Certified Benefits Professional | CBP®

Benefits are a vital part of your organization’s employee rewards strategy and are central to effectively attracting and retaining the talented employees that drive organizational success.

Obtaining the CBP demonstrates that you have the knowledge and skills to address the overall well-being of employees while satisfying organizational business objectives. You are equipped with essential U.S.-specific knowledge to design, integrate and communicate benefits programs within business strategy, including legal and regulatory compliance and outsourcing with service partners.

Proven recognition

Global 500 companies rely on WorldatWork certifications to power their employee rewards, engagement and retention efforts. The CBP, like all WorldatWork certifications, is backed by our 65+ years of experience providing education and research on workplace rewards.

Practical, expert content

Our course and exam content taps the insights and experiences of expert practitioners and experienced consultants. 

Powerful networking

When you pursue your certification, you initiate a new phase of high-powered networking with faculty and peers.

The education courses will give you in-depth knowledge and practical skills required to tackle current benefits initiatives and embrace new challenges with confidence. You will be equipped with a solid understanding of proven design techniques and practices, and the skills required to manage regulatory requirements in benefits management.  

With the CBP designation, you will be prepared to strategically navigate and implement effective solutions to the complex business challenges of today. Moreover, you will seamlessly align these solutions with your organization’s objectives, ensuring the integration of compensation strategies with broader business strategies.

The CBP is well suited to entry- to mid-level HR professionals interested in learning about benefits design and management. 

Courses and Required Exams

Obtaining a CBP requires a passing score on curriculum-based exams, validating that you have the technical and business skills for success. We strongly recommend taking the course and exam in the order listed below.

Learning the U.S. laws and regulations shaping effective and compliant benefits programs.

This course walks you through the many regulatory requirements in the benefits space, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). You’ll also discover risk-mitigating strategies to help minimize fines, penalties, loss of tax-favorable status and legal claims that could threaten your organization.

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Effectively inform, persuade, and motivate stakeholders and employees about your rewards strategy.

Even the best rewards strategy will be compromised if employees and executives don’t understand it. This course will help you effectively inform, persuade, and motivate various stakeholders, increasing the power of your rewards strategy and providing your organization with a competitive advantage when pursuing talent.

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Learn to design and manage cost-effective employer-sponsored retirement plans that align with your organization’s strategies.

This course explores the attributes, application and compliance aspects of the most prevalent U.S. employer-sponsored plan options, including 401(k), 403(b), 457, Roth 401(k), SIMPLE and more. The course’s content and activities will prepare you to knowledgably assess the various retirement plan options, evaluate the effectiveness of your current program, and guide you in making the best choices for your organization and its employees.

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Gain a foundation in reward strategy and its five elements: compensation, benefits, well-being effectiveness, development and recognition.

Through seven different modules, this multifaceted learning experience provides an excellent overview of Total Rewards and is perfect for those who are new to the field. 

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Learn advanced, cost-effective strategies for designing and managing employee health and welfare benefit plans.

This course dives into the essentials of a multi-year health and welfare benefits strategy that establishes plan priorities and a framework for traditional management. It covers eligibility, plan design and cost sharing, as well as strategies for connecting your core benefits philosophy with well-designed health plans that will save money while keeping your employees healthy and happy.

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Master the fundamentals of selecting and managing employee health and welfare plans for your organization.

This course covers the entire array of health and welfare plans — from conventional fee-for-service options to the full suite of managed care plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point of service (POS) options. You’ll dive into the fundamentals of each and learn how to manage them in your organization.

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Successfully outsource your benefits administration through partnerships that meet your cost and performance objectives.

Through seven learning modules, this course covers the benefits outsourcing landscape, including program design, contract negotiation, service delivery, analytics and compliance. You’ll learn to set your organization’s objectives in outsourcing arrangements, conduct request for proposal (RFP) and selection processes, and navigate transition and conversion considerations.

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How It Works

The WorldatWork CBP designation is earned by passing 9 required exams. WorldatWork provides a corresponding course designed to help learners prepare for each required exam. It is highly recommended learners take the related course before sitting for the exam. 

Flexible Class Schedule

With live online and self-paced
e-learning classroom options you can easily fit your professional development into your busy schedule.

Manageable Time Commitment

On average 17 total hours of study per course.

Convenient Exams

All exams are taken online at the time that works best for you.

Recertification Credits

The courses and exams listed above can earn you credits to recertify additional WorldatWork certifications. 

Earn a Certification, Boost Your Career

Hear how earning her certification helped Michaela Leo, Head of Compensation & Benefits (North America) at Ipsen Biosciences, advance her career.

Watch Michaela's Video
Track Your Certification Status

WorldatWork members can readily see their progress on certification, see the deadline for recertifying, rest easy knowing that recertification credits earned through WorldatWork are automatically added to their profiles, and manually manage any credits they earn from other organizations. 

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