Updated for 2026

Mississippi LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Mississippi marriage and family therapists must complete 24 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 4 hours of ethics.

24hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 24
4ethics

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

What the board saysMississippi board rule
All licensed marriage and family therapists must complete twenty-four (24) hours1 of approved continuing education during every two (2) year license period1. … Four (4) out of the twenty-four (24) must be approved MFT professional ethics hours2. … teaching may count for no more than twelve (12) hours3 of the biannual continuing education requirement; … No more than twelve (12) hours4 of the twenty-four (24) required hours may be earned in this manner during each two (2) year renewal period. No more than two (2) of those twelve (12) online hours can be applied to the four (4) required ethics5 continuing education.
What it means
  1. 24 hours every two years
  2. 4 hours of MFT professional ethics
  3. No more than 12 hours for teaching a graduate MFT course
  4. No more than 12 hours online or self-study
  5. At least 2 of the 4 ethics hours in person
Title 30, Part 1903, Rule 4.1Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

Mississippi LMFT requirements

Total

24 hoursYou need 24 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Topic minimums, counted within the 24

The remaining 20 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
4
You need 4 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 12 hrs
Ethics via in person
min 2 hrs
Academic teaching
max 12 hrs

Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

At least 2 hours of ethics must be earned in person.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial and is tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
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, board approved sponsor, and accredited university and recognized associations in mft.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
The board allows a 30-day grace period after expiration. A late renewal adds a late fee.
Provisional renewal
The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 6 months before full compliance is required. Board may conditionally renew a CE-deficient license, allowing 6 months (extendable up to 12 months for hardship) to complete missing hours. Makeup hours cannot be applied to any other renewal; failure to complete moves the license to inactive status.

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 Mississippi LPC or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Mississippi LPC and Mississippi LCSW requirements.

Full board policy details
  • Renewal cycle: LMFT licenses renew biennially and expire on September 30 of the license's expiration year (the common month/day expiration date; the year is staggered across odd/even years by the license's original issuance date). The 24-hour CE requirement is measured over the two-year cycle ending on that September 30 expiration date, which is why the cycle is anchored to each license's expiration date rather than a single statewide year.
  • No more than 12 of the 24 hours (50%) may be earned via distance learning/internet (online) courses; at least 12 hours must be in-person/face-to-face. Self-directed learning projects count within the same 12-hour distance-learning cap.
  • Of the 4 required ethics hours, at least 2 must be earned live/in-person, so no more than 2 may be earned outside live/in-person delivery. The Board approves self-directed learning projects and/or distance learning/internet (online) courses for up to 2 of the 4 required ethics hours, so up to 2 ethics hours may be satisfied via online courses and/or INDEPENDENT self-directed learning projects. Supervised self-directed learning GROUPS, however, do NOT earn ethics credit; the up-to-2 self-directed ethics allowance applies to independent self-directed projects only.
  • Board-approved supervisors must complete 2 hours of MFT supervision CE each renewal period (counts within the 24-hour total). No supervision CE is required for the first renewal period after obtaining Board-approved supervisor status. The Board approves self-directed learning projects and/or distance learning/internet (online) courses for up to 2 of the supervision CE hours; since supervision is only 2 hours, the requirement may be satisfied entirely through online courses and/or self-directed learning projects.
  • Academic coursework: one graduate semester hour (grade B or better, regionally accredited program relevant to MFT) equals 5 CE hours. Teaching a graduate-level MFT course yields 3 CE hours per credit hour taught, capped at 12 hours per biennial period.
  • Up to 8 CE hours per renewal period may be earned through a Board-approved supervised self-directed learning group; these fall within the 12-hour distance/self-directed cap. Supervised self-directed learning group hours count toward the general 24-hour total but are NOT awarded for the ethics requirement (unlike independent self-directed learning projects, which may fill up to 2 ethics hours).
  • Course repeat restriction: if the same offering is presented multiple times during the two-year renewal period, CE credit may only be counted the first time the offering was presented. Identical content repeated does not earn new credit in the same cycle.
  • License status: LMFTs granted inactive status are excused from renewal fees and CE while inactive and may not practice. To reactivate (within 2 years of going inactive), the licensee must complete the 24 hours of CE for the two-year period immediately prior to reactivation. Licenses inactive/lapsed more than 2 years cannot be renewed or reinstated and require a new application.
  • The Board may grant CE waivers or extensions for documented hardship (severe illness, disability, military service, or other good cause) solely at its discretion, for the specific biennial period only. A waiver or extension must be requested in writing, must explain the reasons for the request, must be sworn to be truthful, and must be accompanied by supporting documentation. Extensions are granted in 6-month increments up to a maximum of one year. Consecutive-period waivers/extensions are not permitted except for military combat/national-emergency service. There is NO exam substitution, the LMFT license cannot be renewed by re-taking the national exam in lieu of CE.

Mississippi LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Mississippi LMFT licensees need?

Mississippi requires 24 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 many ethics hours are required for Mississippi LMFT licensees?

Of the total, 4 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Mississippi LMFT licensees renew?

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

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

Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. At least 2 hours of ethics must be earned in person.

Is the first renewal different for new Mississippi 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
Mississippi board rule
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the Mississippi 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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Mississippi 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.Mississippi mental health workforce data →8,728 active providers, or 295.4 per 100,000 residents, ranked 42 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Mississippi CE requirement pages

Mississippi LPCMississippi LCSWMississippi PsychologistMississippi Addiction CounselorMississippi PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states