BCBA recertification in 2026: how many CEUs you need and how to report them

Ethics and supervision CEUs count toward the total; they are not added on top¹. Supervision CEUs apply to any BCBA who, at any point in the cycle, supervised an RBT, a BCaBA or a trainee¹. For BCaBAs, they apply when supervising RBTs².

The BACB recognizes three activity types, with no limit per type as long as activities are not repeated¹:

Repeating an activity does not earn new CEUs, and extra CEUs do not carry over to the next cycle¹.

Since March 2025, an ethics CEU is an event about the BACB’s ethics requirements or about cultural and contextual responsiveness. Most of the event must focus on that topic: a passing mention does not count¹⁴.

The diversity, equity and inclusion category the BACB had announced was dropped before it took effect⁵.

The BACB authorizes ACE providers, but it does not review or approve each event they offer⁶. Before you enroll, look the provider up in the BACB’s ACE Provider Verification Registry, which lists only active providers⁶.

The event certificate must state how many CEUs it awards and how many are ethics or supervision CEUs. You are the one who uploads it to your BACB account⁶.

If your date passes, your certification becomes inactive: you cannot bill, practice or supervise. You have 30 days to reinstate it with the late fee; after that it expires, and you would have to apply again under the requirements in place at that time¹.

If the BACB audits your CEUs and the documentation is missing, incorrect or duplicated, the certification also expires¹.

Starting January 1, 2027, the BACB requires BCBAs who supervise to complete 4 supervision CEUs instead of 3⁴. The document does not say how this applies to cycles already in progress on that date, so confirm with the BACB before you plan your CEUs. Nothing changes for BCaBAs: 20 CEUs, with 4 in ethics and 3 in supervision⁵.

The 8-hour supervision training is still required before you start supervising¹. And the «6th edition» going around is not a new Ethics Code: it is the BCBA exam’s Test Content Outline (6th ed.), in effect since January 1, 2025. The Ethics Code is still the 2022 one¹⁷.

If your renewal falls in 2026, you still renew as in past years, with the competency assessment. That renewal starts your first 2-year cycle, with 12 hours of professional development (PDUs) and a $50 fee³. Ongoing supervision does not count as professional development³.

Minimum supervision is still 5% of your service hours each month, with at least 2 real-time contacts, 1 observation and 1 individual contact; groups are 2 to 10 RBTs³.