What an ABA clinic tracks as RBTs move to two-year recertification

What changed, with the status first

The BACB has moved the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential from a one-year to a two-year recertification cycle, under requirements in effect since January 1, 2026. An RBT who recertifies during 2026 goes through the annual process one last time, including the RBT Recertification Competency Assessment, and their two-year cycle starts once they are recertified. In that cycle they must earn 12 professional development units (PDUs), and anyone certified or recertified in 2026 next recertifies in 2028, with no competency assessment.^[1][2] As of November 5, 2026, the RBT Handbook (updated 10/2026) describes annual recertification "through December 31, 2026," so RBTs with November and December dates are the last to recertify the annual way.^[1]

Who it affects

Current RBTs and their supervisors. The handbook says the competency assessment must be "overseen by a qualified BACB-certified RBT supervisor" and completed "no more than 45 days prior to your expiration date," and the application opens in the RBT's portal account up to 45 days before that date.^[1] The work lands on supervisors' calendars as well as the RBTs'.

RBTs certified during 2026. They already have a two-year window. The transition guidance says they need 12 PDUs before their recertification date and then submit an application, with "no competency assessment" required.^[2]

RBTs on voluntary inactive status. One who went inactive before their 2026 recertification recertifies under the pre-2026 requirements on return, then moves to the two-year cycle.^[2]

What stays the same. Ongoing supervision remains a minimum of 5% of the hours an RBT spends providing behavior-analytic services each calendar month, with at least two face-to-face, real-time contacts. Supervision and professional development "are separate requirements, and one event cannot cover both."^[1]

What to check this month

Every RBT's expiration date. The handbook says the annual date is "typically on the one-year anniversary of the date you passed the examination" and appears on the BACB Certificant Registry.^[1] Read it off the registry rather than a hire-date spreadsheet.

Assessment time on the calendar. For each RBT with a November or December date, book the competency assessment with a qualified supervisor inside the 45-day window, and leave room before the date: the handbook tells RBTs to allow two weeks for processing.^[1] An RBT whose date is December 20 is inside that window from about today.

Who files it. The RBT, from their own account. The handbook tells RBTs: "do not share your account information with anyone else, including your employer."^[1] The clinic's part is the supervisor's time and a reminder, not the login.

Anyone already past their date. An RBT who misses it becomes inactive and has a 30-day reinstatement period with a late fee. While inactive, the handbook says they are "not permitted to practice, bill, or represent" themselves as an RBT.^[1] Check registry status before that person's next scheduled session. After the reinstatement period, the certification expires, and returning means reapplying under the current eligibility rules, including the new 40-hour training.^[1][2] Our post on RBT phone screen questions covers those rules from the hiring side.

The new date, once it exists. Record it, two years out. In the handbook's example, an RBT with a September 30, 2026 recertification date counts only PDUs earned from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2028. Missed PDUs cannot be made up during reinstatement, and extras do not carry over.^[1]

In-service training, if you plan to offer it. Training from the RBT's own organization is one of three PDU routes, beside ACE Provider events and university coursework.^[1] The BACB's in-service requirements document sets the terms:^[3]

• The trainer holds an active BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D certification and works for the same organization, or is an invited speaker or guest of it.
• Each event has at least 25 minutes of instruction for 0.5 PDUs, with more awarded in steps of 0.5 or 1, and no rounding up.
• PDU documentation goes to participants on the BACB's form within 45 days, and the records, including the title and learning objectives, are kept for three years.
• Reviews of company policies, client- or program-specific training, ABA software training, CPR, the 40-hour training, and supervision meetings do not qualify.

A presentation counted in one cycle does not count again in the next.^[1] For what it's worth, our post on why RBTs leave looks at in-service training from the retention side.

What is still open

The start-year wording. The transition guidance says current RBTs "will not need to recertify in 2027," and that those certified or recertified in 2026 recertify in 2028.^[2] The handbook says applications are due "every two years beginning in 2027."^[1] Neither document explains the difference. To be clear, the date in each RBT's own portal account is the one to put on the calendar.

Late December dates. An RBT with a late December date who misses it would be in the reinstatement period in January 2027, a case the handbook does not address directly.^[1]

Further revisions. The handbook says new versions "will be published quarterly as needed," and the in-service document already carries a March 2026 update.^[1][3]

Confirm before acting

This post describes the BACB documents below as read on November 5, 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not say whether any RBT or clinic meets the requirements. Confirm specific dates with the BACB through each RBT's portal account, and check with your payer and your counsel where billing or employment is involved, before acting on any of it.

Primary sources

1. BACB, Registered Behavior Technician Handbook, updated 10/2026, read November 5, 2026.^[1]
2. BACB, Guidance for Meeting RBT Requirements During the 2026 Transition, updated 08/2025.^[2]
3. BACB, RBT Professional Development: In-Service Training Requirements, updated 03/2026.^[3]