Updated for 2026

Iowa LMHC Continuing Education Requirements

Iowa counselors must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LMHC license, including 3 hours of ethics.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
3ethics

Next deadline: September 30, 2028The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

What the board saysIowa board rule
ending on September 30 of the next even-numbered year1. Each biennium, each person who is licensed to practice as a mental health counselor or marriage and family therapist in this state is required to complete a minimum of 40 hours1 of continuing education … Up to 50 percent2 of continuing education can be carried over into the next biennium2 if there was an amount of continuing education completed during the prior period that exceeded the minimum requirement. … Any of the following activities, not to exceed a combined total of 20 hours3 … Authoring papers, publications, and books4. The licensee will receive 5 hours of credit per page with a maximum of 20 hours4 of credit. … Serving on a state or national professional board5. The licensee will receive a maximum of three hours5 of credit. … Three hours of the 40 continuing education hours will be in ethics.6
What it means
  1. 40 hours every two years, ending September 30 of even years
  2. Up to 20 excess hours can carry into the next cycle
  3. Professional activities capped at 20 hours combined
  4. No more than 20 hours for authorship
  5. No more than 3 hours for board service
  6. 3 hours of ethics
Iowa Admin. Code 481—881.2Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.4How we verify
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Requirements

Iowa LMHC requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 37 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Professional activity
max 20 hrs
Board service
max 3 hrs
Authorship
max 20 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 biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even 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.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.

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 September 30, 2028.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LPC CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • The fixed statewide compliance period runs September 1 of an even-numbered year through September 30 of the next even-numbered year. The 25-month windows recur every 24 months, so September of each even-numbered year overlaps the closing and opening periods.
  • All 40 hours may be earned through independent study, online, webinar, or live formats. Iowa has no live or in-person minimum and no distance-learning cap.
  • Presentations, scholarly research, professional publication, first-time college teaching, authorship, and professional-board service share one combined 20-hour activity cap. Credits in any of those activities must be tagged professional activity; authorship and board-service credits also use their specific category caps.
  • Within the combined cap, presenting earns 2 hours per presentation hour, authorship earns 5 hours per page up to 20 hours, and board service is limited to 3 hours. College teaching counts only for the first offering. State-specific award conversions remain a manual documentation check.
  • The rule limits repeat credit only for first-offering teaching and comparable presenter/author activities; it does not create a blanket attendee repeat-course prohibition.
  • A first-time licensee owes no CE at first renewal. Hours earned from initial licensure through the second renewal may be used for that second renewal. Up to 50 percent (20 hours for LMHC/LMFT) of later excess CE may carry into the next biennium.
  • Reactivation may be supported by a current active license in another jurisdiction instead of Iowa catch-up CE. Without that alternative, the rule calls for 40 hours when inactive fewer than 5 years and 80 hours when inactive more than 5 years; because the text does not resolve exactly 5 years and the engine lacks the out-of-state-license alternative, reactivation is left for manual review.
  • Iowa does not preapprove providers. An activity must satisfy the Board's general criteria for organized professional learning, qualified presenters, stated objectives, and proof of completion.

Iowa LMHC CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Iowa LMHC licensees need?

Iowa requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LMHC license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

How many ethics hours are required for Iowa LMHC licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Iowa LMHC licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by September 30 of even years.

Is the first renewal different for new Iowa LMHC 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
Iowa board rule
Profession source
NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.4

We reviewed this page against the Iowa 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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Iowa 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.Iowa mental health workforce data →9,423 active providers, or 291 per 100,000 residents, ranked 43 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Iowa CE requirement pages

Iowa LMFTIowa LCSWIowa PsychologistIowa PMHNP

LPC CE requirements in other states