South Carolina LMFT Continuing Education Requirements
South Carolina marriage and family therapists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 6 hours of ethics and 1 hour of suicide prevention.
Next deadline: August 31, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
Persons licensed as professional counselors, addiction counselors, or marriage and family therapists shall complete forty (40) hours1 of Board-approved continuing education, of which thirtythree (33) hours must be related to their respective professional license, one hour must be in suicide assessment, treatment and management2 treatment, and six (6) hours must be specific to ethical standards3 related to their respective professional license during every two-year licensure period1. … (a) a first time presentation4 of a paper, workshop, or seminar … may be approved for a maximum of five (5)4 continuing education hours; and (b) a published paper4 in a referred journal may be approved for a maximum of five (5)4 continuing education hours and may be used only once; and (c) preparation of a new or related course4 for an educational institution or organization may be approved for a maximum of five (5)4 continuing education hours
- 40 hours every two years
- 1 hour of suicide assessment, treatment and management
- 6 hours of ethics
- No more than 5 hours each for a first-time presentation, a publication, or a new course
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South Carolina LMFT requirements
Total
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
- Ethics
- 6
- You need 6 hours each cycle.
- Suicide Prevention
- 1
- You need 1 hour each cycle.
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Informal continuing education
- max 15 hrs
- First time presentation and publication and teaching new course combined
- max 20 hrs
- First time presentation
- max 5 hrs
- Publication
- max 5 hrs
- Teaching new course
- max 5 hrs
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
- 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.
- 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.
Check where you stand
Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before August 31, 2027.
Your result appears here as you enter hours.
Open the full LMFT CE hours calculatorAlso hold a South Carolina LPC or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the South Carolina LPC and South Carolina LCSW requirements.
Full board policy details
- A single-license holder may earn no more than 15 of 40 hours through informal CE (Board CE log sheet). Informal CE is self-directed study: internet studies, audiovisual materials, reading, discussion groups, and the listed presentation, publication and course-preparation activities. A recorded course is not informal merely because it is recorded; the Board's 2021 guidelines accept recordings taken through a formal program, and 36-16(6) permits credit obtained online.
- Live interactive webinars that allow real-time questions and comments qualify as formal CE. Of the 40 hours, 33 must relate to the licensee's own profession (36-16(1)). Multiple-license holders owe 50 hours (36-16(1)); the Board's log sheet counts those hours as formal, face-to-face attendance, so informal activities are not applied to that requirement.
- First-time presentations, refereed publications, and preparation of a new course are each limited to 5 hours, and together to 20 hours per period (36-16(4)); tag them as informal CE as well so they count against the 15-hour informal ceiling.
- Course repeat restriction: presenter credit is limited to the first presentation, and a publication may be claimed only once. The Board materials do not impose a general repeat-course ban on attendees.
- Excess CE hours may NOT be carried forward to the next renewal cycle. Each cycle's hours must be earned within the September 1 – August 31 biennial reporting window.
- License status: South Carolina does not offer a formal inactive or retired status for LPCs/LMFTs/LACs. A licensee who does not renew lets the license lapse and may not practice. Under 36-15, a license lapsed for fewer than five years is reinstated on application, payment of the fees for each lapsed period plus the reinstatement fee, and proof of the continuing education for each lapsed year (the Board may waive part of the CE for good cause); a license lapsed for more than five years requires an application, the fee, and an appearance before the Board, which sets the terms of reinstatement. Every applicant files a notarized affidavit of non-practice while lapsed.
- Supervisor-license holders owe 10 formal supervision hours in addition to the underlying 40-hour single-license requirement. A person with both supervisor credentials still owes 10 supervision hours, at least 5 in each discipline.
- Dual licensure requires 50 formal hours, including 6 ethics hours and 1 suicide-prevention hour. Discipline content must be divided as equally as possible; that qualitative allocation is left for manual review. A dual-license holder who also maintains supervisor status owes 60 total hours.
South Carolina LMFT CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do South Carolina LMFT licensees need?
South Carolina requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
How many ethics hours are required for South Carolina LMFT licensees?
Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.
How often do South Carolina LMFT licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by August 31 of odd years.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for South Carolina LMFT licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, South Carolina requires 1 hour of suicide prevention.
Is the first renewal different for new South Carolina 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
- South Carolina board rule
- Last verified
- October 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.5
We reviewed this page against the South Carolina 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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