Updated for 2026

Missouri LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Missouri marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 2 hours of suicide assessment.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
2suicide assessment

Next deadline: February 28, 2028The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of even years.

What the board saysMissouri board rule
A licensed marital and family therapist shall document and obtain forty (40) contact hours1 of continuing education (CE) prior to the expiration date of a license … A licensed marital and family therapist who is a faculty member at an accredited educational institution may receive up to a maximum of twenty (20) hours per year2 of continuing education credit for teaching at the educational institution. … A licensed marital and family therapist teaching formal continuing education hours may receive up to a maximum of four (4) hours per biennial cycle3 of continuing education credit. … A licensed marital and family therapist may obtain up to twenty (20) hours of self-study4 continuing education.
What it means
  1. 40 hours each renewal period
  2. Faculty teaching: up to 20 hours a year (40 per cycle)
  3. Up to 4 hours for teaching CE courses
  4. No more than 20 hours of self-study
20 CSR 2233-2.050Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
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Requirements

Missouri LMFT requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of even years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 38 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Suicide Assessment
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 20 hrs
Continuing education workshop instruction
max 4 hrs
Faculty teaching
max 40 hrs

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of even years.
Approved providers
Approved-provider examples apply to formal CE. Up to 20 self-study hours may be earned without provider approval, and the listed provider types and disciplines are illustrative rather than exclusive.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 4 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a late fee.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 24 months before full compliance is required. Missouri does not provide a conditional or probationary renewal license for an LMFT who is short on CE. An extension or waiver must be requested in writing at least 30 days before expiration for good cause. A new licensee issued an initial license shortly before the fixed renewal date may request an extension if unable to complete all hours, but the relief is discretionary rather than an automatic proration. Otherwise the license expires and the person must cease practice until the requirements are met. The 24-month figure describes the late-renewal window before a new reinstatement application is required; it is not the duration of an extension.

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 February 28, 2028.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Missouri LMFT required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 40-hour CE total, Missouri 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

  • For initial licensure after January 1, 2019, the 2-hour suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training must be completed as a one-time prerequisite and may be part of graduate coursework or self-study. This does not replace the recurring biennial suicide-training requirement.
Full board policy details
  • The fixed statewide biennial cycle ends with license expiration on February 28 of each even-numbered year. The next 24-month cycle begins March 1; it is not anchored to January 1.
  • Of the 40 required biennial hours, at least 20 must be formal continuing education (structured programs from approved sponsors, documented by a certificate of completion). Up to 20 hours may be self-study (reading professional books or journals, viewing or listening to relevant media, or preparing presentations for the public). Online courses from approved providers count as formal CE if a certificate is issued, so all 40 hours may be earned online. "Formal" does not mean live or in person, and there is no live-attendance minimum. Conference attendance yields 3 hours of credit per full day of attendance.
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: A presenter earns credit for a given subject matter only once per renewal period; no credit is granted for a subsequent presentation on the same subject matter during that renewal period. Teaching formal CE seminars is capped at 4 hours per biennium. Teaching at an academic institution is capped at 20 hours per year (40 per cycle). Publication activities have specified credit values (3 hours for a non-refereed article, 6 for a refereed article, 8 per book chapter, and up to 15 for authoring a book), and each work may be claimed only once. The rule does not impose a 15-hour aggregate publication cap per cycle.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: Missouri does not offer a formal inactive or retired status that exempts an LMFT from CE. A non-practicing licensee may allow the license to lapse. A license expired 61 days to 2 years may be renewed late with penalties, but all required CE, including 2 hours of suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management training, must be completed before renewal. After 2 years, reinstatement requires a new application with proof of the required CE completed within the two years immediately before reinstatement. A licensee unable to complete CE due to personal illness, military service, or other circumstances beyond the licensee's control may apply in writing at least 30 days before expiration for an extension of time or a waiver, granted at the committee's discretion.
  • FIRST RENEWAL: A newly licensed LMFT whose initial license was issued shortly before the fixed February 28 renewal date may request a discretionary extension if there is not enough time to complete all required CE hours. The rule does not establish automatic proration or an automatic first-renewal exemption; the licensee must request relief from the committee.
  • Dual license holders, such as an LMFT who also holds another Missouri license, may cross-count the same CE hours toward both licenses when the content is relevant to marriage and family therapy and was earned within the applicable timeframe.

Missouri LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Missouri LMFT licensees need?

Missouri requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of even years.

How often do Missouri LMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by February 28 of even years.

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

Yes. Missouri requires 2 hours of suicide assessment.

Can Missouri LMFT licensees complete CE online or by home study?

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Sources and verification

State source
Missouri board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

We reviewed this page against the Missouri 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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Missouri 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.Missouri mental health workforce data →21,153 active providers, or 337.3 per 100,000 residents, ranked 38 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Missouri CE requirement pages

Missouri LPCMissouri LCSWMissouri PsychologistMissouri PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states