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The National Board has upgraded the candidate management and registration system, and we want to highlight an important change related to your third-party funding and component purchases.

Receiving funding from Third Party Payers: Coupon Process

Moving forward, if you receive funding from a third party (such as our organization), the National Board will post the funds to your candidate account in the form of a coupon. You'll use the coupon to complete your purchase. 

Coupons will be available in your account within 10 business days of receipt of our payment to the National Board. Because the April 30 registration deadline is quickly approaching, it is important that you log into your National Board account now and pay the $75 registration fee (if you haven't done so already).

Monitor your National Board account daily; your coupon(s) will be posted to the “My Coupons” section in the left-hand navigation menu. Please use the coupon for the component you communicated to us. You will need the coupon information to complete your component purchase. 

To complete your component purchase:

  1. Log in to your National Board account.
  2. Click Browse under Certifications in the left-hand navigation menu to access available certification areas and components. 
  3. Use the search bar to select your certificate area and view components available for purchase.
  4. To purchase a component, click the component name link and follow the onscreen prompts.
  5. When prompted to submit payment, enter the appropriate coupon code.

If we provided funding for you prior to March 26, your purchases should be complete; however, we encourage you to review your account and reach out to the National Board if payment has not been posted. 

Partial payments (if applicable)

If you made a partial payment on your account prior to April 9, National Board will provide you with a refund of your partial payment. Refunds will be processed within 4-6 weeks. Once you receive your third-party payment coupon, you will need to apply the coupon and submit personal payment for the remaining amount to purchase your component by April 30. 

Thank you for taking the time to review this new process. If you have any questions about your funding, please contact us at 334-670-3495.

National Board Third-Party Payment Processing FAQs

System Update FAQs

How has the payment posting process changed?

The National Board's registration system no longer allows candidates to select a component without completing the payment process. Component selection and purchase are now combined in a single step that takes place at the time of payment. If you are funding candidates, your payment (in the form of check, purchase order, ACH transaction, or wire transfer) must be received before the candidate can begin the component purchase process. This is a change in our process.

Within 7-10 days of receiving the transmittal memo and payment, the National Board will allocate the funds to the candidate in the form of a coupon, to their National Board account. Candidates will use the coupon to purchase their component(s). Candidates should use the coupon for the component they communicated to you. The coupon will include the component selection that you specified in the transmittal memo.

How do candidates purchase a component under the new registration system?

Candidates should take the following steps to purchase a component:

  1. Log in to their National Board account.
  2. Click Browse under Certifications in the left-hand navigation menu to access available certification areas and components.
  3. Use the search bar to select their certificate area and view components available for purchase.
  4. To purchase a component, click the component name link and follow the onscreen prompts.
  5. When prompted to submit payment, enter the appropriate coupon code.
What is the status of funding submitted prior to March 26 (before the registration system transition period)?
If you provided funding for candidates on or before March 26, the funds should have already applied to the candidate's account and the purchased components should be visible on the candidate's Certification Dashboard. However, we recommend candidates review their account immediately and contact Customer Support if there are discrepancies.
Will a candidate who did not select a component prior to March 26 have a coupon posted to their account?
If the candidate did not select a component prior to March 26, but you as the Third-Party Payer already sent the funds for that candidate, then a coupon worth the value of your payment will be posted to the candidate's account and the candidate will have to use the coupon to purchase their component(s).
My organization requires candidates to make a partial payment prior to us (Third-Party Payer) submitting payment for them. How will this work in the new system?
The new registration system requires payment in full to purchase components; it will not allow partial payments. The National Board will provide the candidate with a refund of their partial payment. Refunds will be processed within 4-6 weeks. Coupons, worth the value of the Third-Party partial payment, will be available in the candidate's account within 10 business days of receipt of your payment to the National Board. Candidates will then need to resubmit their payment using a credit card when they complete their purchase by April 30.
How will I know which components to fund for my candidates; is there a report I can run?
The new candidate registration system does not allow candidates to select components without completing the purchase (submitting full payment). We are also unable to collect data on which components candidates select. It will be necessary for you to communicate with your candidates prior to submitting payment so that you know which component(s) to fund. The funding will be converted to a coupon that the candidate will use to complete their purchase.
What do I do if our rules require a candidate to select at least one component to be able to apply for our program?
The new candidate registration system does not allow candidates to select components without completing the purchase. We are also unable to collect data on which components candidates select. It will be necessary for you to communicate with your candidates prior to submitting payment so that you know which component(s) to fund.
I don't know which components my candidate wants to complete this year; can I submit the transmittal memo without specifying a component?
No. The funding you submit will be converted to a coupon that the candidate will use to complete the purchase. It will be necessary for you to coordinate with your candidates prior to submitting payment so that you know which component(s) to fund and how the funds you are sending will be applied to the candidate's account.
What happens if a candidate wants to change their component before the deadline and I already paid for them?

