Iowa LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
Iowa marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 3 hours of ethics.
40
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Iowa LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Carryover | Up to 20 unused hours can carry into the next cycle. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- professional activitymax 20 hrs
- board servicemax 3 hrs
- authorshipmax 20 hrs
- carryovermax 20 hrs
Keeping the proof in order: what to keep for a CE audit, with every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Full board policy details
- The fixed statewide compliance period runs September 1 of an even-numbered year through September 30 of the next even-numbered year. The 25-month windows recur every 24 months, so September of each even-numbered year overlaps the closing and opening periods.
- All 40 hours may be earned through independent study, online, webinar, or live formats. Iowa has no live or in-person minimum and no distance-learning cap.
- Presentations, scholarly research, professional publication, first-time college teaching, authorship, and professional-board service share one combined 20-hour activity cap. Credits in any of those activities must be tagged professional_activity; authorship and board-service credits also use their specific category caps.
- Within the combined cap, presenting earns 2 hours per presentation hour, authorship earns 5 hours per page up to 20 hours, and board service is limited to 3 hours. College teaching counts only for the first offering. State-specific award conversions remain a manual documentation check.
- The rule limits repeat credit only for first-offering teaching and comparable presenter/author activities; it does not create a blanket attendee repeat-course prohibition.
- A first-time licensee owes no CE at first renewal. Hours earned from initial licensure through the second renewal may be used for that second renewal. Up to 50 percent (20 hours for LMHC/LMFT) of later excess CE may carry into the next biennium.
- Reactivation may be supported by a current active license in another jurisdiction instead of Iowa catch-up CE. Without that alternative, the rule calls for 40 hours when inactive fewer than 5 years and 80 hours when inactive more than 5 years; because the text does not resolve exactly 5 years and the engine lacks the out-of-state-license alternative, reactivation is left for manual review.
- Iowa does not preapprove providers. An activity must satisfy the Board's general criteria for organized professional learning, qualified presenters, stated objectives, and proof of completion.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Iowa LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Iowa LMFT CE free →Iowa LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Iowa LMFT licensees need?
Iowa requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years.
How many ethics hours are required for Iowa LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Iowa LMFT licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by September 30 of even years.
Is the first renewal different for new Iowa LMFT licensees?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- Iowa board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
Reviewed against the Iowa board source and refreshed 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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What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
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