Updated for 2026

Montana LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Montana marriage and family therapists must complete 20 continuing education hours per year to renew their LMFT license.

20hours per year

Next deadline: December 31, 2026The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by December 31 each year.

What the board saysMontana board rule

(1) Licensees are required to obtain 20 hours of continuing education (CE) annually¹, prior to renewal. (2) Licensees completing more than 20 hours of CE may carry forward those hours into the next year². The number of hours carried forward shall not exceed 20 hours². … (4) Of the 20 hours: (a) a minimum of two hours must relate to suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year³; and (b) a maximum of ten hours⁴ may be for: (i) first-time preparation of a new course, in-service training workshop, or seminar which meets the criteria in (6); or (ii) preparation time by the author or authors of a paper which meets the criteria in (6) that is published for the first time in a recognized professional journal …

What it means

20 hours every year
Up to 20 extra hours carry into the next year
2 hours on suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year
No more than 10 hours from new course preparation or first-time publication

ARM 24.219.435Last verified October 2026Ruleset 2026.5How we verify

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Requirements

Montana LMFT requirements

Total

20 hoursYou need 20 hours per year. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by December 31 each year.

Limits on how the hours are earned

New course or publication preparation: max 10 hrs
Publication: max 10 hrs
Carryover: max 20 hrs

Up to 20 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal: The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by December 31 each year.
New licensees: Continuing education does not apply until after the licensee's first renewal. From the second renewal on, 20 hours are due each year, and 2 of those hours must cover suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year.
Recordkeeping: Keep CE documentation for 3 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 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 December 31, 2026.

Total hours completedof 20

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Montana LMFT required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 20-hour CE total, Montana requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 1-year cycle

Two hours on suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year, counted within the 20 annual hours (ARM 24.219.435(4)(a)).

Full board policy details

No delivery-method quotas. All 20 hours may be completed via online, asynchronous, or home-study courses. No in-person or live minimum, and no per-day or per-course hour caps.
Teaching/publishing cap: a maximum of 10 hours per renewal period may be earned for first-time preparation of a new course, in-service training, workshop, or seminar, OR for author preparation time on a paper published for the first time.
Course repeat restrictions: instructor/author credit is one-time only, credit is granted only for first-time preparation of new material. Repeating the same course or republishing the same work earns no additional CE. Montana does not prohibit a licensee from attending the same CE course more than once, though duplicate attendance may be questioned on audit for not expanding professional knowledge.
License status rules: inactive licensees are exempt from the annual CE requirement and may not practice. To reactivate, a licensee must complete 10 hours of CE per year of inactive status within the 24 months immediately prior to converting to active status, and may not have been out of active practice for more than five years. There is no separate retired status; retirement is handled via inactivation or lapse. A hardship exemption/extension may be requested from the board before renewal, granted case-by-case.
Suicide risk: ARM 24.219.435(4)(a), amended effective August 22, 2026 (MAR Notice 2026-512), requires that of the 20 hours a minimum of two hours relate to suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year. The two hours count within the annual total in the year they are earned and recur on a two-year clock. CE, including these hours, does not apply until after the first renewal (ARM 24.219.435(5)).
Multi-license CE: a licensee holding more than one license under the Board of Behavioral Health must demonstrate completion of 20 hours of CE for EACH license. Content may overlap if relevant to both scopes, but the board expects a full complement of hours logged per credential.
Provider approval: the board does not pre-approve CE providers or courses. CE may be obtained from any reputable source (professional associations, accredited universities, governmental agencies, online CE companies) provided the content protects public health/safety and contributes to the licensee's professional knowledge and competence under ARM 24.219.435(6). No percentage of hours must come from any particular provider type.

Montana LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Montana LMFT licensees need?

Montana requires 20 continuing education hours per year to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by December 31 each year.

How often do Montana LMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by December 31 each year.

Is the first renewal different for new Montana LMFT licensees?

Continuing education does not apply until after the licensee's first renewal. From the second renewal on, 20 hours are due each year, and 2 of those hours must cover suicide risk assessment and safety planning every odd year.

Sources and verification

State source: Montana board rule
Last verified: October 2026
Ruleset version: 2026.5

We reviewed this page against the Montana 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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Montana 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.Montana mental health workforce data →5,566 active providers, or 486.2 per 100,000 residents, ranked 20 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Montana CE requirement pages

Montana LPC Montana LCSW Montana Psychologist Montana Addiction Counselor Montana PMHNP