Updated for 2026

Texas LMFT Continuing Education Requirements

Texas marriage and family therapists must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMFT license, including 6 hours of ethics and 3 hours of cultural diversity.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
6ethics
3cultural diversity

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

What the board saysTexas board rule
An LMFT must complete 30 hours1 of continuing education during each renewal period that they hold a license. The 30 hours of continuing education must include 6 hours in ethics2 and 3 hours3 designed to ensure competency when providing services to a distinct population3 … A licensee may carry forward4 to the next renewal period, a maximum of 10 hours4 accrued during the current renewal period if those hours are not needed for renewal. … Self-study.5 The maximum number of hours that may be claimed for this activity is 1 hour5. … Time spent individually viewing or listening to audio, video, digital, or print media as part of an organized continuing education activity, program, or offering from a third-party is not subject to this self-study limitation
What it means
  1. 30 hours each renewal period
  2. 6 hours of ethics
  3. 3 hours on a distinct population
  4. Up to 10 unused hours carry into the next period
  5. No more than 1 hour of self-study
22 TAC 801.261Last verified October 2026Ruleset 2026.5How we verify
Start free trialExplore the demo →

It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.

Requirements

Texas LMFT requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 21 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
6
You need 6 hours each cycle.
Cultural Diversity
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 1 hrs
First time presentation
max 5 hrs
Publication
max 5 hrs
Academic coursework
max 5 hrs
Carryover
max 10 hrs

Up to 1 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Up to 10 unused hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$141. Biennial: $135 base + $6 Texas.gov/OPP.
22 TAC 885.1
Expired 90 days or less: total$208.5. 1.5 × base + surcharges.
22 TAC 885.1(c)
Expired over 90 days, under one year: total$276. 2 × base + surcharges.
22 TAC 885.1(c)

CE courses and designation fees are separate. After one year, reinstatement is required.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by international professional association, national professional association, regional professional association, state professional association, local professional association, public school district, education service center, governmental agency, accredited university, hospital, nonprofit religious or charitable organization, and board approved supervisor.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 3 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
The board allows a 365-day grace period after expiration. 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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LMFT CE hours calculator

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

Texas LMFT required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Texas requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year cycle

  • Approved human trafficking prevention training (Tex. Occ. Code Ch. 116) required as a condition of each license renewal. Course must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission; completion certificate required for renewal. Completing the training may be claimed for 1 hour of CE credit toward the 30-hour total.
Full board policy details
  • As of January 1, 2024, at least 50% of CE hours (at least 15 of 30) must come from approved provider categories: international/national/state/local mental health professional associations, public school districts or education service centers, governmental agencies, accredited colleges/universities, hospitals or hospital systems, recognized religious or charitable organizations, or a graduate-level LMFT with supervisor status acting as a CE provider. A provider endorsed by any of those entities also qualifies. The Council does not pre-approve providers or courses.
  • Self-study (educational activity done alone, not part of an organized course, e.g. reading articles/books) is capped at 1 hour per cycle. Individually viewing or listening to recorded material as part of an organized course from a third-party provider is NOT self-study and is not subject to the 1-hour cap.
  • Per-category caps of 5 hours each per renewal period apply to: preparing and delivering a CE presentation; authoring a published book or peer-reviewed article; and teaching or attending a graduate-level course in a relevant subject.
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: Multiple instances or occurrences of the same CE activity may not be claimed within the same renewal period. This applies to both attending and presenting/teaching, an instructor may claim credit for teaching the identical course only once per cycle. Repeating the same course in a LATER renewal period is permitted (a new instance in a new period).
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: Licensees with inactive status are not required to complete CE while inactive, but may not practice. Upon reactivation, the CE that would have been due during the inactive period must be completed (30 hours per deferred cycle including ethics and cultural diversity). Retired and expired (lapsed) licenses have no CE obligation because they are not active; restoring them requires reinstatement and meeting current requirements. Active-duty military service members are entitled to two additional years to complete CE and other renewal requirements per Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 55.003.
  • The same CE hour may be applied to multiple licenses (e.g. LMFT and LPC) if it meets each board's criteria; Texas provides no automatic cross-credit and each license's requirements must be satisfied independently. Informational only.
  • No exam-in-lieu-of-CE pathway exists for LMFT renewal in Texas. An LMFT supervisor must take and pass the jurisprudence examination each renewal period; passing it yields 1 hour of ethics CE. Non-supervisors may voluntarily take it for 1 ethics hour but are not required to.

Texas LMFT CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Texas LMFT licensees need?

Texas requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMFT license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

How many ethics hours are required for Texas LMFT licensees?

Of the total, 6 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Texas LMFT licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

How much does Texas LMFT license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$141. Biennial: $135 base + $6 Texas.gov/OPP.
22 TAC 885.1
Expired 90 days or less: total$208.5. 1.5 × base + surcharges.
22 TAC 885.1(c)
Expired over 90 days, under one year: total$276. 2 × base + surcharges.
22 TAC 885.1(c)

CE courses and designation fees are separate. After one year, reinstatement is required.

We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Texas LMFT licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Texas requires 3 hours of cultural diversity.

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

Up to 1 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

Sources and verification

State source
Texas board rule
Fee schedule
Texas board fee schedule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.5

We reviewed this page against the Texas 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

Make your next renewal easier.

Add your Texas LMFT license and every requirement on this page becomes a checklist on your record.

Start free trialExplore the demo

30 days free, no credit card.

Texas 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.Texas mental health workforce data →68,626 active providers, or 216.4 per 100,000 residents, ranked 50 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Texas CE requirement pages

Texas LPCTexas LCSWTexas PsychologistTexas Addiction CounselorTexas PMHNP

LMFT CE requirements in other states