Your RBT Renewal Is Changing. Get Ready Now.
After you are newly certified or recertify in 2026, the BACB requires 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in each 2-year recertification cycle. Your first deadline is two years after your own 2026 date.
The New 12-PDU Requirement: What Changed for Your RBT Renewal
Right Now
Renewing your RBT requires your supervisor's sign-off and a competency assessment. No courses. No continuing education.
After your 2026 recertification
You will need 12 Professional Development Units every two years. PDUs are earned through approved training from qualified instructors.
What Counts Changes
From July 2026: participation monitoring: at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU for asynchronous or recorded CE (or other active responding).
CE and PD Are Not the Same Thing
Continuing Education (CE) is for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and BCaBAs. Professional Development (PD) is for RBTs. They are separate designations under Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) rules.
A course designated as CE does not count as PD. A course designated as PD does not count as CE. They are mutually exclusive.
What this means for you: your supervisor's CE courses do not count toward your PDU requirement. You need PD-designated content specifically.
Three Ways to Earn Your 12 PDUs
1. ACE Provider Courses
Training from BACB-authorized Continuing Education providers. Special Learning is an ACE provider (OP-14-2437). We are designating PD courses delivered by BCBAs specifically for RBTs.
Highest credibility. Audit-proof documentation.
2. In-Service Training
Professional development sessions facilitated by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D at your workplace. If your agency has a qualified supervisor, they can lead PD sessions that count toward your 12 PDUs.
Available through your employer at no extra cost.
3. University Coursework
Courses at accredited universities taught by faculty with qualifying credentials (BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D).
Higher cost, limited availability.
What You Can Do Right Now
Talk to Your Employer
Many ABA agencies provide a professional development budget or training stipend. If your employer pays for training, share this page with your clinical director.
Agencies: Volume pricing will be available for organizations purchasing seats for multiple RBTs. See our organizations page for current options.
Free PDU Planning Tools
Plan your PDUs, check if your training counts, compare costs, and track your progress.
Your Career in ABA
What Professionals Say
My experience in this training was amazing! Each chapter has its own video and PowerPoint presentation and everything was detailed and well explained. It lets you do it in your own time and makes me feel that I want to learn more.
Thanks to that course I am completing almost a year and a half at Love2Learn Consulting, was recently certified as an RBT, and am well into a Masters in ABA. None of this would have been possible without Special Learning.
I just wanted to say a big thank you for your amazing courses. I have enrolled a number of my staff and they are loving it. I have also seen their ability and understanding improve, which has improved their work output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Professional Development Units. You need 12 PDUs every 2-year certification cycle, averaging 6 per year.
12 PDUs per 2-year certification cycle.
After becoming newly certified or recertifying in 2026, RBTs start a two-year PDU cycle. The first deadline is two years after your own 2026 date, in 2028.
Continuing Education (CE) is for BCBAs and BCaBAs. Professional Development (PD) is for RBTs. They are separate BACB designations. A course designated as CE does not count as PD, and a course designated as PD does not count as CE. Your supervisor's CE courses do not count toward your PDU requirement.
Video-based courses with assessments, live workshops, conferences, and supervised training led by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D. Effective July 1, 2026, the BACB ACE Provider standard adds participation monitoring: asynchronous or recorded CE must include at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU (or other active responding). Passive recordings with no active responding no longer count on their own.
Yes. In-service training facilitated by a BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D at your workplace counts toward your 12 PDUs. Many agencies combine vendor-provided PD courses with internal in-service sessions.
Many ABA agencies provide professional development budgets or training stipends. Special Learning will offer volume pricing for agencies purchasing seats for multiple RBTs. Share this page with your clinical director.
You need a 40-hour foundational training course, supervised practical experience, and to pass the RBT exam. Choose a 40-hour course from a BACB-authorized provider.com for initial certification.
No. CE courses are designated for BCBAs and BCaBAs. PD courses are designated for RBTs. They are not interchangeable under BACB rules. You need PD-designated content specifically.