After one more recertification the old way, every RBT earns 12 Professional Development Units every 2 years. If you recertify in 2026, your first PDU deadline is your recertification date in 2028. Get the plain-English guide.
Our free guide covers the new 40-hour training, recertification, and what counts as a PDU.
Read the free guideEvery RBT will earn 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in each 2-year recertification cycle. RBTs who recertify in 2026 do it the old way one last time, and their first 2-year cycle starts once they're recertified.
Your 2-year PDU cycle starts the day after your 2026 recertification date. Only PDUs earned inside that cycle count. If your recertification date is September 30, 2026, PDUs from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2028, count toward your next recertification.
For recertification, the 12 PDUs replace the recertification competency assessment going forward: RBTs who recertify in 2026 complete that assessment one final time, then meet the requirement by earning 12 PDUs each 2-year cycle instead. (The initial RBT Competency Assessment required to first earn the credential is unchanged.) PDU content should build on the RBT 2026 40-hour training outline, the RBT Ethics Code (2.0), or other topics that fit RBT work, such as working with supervisors or managing stress.
The BACB recognizes three distinct pathways for earning RBT PDUs. No single pathway is required. You can mix and match.
RBT professional-development events from BACB-authorized ACE providers.
In-service training at your own organization given by a BCaBA, BCBA or BCBA-D, as long as it is not about one client's program.
Behavior-analytic university courses passed with a C or better (or "pass"). You'll need the syllabus and transcript.
For the most current and complete PDU documentation requirements, always refer to the BACB's official RBT Handbook.
You may have seen references to a "July 1, 2026 deadline" — here's what that date actually means.
Starting July 1, 2026, the BACB requires that ACE Providers monitor active participation in asynchronous courses; the handbook's example measure is a minimum of 3 knowledge-assessment questions per PDU/CEU, or another form of required active responding. This is a course-construction standard for the providers who build PDU content — it is not a date by which RBTs must have PDUs completed. Recorded presentations and self-paced online modules with videos, reading, activities or quizzes still qualify when they include at least three knowledge questions per PDU, or other active responding. Reading an article or book on its own and answering a quiz does not.
The practical upside for you: any course built by a compliant provider now includes stronger knowledge checks, which is a quality signal. When you shop for PDU content, look for providers already building to this standard.
Our free guide covers the new 40-hour training, recertification, and what counts as a PDU.
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