What Does EPLS Stand For?

The Short Answer: Estate Planning Law Specialist

EPLS stands for Estate Planning Law Specialist. It is a professional certification for attorneys who concentrate their practice on estate planning. Unlike many credentials that are open to anyone willing to take a course, this one is built around a lawyer's license, years of practice, peer references and a national examination.

If you are searching because you saw the letters after an attorney's name, or because you are weighing whether to pursue them yourself, this article explains what each word in the title signals, who administers the credential and what it takes to earn it. For a broader walk-through of the credential itself, see our overview of what EPLS is, and for the acronym's usage in everyday conversation, our page on EPLS meaning.

Who Stands Behind the Name

The Estate Planning Law Specialist designation is offered through the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. The examination and certification process are administered by NAEPC's Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. (ELSB), an attorney-run subsidiary. The issuer reports that the program was reaccredited by the American Bar Association on February 3, 2025.

Two details are worth noting for candidates:

• The administrator is attorney-run. The board that evaluates your application and examination is composed of lawyers, which shapes the emphasis on peer review and professional standing.
• No commercial testing-center vendor is identified. Delivery options described by the issuer are online and hardcopy, available after your application is approved, with an attorney proctor rather than a conventional testing-center appointment.

Membership in a local NAEPC-affiliated council is encouraged but not required. It does, however, affect your initial application fee, which we cover below and in our EPLS certification cost breakdown.

Why the Acronym Causes Confusion

A short acronym used by multiple organizations makes search results messy. A candidate typing "EPLS" into a search engine may land on pages describing entirely different programs. The practical advice is simple: confirm the full name, confirm the issuing body and use the issuer's own pages as the final word on requirements.

The credible identity markers for this credential are:

• The full name: Estate Planning Law Specialist
• The issuer: NAEPC, through its Estate Law Specialist Board
• The audience: licensed attorneys, not financial advisors or paralegals
• The core hurdle: a national multiple-choice examination plus a documented practice record

Third-party directories and older pages sometimes carry outdated details. For example, some older descriptions refer to a one-third practice-involvement threshold, while the current standards set it at 40%. When a third-party page conflicts with the issuer, trust the issuer. Our what does EPLS stand for and what does EPLS mean pages address the same question from different search angles.

What the Designation Signals About a Lawyer

Each word in the title carries meaning in how the program is structured.

"Estate Planning"

The subject is estate planning law, with sample exam material touching on estate and gift tax, planning techniques and professional ethics. Candidates are expected to be comfortable with the interplay between the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations and real planning documents.

"Law"

This is an attorney credential. An active law license in good standing is a prerequisite, and the proctor for your examination must be an actively licensed attorney who is unrelated to you and outside your firm. That is a notable contrast with multidisciplinary designations open to non-lawyers.

"Specialist"

The word "specialist" reflects the practice-concentration requirement. You cannot qualify by dabbling: at least 40% of your normal full-time practice must have been in estate planning during the preceding five years. Peer references add a second layer of verification.

The Prerequisites Built Into the Name

Before you ever see an exam question, you must clear eligibility. The published standards require:

• An active law license in good standing
• At least five years as a practicing attorney
• At least 40% of normal full-time practice in estate planning during the preceding five years
• Professional liability coverage of at least $1,000,000 per claim
• Eight professional referrers, with at least five favorable responses, a majority who have known you for at least three years, and no relatives or same-firm references
• Continuing legal education: the standards require at least 12 CLE hours per year over the preceding 36 months

No separate degree or fixed training course is published beyond the licensure, practice and CLE standards. The whole process, including application, examination and returned references, must finish within two years of the date your application is received, or the file closes and you must reapply. Our EPLS requirements guide goes deeper on each item.

What the Exam Covers: Three Topic Areas

The exam consists of 80 multiple-choice questions. The issuer's sample-question introduction points to three broad areas, which we treat as study domains. These are unweighted preparation topics drawn from the issuer's sample page, not a formal blueprint with published percentages, so do not assume one carries the most points.

One caution: the issuer's live sample page uses historical assumptions, including 2001 death and gift facts and a 7% Section 7520 rate. Treat those as exercise assumptions, not current rules. The issuer's study-materials page recommends the currently applicable Code and Regulations along with estate-planning texts; the bibliography there includes older editions and a 2022 eighth edition of Wills, Trusts, and Estates. It is a resource list, not a versioned syllabus. The official sample introduction also says applicable Code and Regulations tables are supplied on the examination, though a general open-book rule is not publicly verified. For a deeper breakdown, see our EPLS exam domains guide.

Fees, Timing and Exam Mechanics

Retake rules

• A second attempt is permitted 90 to 365 days after the first.
• A third attempt must come at least 90 days after the second and within 365 days of the first.
• After three failures, you must wait at least six months and reapply.

Because the application, references and exam all sit inside a two-year completion window, build a calendar backward from the deadline rather than starting with the exam.

Keeping the Title After You Earn It

The certification lasts five years, but it is not passive. Maintenance includes:

• Annual maintenance filings with an insurance declaration
• 15 estate-planning CLE hours each year
• Annual renewal at $350
• A five-year recertification at $400

Notably, five-year recertification reassesses your practice involvement, peer review, education and good standing without requiring another examination. In other words, the national exam is a one-time gate, while ongoing practice quality is monitored through the maintenance cycle.

EPLS Versus AEP

NAEPC also offers the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation, which is aimed at a multidisciplinary audience. The two are related by sponsor but serve different professionals.

Candidates who are attorneys sometimes ask whether to pursue one, the other or both. The deciding factors are usually your role, your referral relationships and how you want to present your practice. Consult the issuer's AEP page for that credential's specific requirements, since they differ from those described here.

Advertising the Designation

An important practical point: state-specific rules govern how a lawyer may advertise a specialist designation. Rules vary by jurisdiction, and some states restrict or condition the use of the word "specialist" in marketing. A state-bar specialization is also a separate credential with its own rules; EPLS is not a substitute for it.

Before updating your letterhead, website or directory profiles, check your own state's rules of professional conduct and any disclaimer language they require.

Sequencing Your Preparation by Topic

This is the only study-method section in this article, and it is tied to the three topic areas. Because the exam leans on Code and Regulations application, schedule tax-heavy material when you have the most uninterrupted time, and use ethics as a lighter finishing review.

For a fuller plan, see our EPLS study guide, a quick fact review in the EPLS cheat sheet and an honest look at difficulty in how hard the EPLS exam is. When you are ready to test yourself, try the practice tests on the main site.

Frequently Asked Questions