Updated for 2026

Illinois LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Illinois marriage and family therapists must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
1sexual harassment prevention

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

What the board saysIllinois board rule
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) is required to complete 30 hours1 of continuing education for each license cycle (except for the first license cycle, when no CE is required.) The CE must be completed 24 months1 before the expiration date printed on the license. The CE must include the following topics/categories: • 1 hour Sexual Harassment Prevention training2 …
What it means
  1. 30 hours every 2 years
  2. 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention
IDFPR CE Fact Sheet, 68 IAC 1283.110Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
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Requirements

Illinois LMFT requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 29 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Sexual Harassment Prevention
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. Two-year renewal amount.
Board fee schedule
Expired-license restoration charge$20. For licenses expired five years or less, plus all lapsed renewal fees; over five years costs $300.
Board fee schedule

Restoration is distinct from ordinary renewal; inactive-status and waiver provisions may differ. CE course costs are separate.

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, accredited university, governmental agency, state licensing board, and board approved sponsor and recognized associations in mft.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a late fee.

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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Illinois LMFT required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Illinois requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year cycle

  • DCFS-approved mandated reporter training (Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse). Required of all Illinois LMFTs as designated mandated reporters. Non-medical personnel must complete the training at least once every three years. Required at renewal regardless of any CE exemption, including at the FIRST renewal, when the 30-hour CE requirement is otherwise waived, because it is a condition of licensure under a separate statute (325 ILCS 5/4), not a CE rule. The hour may be counted toward the 30-hour CE requirement if taken through an acceptable provider.
Full board policy details
  • No live/self-study ratio. 100% of the 30 hours may be earned via approved distance learning (pre-recorded online, live online, mail, or computer courses). Non-live courses must include an examination to verify participation. No in-person minimum and no daily maximum.
  • Teaching credit is granted at 1.5 CE hours per hour taught and ONLY for the first presentation of a course or program, no credit for repetitious presentations. Academic MFT program coursework counts as 15 CE hours per semester hour. Authoring a professional publication or delivering a first-time conference presentation earns 5 CE hours, only the first time the information is published or presented. Attendees may not receive credit for repeating an identical CE course within the same renewal period.
  • CE sponsor approval: AAMFT is named in the rule as a pre-approved CE sponsor, and entities other than AAMFT may apply to the Division for authorization as approved CE sponsors under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1283.110(c). CE must come from an approved sponsor unless the activity is one of the by-rule credit categories (teaching, publication, academic coursework). 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1283.110(b)(1) and 1283.110(c).
  • Out-of-state / individual course approval: IDFPR provides an approval process for courses not automatically approved for credit. A licensee may submit materials for an out-of-state or otherwise non-approved course to the Division to obtain CE credit for it. Not enforced structurally, a course approved through this pathway should be entered with its provider marked approved at credit-entry time.
  • Inactive status: no CE is required while a license is on inactive status. Reactivation/restoration after a lapse or inactive period of 5 years or less requires proof of 30 CE hours earned within the two years prior to restoration. For a lapse/inactive period over 5 years, the applicant must also submit proof of active practice in another jurisdiction, an affidavit of military service, or re-passing the national MFT exam. There is no age or length-of-practice CE waiver; hardship relief is via a Section 1283.120 variance request only. No retired-license category exists, a license is either active (with CE) or inactive (no CE until reactivation). 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1283.90 (restoration) and 1283.120 (variances).
  • Multi-license credit reuse: a licensee holding multiple IDFPR licenses (e.g. LMFT and LCPC) may apply the same CE hour toward each license's requirement if the content is relevant to each and the provider is approved for each profession. The engine evaluates one license at a time; this is informational only.

Illinois LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Illinois LMFT licensees need?

Illinois requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How often do Illinois LMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How much does Illinois LMFT license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. Two-year renewal amount.
Board fee schedule
Expired-license restoration charge$20. For licenses expired five years or less, plus all lapsed renewal fees; over five years costs $300.
Board fee schedule

Restoration is distinct from ordinary renewal; inactive-status and waiver provisions may differ. CE course costs are separate.

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

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Illinois LMFT licensees?

Yes. Illinois requires 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention.

Is the first renewal different for new Illinois LMFT 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
Illinois board rule
Fee schedule
Illinois board fee schedule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

We reviewed this page against the Illinois 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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Illinois 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.Illinois mental health workforce data →56,193 active providers, or 441.8 per 100,000 residents, ranked 25 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Illinois CE requirement pages

Illinois LPCIllinois LCSWIllinois PsychologistIllinois PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states