Updated for 2026

Georgia LMFT & LAMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Georgia marriage and family therapists must complete 35 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT / LAMFT license, including 5 hours of professional ethics and 15 hours of MFT core.

35hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 35
15MFT core
5professional ethics

Next deadline: September 30, 2028The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

What the board saysGeorgia board rule
Thirty-five (35) hours1 of continuing education are required to be obtained within the two (2) year biennial licensure cycle1 to renew each license … A minimum of five (5)2 of the thirty-five (35) hours shall be specifically designated as continuing education in professional ethics2 … Ethics hours shall be obtained through synchronous activities only. (c) Of the remaining thirty (30) hours, a minimum of fifteen (15) shall be core hours3 and not more than fifteen (15) shall be related hours4. (d) A maximum of ten (10) hours5 of continuing education may be obtained asynchronously5 for each two-year renewal period … Independent Study is limited to five (5) hours6.
What it means
  1. 35 hours every two years
  2. 5 hours of professional ethics
  3. At least 15 core hours in your own specialty
  4. No more than 15 related hours from other specialties
  5. No more than 10 hours of asynchronous (self-paced) study
  6. No more than 5 hours of independent study
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 135-9-.01Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.6How we verify
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Requirements

Georgia LMFT & LAMFT requirements

Total

35 hoursYou need 35 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 35

The remaining 15 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
MFT Core
15
You need 15 hours each cycle.
Professional Ethics
5
You need 5 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Related
max 15 hrs
Home study / self-study
max 10 hrs
Independent study
max 5 hrs
Single activity
max 20 hrs per activity

Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$100. Biennial base fee; mailed forms add $10.
Board fee schedule
Late renewal total$150. October 1–31 total; mailed forms add $10.
Board fee schedule

CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

New licensees
The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, accredited university, state licensing board, licensing board other jurisdiction, national certifying body, governmental agency, and licensed hospital and recognized associations in mft, counseling, social work, psychology, psychiatry, and psychiatric nursing.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each course's completion date.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a $50 late fee.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 6 months before full compliance is required. If a Board audit reveals insufficient CE, the license is renewed under the condition that the licensee obtains the required hours within 6 months of the notice of deficiency. Failure to cure may subject the license to discipline.

To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.

Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before September 30, 2028.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

Also hold a Georgia LPC or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Georgia LPC and Georgia LCSW requirements.

Full board policy details
  • At least 25 of the 35 hours must be synchronous (live, real-time interactive such as in-person seminars, live webinars, or video conferences). A maximum of 10 hours per two-year cycle may be obtained asynchronously (recorded / on-demand, non-interactive). Live-interactive webinars count as synchronous.
  • The required 5 ethics hours must be obtained through synchronous activities only; self-paced ethics courses do not count.
  • A maximum of 5 hours per cycle may come from independent study (reading professional books/journals, preparing presentations or publications, research). Ethics hours and core specialty hours cannot be earned via independent study. Independent study hours must be attested by affidavit if audited. Independent study is the only credit that does not need to come from a Rule 135-9-.01 sponsor category, all other hours must.
  • No more than 20 hours may be claimed from any single continuing education activity or course, regardless of delivery format. This does not apply to multi-session professional conferences offering numerous distinct presentations (each session is a separate activity). Academic coursework converts at 1 semester hour = 15 CE hours, 1 quarter hour = 10 CE hours, capped at 20 hours per course; graduate courses must be offered by an academic department in the license's specialty at an accredited institution.
  • Related (non-specialty) hours: of the 30 hours beyond ethics, at least 15 must be core MFT content; no more than 15 of the 35 total hours may be "related hours" from the allied mental health professions (counseling, social work, psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing).
  • Activities approved by another state's licensure or certification board are acceptable only if that board regulates the same specialty as the Georgia license (marriage and family therapy for LMFT/LAMFT). Where the other jurisdiction has a composite board, the activity must be approved specifically in the MFT specialty category.
  • Instructor / presentation credit is counted under the Independent Study category and is therefore capped at 5 hours per cycle combined with all other independent study activities. Teaching or presenting the same course multiple times in a cycle does not yield credit beyond the 5-hour independent study cap. Repeating the same course as an attendee within a cycle generally yields credit only once (not codified, but duplicate hours are likely to be disqualified on audit).
  • Inactive status: full licensees (LMFT) may place a license inactive for up to 5 years, during which no renewal or CE is required. Associate licensees (LAMFT) cannot go inactive. To reactivate, the licensee must submit evidence of 35 CE hours (following the normal ethics/core distribution per Rule 135-9) obtained within the 2 years prior to the reactivation application. Inactive longer than 5 years requires reinstatement under Rule 135-6-.04, which requires 35 hours for each missed cycle.
  • Dual-license holders under the Composite Board (e.g. LMFT and LPC) may apply a single CE hour toward more than one specialty's renewal provided it meets that specialty's content requirements. The engine evaluates one license at a time; this is informational.
  • A licensee found deficient on audit may have the license renewed conditionally, requiring completion of the missing hours within 6 months of the notice of deficiency. This is not renewable or extendable; failure to cure may result in discipline.

Georgia LMFT & LAMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees need?

Georgia requires 35 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT / LAMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

How many ethics hours are required for Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees?

Of the total, 5 hours must be in professional ethics.

How often do Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

How much does Georgia LMFT / LAMFT license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$100. Biennial base fee; mailed forms add $10.
Board fee schedule
Late renewal total$150. October 1–31 total; mailed forms add $10.
Board fee schedule

CE course costs are separate. Late renewal does not authorize practice on an expired license.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Georgia requires 15 hours of MFT core.

Can Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 10 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Is the first renewal different for new Georgia LMFT / LAMFT licensees?

The first renewal is different. New licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements, such as prorated hours or first-cycle-only rules, and we apply them automatically.

Sources and verification

State source
Georgia board rule
Fee schedule
Georgia board fee schedule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.6

We reviewed this page against the Georgia board source, and we refresh it from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it

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Georgia guides & data

What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.Georgia mental health workforce data →27,494 active providers, or 243.3 per 100,000 residents, ranked 49 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Georgia CE requirement pages

Georgia LPCGeorgia LCSWGeorgia PsychologistGeorgia PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states