How to become an RBT in 2026: requirements, 40-hour training, exam and cost

The BACB designed RBT certification for people who already work where a BCBA or BCaBA provides services, so applying usually comes after you are hired there¹. These are the steps, in the order the requirements are built:

1. Meet the eligibility requirements: 18 or older, high school education or equivalent, and passed criminal background and abuse registry checks.¹
2. Complete the 40-hour training, in no fewer than 5 days and no more than 180.²
3. Complete the Initial Competency Assessment after the training, no more than 90 days before you apply.³
4. Create your BACB portal account, upload your documents and pay the $65 application fee. Allow two weeks for review.¹
5. Schedule and pass the exam with Pearson VUE, within one year of your approval.¹
6. Get a supervisor to add you as a supervisee. Only then can you work as an RBT.¹

The BACB asks you to meet the requirements in place on the day you apply, and to take the version of the exam in effect when you schedule it¹.

• You must be at least 18 when you submit the application, with at least a high school education or equivalent¹.
• You need a criminal background check and an abuse registry check, each completed and passed no more than 180 days before you pay the application¹. They must be comparable to those required for home health aides, child care professionals and teachers where you will work¹.
• The BACB does not require fingerprinting, but your state or employer may¹.
• An Attesting Certificant confirms these items on the attestation form. That person cannot be related to, subordinate to or employed by you¹.
• Your name in the BACB account must match your identification exactly, or you will not be able to take the exam¹.

The training must total at least 40 hours, completed in no fewer than 5 days and no more than 180². It can be in person, online or both².

The BACB does not offer the training, so ask each provider for its price and format¹. Your certificate must say that the program is designed to meet the 2026 requirement and is offered independent of the BACB².

After the training, you must show you can perform the tasks of the Initial Competency Assessment. It must be done after the 40-hour training and no more than 90 days before you apply³.

• The responsible assessor is a BCaBA or BCBA who completed the 8-hour supervision training³.
• That assessor must work at the same organization as you and the clients involved, or have a contract with them³.
• Assistant assessors must hold an active RBT certification or higher³.
• Neither can be related to, subordinate to or employed by you during the assessment³.
• The assessor may be the same person who taught your 40-hour training³.

In practice, the same-organization rule means you need a service provider with clients before you can finish this step.

The application stays active for 90 days, so apply only when you have every document¹. You have one year from approval to sit for the exam¹.

The exam has 85 multiple-choice questions, 75 of them scored, and lasts 90 minutes¹. It tests the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.)¹. Anyone who tests on or after January 1, 2026 sees the new content, even if the application was approved earlier⁴. You can attempt it up to 8 times within 12 months of approval, waiting 7 days between attempts¹.

Your certification is inactive after you pass, and you cannot use it under any circumstances until your supervisor adds you as a supervisee in their BACB account¹. If you pass on or after January 1, 2026, you have two years before your first recertification⁴.

Next, read how to meet the monthly supervision requirements and how the 12 professional development units work.

Florida Medicaid’s coverage policy lists registered behavior technicians credentialed by the BACB among those who can deliver the service, working under the supervision of a BCBA or BCaBA⁵. In its August 12, 2026 presentation to the ABA Task Force, AHCA places in 2019 the requirement that behavior technicians have RBT certification⁶. Each health plan has its own enrollment and billing rules, so confirm them with your employer and the plan.

The handbook is dated 06/2026, and the BACB publishes new versions quarterly as needed¹. The 2026 training, assessment and exam content apply to applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026⁴. Check the BACB site before you apply, and confirm Florida requirements with your employer and the plan.