BACB ACE Provider · OP-14-2437• Founded 2010• 32,000+ customers• 140+ countries• V-CAT Consultation
Store Sign in ES

Last verified: March 31, 2026 | Source: BACB, Special Learning

BCBA CEU Requirements: Complete Guide

Everything Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) need to know about continuing education requirements for certification maintenance.

Quick Reference

Credential Cycle Total CEUs Ethics Supervision General
BCBA 2 years 32 4 minimum 3 (if you supervised) 25 remaining
BCaBA 2 years 20 4 minimum N/A 16 remaining
Common error: Many sources incorrectly state the BCBA cycle is 3 years. The correct cycle length is 2 years.

Which CEUs Count Toward Recertification?

CEUs must come from a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider. The BACB maintains a directory of ACE Providers.

July 2026 Change: 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. Article-and-quiz, journal clubs, and podcasts remain valid when they meet this.

Accepted CEU formats include:

FormatAccepted?
Live webinars and workshopsYes
Video-based courses with knowledge assessmentYes
In-person conferences and seminarsYes
University coursework (per BACB criteria)Yes
Article + quiz (no video)No (as of July 2026)
Code word attendance verification onlyNo (as of July 2026)

Credentialing Bodies

This table lists only bodies whose current standing we can evidence today. A body not listed here is not a statement about that body either way.

BodyFull NameSL Approval
BACBBehavior Analyst Certification BoardACE Provider #OP-14-2437
QABAQualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing BoardListed as a CE provider (no CEU attribution)

Cost Comparison

OptionCEUsPricePer CEU
CE Library (Special Learning)32.5$199 for 12 months$6.12
CE Bundles (Special Learning)32.5$199 for 12 months$6.12
Build Your Own (Special Learning)Flexible$299 for 12 monthsVaries
Individual conference6-12 typical$200-800$20-65
Individual webinar1-2 typical$30-75$15-40

RBT Requirements (Different from BCBA)

Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) have completely different requirements from BCBAs.

Current: RBTs have zero continuing education requirements.
In effect since 1 January 2026: RBTs must earn 12 Professional Development Units (PDUs) per 2-year cycle. The first deadline is January 2028 — nothing is due in 2027.
Important distinction: PDUs and CEUs are different and mutually exclusive per the BACB. CE-designated courses do NOT count as PDUs for RBTs.

About this page: This reference page is maintained by Special Learning (BACB ACE Provider #OP-14-2437). Data is verified against BACB published standards. 32,000+ customers in 140+ countries trust Special Learning for continuing education.

Questions? Contact contact@special-learning.com or call 916-264-9651.

Related: What Is ABA Therapy? • BCBA vs RBT
Machine-readable version: llms.txt | API (JSON)

Free Tools and Guides From Special Learning

Every free tool and guide we have is on our free resources page right now. No spam, just helpful resources.

Authorization as an ACE Provider does not imply endorsement or approval of the ACE event content by the BACB.

BCBA CEU questions

BCBAs need 32 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per 2-year certification maintenance cycle. This must include at least 4 Ethics CEUs and 3 Supervision CEUs. The remaining 25 CEUs can be in any other content area.

The BCBA certification maintenance cycle is 2 years, not 3 years. BCBAs must complete all 32 CEUs within their 2-year cycle to maintain certification.

BCBA CEUs must come from a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) provider. 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. Article-and-quiz, journal clubs, and podcasts remain valid when they meet this.

BCBA CEU costs vary by provider. Special Learning offers 32.5 CEUs for $199 for 12 months through their CE Library for Behavior Analysts (BACB ACE Provider #OP-14-2437). That works out to approximately $6.12 per CEU. Volume pricing is available for organizations.

BCBAs must complete at least 4 CEUs in Ethics content per 2-year cycle. Ethics CEUs cover the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, professional conduct, client rights, and ethical decision-making in practice.

BCBAs must complete at least 3 CEUs in Supervision content per 2-year cycle. Supervision CEUs cover supervisory practices, training and mentoring behavior technicians, and oversight of ABA service delivery.

No. Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) need 20 CEUs per 2-year cycle, compared to 32 for BCBAs. BCaBAs can use the same BACB-authorized ACE Providers and courses as BCBAs.

Special Learning is an authorized ACE Provider with the BACB (Behavior Analyst Certification Board), provider number OP-14-2437, and is listed as a CE provider by the QABA Credentialing Board. Authorization as an ACE Provider does not imply BACB endorsement or approval of the event content.