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
Before the 2026 transition
Before the 2026 transition, the RBT renewal model did not include the new 12-PDU cycle. Use the current BACB transition instructions and your own certification dates.
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
Since July 1, 2026, ACE events must meet the current participation requirements. An asynchronous event must assess engagement; the handbook gives knowledge checks and other active responses as examples. A structured asynchronous module can include reading. A journal club is a synchronous discussion: independently reading its article and completing a knowledge check is not a journal club. Check the particular event’s CE or PD designation, content, participation requirements and documentation; a format alone does not establish credit.
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
ACE providers can designate qualifying PD events. Special Learning’s RBT PD library is not currently on sale. Check the particular event’s actual designation and requirements.
Check the event’s PD designation, instructor qualifications and required documentation.
2. In-Service Training
Employer training counts only if it meets the applicable BACB pathway’s content, instructor and documentation requirements. Ask the employer for the specific event record; a staff member’s credential alone is insufficient.
Ask your employer whether it offers qualifying in-service PD, what it includes and whether there is a charge.
3. University Coursework
Check qualifying university coursework and the separate PDU conversion in the RBT Handbook; the in-service instructor rule is not a universal faculty rule.
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.
Ask about current learning options and terms. No future group price or product launch is promised here.
Free PDU Planning Tools
Plan your PDUs, check if your training counts, compare costs, and track your progress.
Your Career in ABA
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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.
Since July 1, 2026, ACE events must meet the current participation requirements. An asynchronous event must assess engagement; the handbook gives knowledge checks and other active responses as examples. A structured asynchronous module can include reading. A journal club is a synchronous discussion: independently reading its article and completing a knowledge check is not a journal club. Check the particular event’s CE or PD designation, content, participation requirements and documentation; a format alone does not establish credit.
Employer training counts only if it meets the applicable BACB pathway’s content, instructor and documentation requirements. Ask the employer for the specific event record; a staff member’s credential alone is insufficient.
Ask about current learning options and terms. No future group price or product launch is promised here.
For initial RBT training, use the BACB’s current RBT requirements and confirm the provider’s course meets them. This page does not offer the old $99 course.
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.