Please let us know through the Third-Party Payer web form if you would like to allocate your funds to a different component for a candidate. If the candidate has not used the coupon for the component, then our team can assign the coupon to the desired component.

If the candidate already used the coupon and purchased the component, the candidate will have to withdraw from their current component. Refunds will be issued within 4-6 weeks. We will then upload a Third-Party coupon to their account for the new component. The candidate will have to purchase the component once the new coupon is available in their account.

Once a coupon is used on a specific component, can the candidate switch to another component and reuse the coupon?
The candidate cannot switch their own coupons. You, as the Third-Party Payer, will have to notify us of the component change.
Does the candidate still have to release their name to a Third-Party Payer when registering?
Yes. The candidate is given an option to release their name to Third-Party Payers. The candidate is also given the option to specify if they will receive funding from a Third-Party Payer. In both questions they should select yes if you want their information to show on the year-end reports.
What happens to our funds if the candidate no longer wants to complete a component?

In the event a candidate withdraws before the withdrawal deadline, you will be eligible for a refund of the fees paid on behalf of the candidate (except those designated as nonrefundable). The National Board will process withdrawal refunds on a monthly basis and funds will be returned to your TPP account.

If you do not want the funds credited to your TPP account and/or would like the funds returned to your organization prior to our year-end reconciliation, you must submit your request in writing via the National Board third-party payer web form. The funds can also be applied to another candidate per your request through the Third-Party payer webform.

You will not be eligible for a refund of any fees paid on behalf of a candidate if the candidate did not withdraw prior to the withdrawal deadline.

Payment Plan FAQs

How does the National Board's payment plan work?
The National Board's payment plan is available for purchases made during the 2020-21 cycle. Candidates may choose to purchase 1-4 components and will pay approximately $80 per component, per month, for a period of six months. Candidates will be provided with a coupon for the full cost of the component and will use the coupon to complete their purchase by the April 30 deadline.
My organization requires the candidate to purchase one or more components in order to be eligible for funding. How will that work with the payment plan?
Components purchased using the payment plan are considered paid in full. If you require the candidate to purchase one or more component(s) to be eligible for funding, simply have them complete their purchase with their payment plan coupon and provide you with the purchase confirmation or printout from their National Board account, if needed.
My organization requires candidates to fully purchase their component(s) before providing reimbursement of the fees. How will that work with the payment plan?
Components purchased using the payment plan are considered paid in full. If you require the candidate to purchase one or more component(s) to be eligible for reimbursement, simply have them complete their purchase and provide you with the purchase confirmation or printout from their National Board account.
Can I require that one or more components be paid in full and not through the payment plan?
Components purchased using the payment plan are considered paid in full. If you prefer that your candidates do not use the payment plan you may communicate your requirement to them. Please note that at this time the National Board cannot provide reports which will indicate payment methods and will be unable to confirm how the candidate's payment was submitted.
A candidate has already completed their component purchase using the payment plan/credit card but is eligible for Third-Party Payer funding. Can I still submit payment for them?
Yes. The candidate will have to withdraw the component and repurchase it when the Third-Party Payer funding (in the form of a coupon) has been posted to their National Board account (by the deadline of April 30). They will use the Third-Party Payer coupon to complete the purchase. If the candidate already scheduled their Component 1 after paying with personal funds, they will have to cancel their testing appointment after withdrawing from their component and reschedule the testing appointment after the component has been purchased using the Third-Party Payer coupon.

Contact

If you have additional questions that are not addressed in this document or on the application form, please submit your question to:
Dr. Boyd Rogan
boydrogan21@gmail.com
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