Ohio LMFT, IMFT & IMFT-S Continuing Education Requirements
Ohio marriage and family therapists must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S license, including 3 hours of ethics.
30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
3ethics
The renewal cycle is biennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
What the board saysOhio board rule
(A) Marriage and family therapists and independent marriage and family therapists require thirty hours1 of approved continuing professional education for licensure renewal … (1) Three of the thirty hours shall be taken in the area of ethics2 continuing education.
What it means
- 30 hours each renewal
- 3 of the 30 hours in ethics
It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.
Requirements
Ohio LMFT, IMFT & IMFT-S requirements
Total
30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
The remaining 27 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
- Ethics
- 3
- You need 3 hours each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Journal article
- max 10 hrs
- Book publication
- max 30 hrs
- Publication
- max 10 hrs
- First time presentation
- max 10 hrs
- Academic teaching
- max 10 hrs
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is biennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
- Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status Status / fee Amount and conditions MFT active renewal $80. Biennial board fee; portal charges are separate. IMFT active renewal $100. Biennial board fee; portal charges are separate. Active late renewal surcharge $40. Additional charge. Amounts exclude eLicense transaction charges and CE courses. Inactive fees differ.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
- Approved providers
- Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, governmental agency, and board approved sponsor and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, art therapy, and music therapy.
- Board audit
- The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
- Late renewal
- A late renewal adds a $40 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 calculatorFull board policy details
- Distance learning may make up 100% of the 30-hour requirement; there is no self-study or home-study cap and no minimum live/in-person hours. Real-time video conferencing is classified as interactive/live and is distinct from text-based "distance learning" (self-study), but neither classification caps the total because 100% distance learning is permitted.
- Academic coursework conversion: 15 clock hours per academic semester hour; 10 clock hours per academic quarter hour.
- Volunteer-service credit: IMFTs (and IMFT-with-supervision-endorsement) may claim up to 6 hours of volunteer service toward the 30-hour total at a rate of 1 credit hour per 60 minutes. Volunteer service does NOT count toward the 3-hour ethics requirement. Dependent MFTs may not claim volunteer-service credit.
- First-time presentation/teaching: credit for first-time presentation of a CE program, in-service workshop, seminar, or conference is awarded at 1.5 hours per hour of board-approved presentation, up to 10 hours per renewal period; teaching a college course is credited at 1.5 hours per course hour, up to 10 hours per renewal period, only for first-time preparation and presentation.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS, Licensees may not attend the same program twice within a two-year renewal period (narrow exception for programs required annually by national accreditation, state certification, or evidence-based models). Teaching credit is limited to first-time presentation/preparation; re-teaching identical material earns no additional credit. College coursework must not be previously taken unless updated due to passage of five or more years. Distance-learning/home-study course content must be refreshed at least every five years to remain creditable.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES, A licensee renewing into inactive-escrow status is exempt from the CE requirement while inactive. Ohio offers no formal "retired" license status. Restoration from inactive-escrow requires 30 clock hours of CE (including 6 ethics hours rather than the usual 3) earned within the two years immediately preceding the restoration application; those hours may not be reused to renew the restored license. Applicants who have not practiced for more than five years must complete 45 hours (6 in ethics); those who have not practiced more than ten years must propose a professional development plan. A lapsed (non-inactive) license lapsed two years or less is restored upon showing the renewal CE requirement has been met. The board may fully or partially waive CE for disability, residence abroad, military service, or other reasonable cause; military active-duty members may receive a CE response-time extension equal to their months on active duty.
- Effective July 1, 2026, CE "banking" is eliminated, licensees may no longer apply up to 12 excess hours from the prior renewal period to the current renewal. Until July 1, 2026, up to 12 hours from the immediately prior renewal period may be carried forward only if the licensee had an excess over 30 hours in that prior period.
- A CE program approved for one license type is considered approved for all license types (cross-license portability). Ohio has no exam-substitution pathway allowing a passing exam score to substitute for CE clock hours.
Ohio LMFT, IMFT & IMFT-S CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Ohio LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S licensees need?
Ohio requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S license. The renewal cycle is biennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
How many ethics hours are required for Ohio LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Ohio LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is biennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
How much does Ohio LMFT / IMFT / IMFT-S license renewal cost?
| Status / fee | Amount and conditions |
|---|---|
| MFT active renewal | $80. Biennial board fee; portal charges are separate. |
| IMFT active renewal | $100. Biennial board fee; portal charges are separate. |
| Active late renewal surcharge | $40. Additional charge. |
Amounts exclude eLicense transaction charges and CE courses. Inactive fees differ.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
Sources and verification
- State source
- Ohio board rule
- Fee schedule
- Ohio board fee schedule
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.5
We reviewed this page against the Ohio 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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Ohio 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.Ohio mental health workforce data →63,778 active providers, or 535.9 per 100,000 residents, ranked 14 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.
Other Ohio CE requirement pages
LMFT CE requirements in other states
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- Kentucky
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