Free resources / PDU requirements
Guide for RBTs
The RBT PDU requirement, in plain English
What the BACB's professional development requirement means for your recertification: how many PDUs, when your cycle starts, and what counts.
The short version
- 12 PDUs in every two-year recertification cycle.
- The requirement starts once you certify or recertify in 2026. You can't start earning PDUs before then.
- PDUs come from three places: ACE provider events, in-service training at your job, or behavior-analytic university coursework.
- RBTs earn PDUs, not CEUs. A BCBA continuing education event won't count.
When does my cycle start?
Your PDU cycle is tied to your own certification dates, not the calendar year. Once you certify or recertify in 2026, your two-year cycle begins and you'll report 12 PDUs when you next recertify. If your last recertification was before 2026, you don't start earning PDUs until the next one. Your BACB account shows your dates.
Three ways to earn PDUs
| Source | Who offers it | When | Your document |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACE provider event | A BACB Authorized Continuing Education Provider, like Applied School House | Usually on your own time; open to any RBT | RBT Professional Development: ACE Event form |
| In-service training | Your employer, taught by a BCaBA, BCBA or BCBA-D | Usually on company time; only for that employer's RBTs | RBT Professional Development: In-Service Event form |
| University coursework | An accredited university; the course must be behavior-analytic | Any time; you need a C or better | Syllabus and transcript |
For university coursework, one semester credit hour equals 15 PDUs, so a three-credit course is worth 45.
What counts
PD content has to cover or expand on:
- the RBT 2026 40-Hour Training Requirements and Curriculum Outline
- the RBT Ethics Code (2.0)
- other BACB requirements
- other behavior-analytic topics appropriate for RBT practice, such as caregiver interaction, token economies, discrete trial teaching or assent-based treatment
Events must be structured, taught by a BCaBA, BCBA or BCBA-D, and have learning objectives. You need to be present for the whole event.
What doesn't count
- Training about a specific client or program
- Company policies and procedures
- Individual or group supervision about client programming
- BCBA exam prep
- ABA program or data-management software training
- Retaking the 40-hour RBT training
- CPR training
- CE events for BCBAs and BCaBAs
Keep your forms
Upload each PDU form to your BACB account and keep your own copy. Our free PDU tracker keeps a running total and prints a clean record.
Source: BACB, RBT Professional Development. This guide is educational information, not certification advice.