BCBA CEU requirements
What you need to recertify as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst: 32 CEUs every two years, the categories that are fixed, what counts, and how the audit works.
On this page
How many CEUs you need
A BCBA recertifies every two years and earns 32 CEUs during each cycle. Your cycle runs from your certification or last recertification date, and CEUs earned before the cycle starts don’t count toward it.
| Requirement | Per 2-year cycle |
|---|---|
| Total CEUs | 32 |
| Ethics CEUs (required) | 4 |
| Supervision CEUs (if you supervise) | 3, rising to 4 for cycles ending in 2027 and later |
| General "learning" CEUs | The balance (about 25) |
The required categories
Two parts of the 32 are fixed:
- Ethics: 4 CEUs. Every BCBA completes at least four ethics CEUs each cycle, tied to the BACB Ethics Code. See ethics courses.
- Supervision: 3 CEUs, if you supervise. If you supervise RBTs, BCaBAs, or trainees at any point in the cycle, at least three of your CEUs must be in supervision. If you don’t supervise, those hours can be general learning CEUs. See supervision training.
Everything else is general learning CEUs: the practice topics that keep you current, from assessment and treatment to OBM.
What counts, and what doesn’t carry over
- CEUs have to come from a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider. Academy for Behavioral Training is an ACE provider, so its courses count toward your recertification.
- Courses list their CE hours directly: a three-CEU course is about three hours of instruction.
- CEUs don’t carry over to the next cycle. Anything above 32 stays in the cycle you earned it.
The recertification process
- Earn 32 CEUs from ACE providers during your cycle, covering the ethics and (if applicable) supervision minimums.
- Keep your certificates. Each carries your name, BACB number, the provider’s ACE number, the CE hours, and the category.
- Recertify through your BACB account and attest that you’ve met the requirements.
- If audited, submit your certificates as documentation (see below).
Audits and record-keeping
The BACB audits a random sample of certificants and asks for documentation of the CEUs claimed. Keep your CE records for three years. Because your ABT certificates live in your account, you can re-download them any time you’re asked. More on certificates and audits.
A worked example
A BCBA who supervises two RBTs needs, across the two-year cycle: 4 ethics CEUs, 3 supervision CEUs, and 25 general learning CEUs, for 32 in total. A BCBA who doesn’t supervise needs the 4 ethics CEUs and 28 learning CEUs.
What one CEU is worth
One CEU is about one hour of instruction, and courses list their CE hours directly, so the math stays simple: a 3-CEU ethics course is an evening, the 8-hour supervision training is a weekend, and the full 32 is roughly 32 hours of instruction across your two years.
What BCBA CEUs cost
Across the market, single CEUs run from free to about $20 per credit hour, bundles cover a full cycle for $100 to $400, and subscriptions run $15 to $25 a month. ABT’s proposed pricing sits in the middle of that range: single courses from $39 at about $12 per CEU hour, or all-access at $24 a month or $199 a year, ethics and supervision included. Two courses are free.
How fast you can earn them
Courses are self-paced, so the limit is your calendar, not a class schedule. There’s no cohort to wait for and no live session to book: start a course tonight, pause when life interrupts, and your certificate is issued the moment you pass the check-in. A cycle that’s ending soon is recoverable; the 32 hours can be spread across two years or compressed into the last month of them.
Where free CEUs fit
Free CEUs from ACE providers count toward your 32 exactly like paid ones, and several providers, ABT included, offer them. The practical role of free courses is the first few credits and a look at how a provider teaches before you commit. ABT’s free courses issue the same certificate as everything else in the catalog.
What’s changing in 2027
For cycles ending in 2027 and later, the supervision minimum rises from 3 to 4 CEUs for anyone who supervises, and diversity content folds into integrated ethics. Read the full 2027 summary. RBT renewal already changed in 2026: the annual competency assessment is gone, replaced by 12 professional-development hours every two years. The 2026 RBT rules.
Prototype draft. Requirements are summarized from the BACB for review; ABT faculty verify all regulatory details before publication.