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.
40
total hours / 2 years
6
ethics hours
1
suicide prevention hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
South Carolina LMFT requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by August 31 of odd years. |
| Ethics | 6 hours required each cycle. |
| Suicide Prevention | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| New licensees | First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply 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 allows a late fee. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- informal continuing educationmax 15 hrs
- first time presentationmax 5 hrs
- publicationmax 5 hrs
- teaching new coursemax 5 hrs
Keeping the proof in order: what to keep for a CE audit, with every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.
Full board policy details
- A single-license holder may earn no more than 15 of 40 hours through informal CE. Informal CE includes individual self-study and noninteractive online courses as well as listed presentation, publication, course-preparation, reading, and discussion-group activities.
- Live interactive webinars that allow real-time questions and comments qualify as formal CE. Multiple-license holders owe 50 formal hours, so informal activities cannot satisfy their requirement.
- First-time presentations, qualifying publications, and preparation of a new course are each limited to 5 hours and must be tagged as informal CE so they also count against the 15-hour aggregate cap.
- 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. A licensee who does not renew lets the license lapse and may not practice. Reinstatement requires the applicable fees and CE evidence; after more than two years lapsed, the person must reapply for licensure.
- 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.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your South Carolina LMFT record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track South Carolina LMFT CE free →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. Biennial cycle: CE 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?
Biennial cycle: CE 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?
First renewal is different: new licensees have adjusted first-cycle requirements (proration and/or first-cycle-only rules), which we apply automatically.
Sources & verification
- State source
- South Carolina board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
Reviewed against the South Carolina board source and refreshed 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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What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
South Carolina mental health workforce data
15,770 active providers, or 283.1 per 100,000 residents, ranked 44 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.