If you're an RBT, the way you stay certified is changing. On top of your usual recertification, there's now a Professional Development Unit (PDU) requirement — and it's already active. Here's the plain-language version, with no deadline scare tactics.
The three facts that actually matter
1. You now need 12 PDUs every 2 years. The 12-PDU-per-2-year-cycle requirement has been in effect since January 1, 2026. It's added on top of — not a replacement for — your annual Recertification Competency Assessment, which you still complete with your supervisor.
2. Your clock is tied to your renewal anniversary — not a calendar deadline. Current RBTs complete one more renewal under the old assessment in 2026; after that, your 2-year PDU cycle begins. For most RBTs who recertify in 2026, the first 12-PDU deadline lands in January 2028. That's plenty of runway — if you start banking steadily instead of scrambling at the end.
3. PDUs are not CEUs. CEUs are for BCBAs and BCaBAs. RBTs earn PDUs. They're tracked separately, so a course built for BCBA continuing education does not automatically count for your RBT renewal. Make sure what you earn is the right currency.
Where your PDUs can come from
You have more than one path. PDUs can be earned through:
- BACB ACE Provider courses (Special Learning is an active ACE Provider, OP-14-2437)
- In-service training delivered by a qualified BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D
- University coursework
The content has to be behavior-analytic and aligned to the current RBT Test Content Outline (3rd edition).
Two things you may have heard that aren't true
Myth: "There's a July 1 deadline for RBTs to have their PDUs." No. There is a July-1-2026 change, but it's a rule for how providers build their courses — not a deadline for you. Your PDU clock is your own renewal anniversary.
Myth: "The courses you've already completed are being invalidated." No. Nothing you've already earned is taken away. The 12-PDU requirement is simply new and ongoing — it applies going forward.
