. Board Examination retakes are $375 per attempt, with a minimum 30-day wait between attempts and a maximum of three attempts within any 12-month period.
Practice exam
Every candidate receives one practice exam attempt included in the certification fee. It is a non-scoring readiness assessment that mirrors the Board Examination in format and topic areas.
It produces a topic area breakdown so candidates can identify where to focus before sitting the proctored examination. Additional attempts are $125 each.
The practice exam draws from a separate question bank than the live examination. Practicing never previews actual exam questions.
Board Examination retakes
- $375 per retake attempt
- A minimum 30-day waiting period between attempts
- A maximum of three attempts within any 12-month period
- Candidates who do not pass within three attempts must reapply
Every unsuccessful attempt produces a topic area score report, so a candidate knows exactly where to focus before the next attempt. Candidates are encouraged to strengthen weak areas before retesting, through the optional INBGC curriculum or any other qualified provider.
A candidate must answer at least 80 percent of Board Examination items correctly to pass. See the passing standard.
Maintaining the credential
What does annual renewal cost?
$495 per year. The first year of credentialing is included in the certification fee, so your first renewal falls more than twelve months after you are certified. Renewal maintains the credential and your listing in the INBGC registry.
What renewal maintains
- Active BCGC certification status
- Current listing in the INBGC registry
- Verification of your standing on request by employers and referral partners
- Annual ethics attestation and confirmation of good standing
Lapsed certification
A certification that is not renewed by the renewal deadline becomes inactive. An inactive coach may not use the BCGC designation until the credential is reinstated.
Reinstatement requirements are available from INBGC at [email protected].
Continuing education
What continuing education is required?
30 hours every three years. Continuing education may be completed through any qualified provider. INBGC does not require certificants to purchase continuing education from the board.
Continuing education is completed on a three-year cycle. The annual renewal fee maintains the credential year to year, and the continuing education requirement is fulfilled across the rolling three-year period.
| Requirement | Hours |
|---|---|
| Ethics, scope of practice, and risk and referral | Minimum 6 |
| Grief across diverse and disenfranchised populations | Minimum 4 |
| Any grief-related topic area | Remaining 20 |
| Total per three-year cycle | 30 |
Acceptable providers include professional associations, universities, hospice and palliative care organizations, and grief training programs.
Fee policy
Are fees refundable?
No. All fees paid to INBGC are non-refundable. Every requirement and every fee is published in advance, and Program Administration will answer any eligibility question at no cost before you pay.
All fees are non-refundable
This applies to the certification fee on both pathways, the INBGC curriculum, additional practice exam attempts, Board Examination retakes, and annual renewal.
The certification fee pays for a process, not an outcome. Eligibility review, examination administration, and credentialing are carried out when a candidate engages them, and that work is complete whether or not the credential is awarded.
Review the eligibility requirements and the fee schedule above in full before you submit payment.
If a requirement is not met
No candidate who has paid is left without a path to the credential.
An unsuccessful examination attempt is not a refund event. The Board Examination has been administered and the attempt is complete. Candidates who do not pass receive a topic area score report and may retake under the published retake policy above.
Documentation that does not meet the published requirements does not end your candidacy. The certification fee you have already paid stands. INBGC identifies what is outstanding, and you may complete it through any qualified provider, including the optional INBGC curriculum.
Program Administration will answer any question about eligibility, the certification process, or fees before you submit payment. Write to [email protected] and INBGC will respond within one business day.
Payment
How can certification be paid for?
Pay in full at enrollment, spread the fee across an INBGC payment plan billed directly with no third-party financing and no credit application, or have your employer fund it. Employers frequently fund professional credentials from a development or credentialing budget.
Pay in full
Pay the certification fee at enrollment through secure checkout. Standard payment methods are accepted.
INBGC payment plan
A down payment plus three monthly payments, billed directly by INBGC. Equivalency Path: $975 down, then three payments of $975, totaling $3,900. Curriculum Path: $1,300 down, then three payments of $1,300, totaling $5,200.
Employer funding
Your employer pays INBGC directly or reimburses you. INBGC provides itemized invoices and documentation for a finance office.
For why coaches decide the fee is worth paying, see why grief coaches get board certified. The payment plan carries a modest premium above the pay-in-full price, which covers the cost of administering the plan. Review the full funding options.
Fee assistance
Is financial assistance available?
Yes. The INBGC Access Award reduces the certification fee for coaches serving communities with limited access to grief support. Awards are $1,875, $1,250, or $750, applied to the certification fee only. A fixed number is available each quarter and an application is required.
Grief support is not evenly distributed. Some communities have hospice programs, employer resources, funded counseling, and clinicians within driving distance. Others have almost none of that, and the people doing grief work there are frequently doing it alone, without institutional backing, and often without charging much, because the people they serve cannot pay much.
The Access Award is an award, not a discount. There is an application, published criteria, and a fixed number available each quarter.
| Award | Remaining balance |
|---|---|
| $1,875 | $1,875 |
| $1,250 | $2,500 |
| $750 | $3,000 |
The remaining balance may be paid in full or placed on an INBGC payment plan, billed directly with no third-party financing and no credit application. An award confirmed with a plan brings certification within reach for most practices.
What an award covers
- The certification fee, in one of three amounts
- Everything a certified coach receives, with no distinction of any kind
What it does not cover
- The optional INBGC curriculum. A recipient on the Curriculum Path pays the $1,250 separately
- Examination retakes, additional practice exam attempts, and annual renewal
An Access Award recipient completes the same process as every other candidate: the same eligibility review, the same 25 verified practice hours verified the same way, the same agreement to the Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice, the same proctored Board Examination held to the same 80 percent passing standard, and the same annual renewal and continuing education requirements. The credential is identical, with no notation and no separate designation.
Awards are evaluated on mission first and need second, and applications are reviewed together after each quarterly window closes. Read the full award criteria and application windows.
Frequently asked questions
Next step
Get board certified
Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis. Creating your account takes about a minute and does not enroll or charge you. You choose your pathway in the next step.