Illinois LPC & LCPC Continuing Education Requirements
Illinois counselors must complete 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their LPC / LCPC license, including 3 hours of ethics, 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, and 1 hour of implicit bias.
30
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
1
sexual harassment prevention hours
1
implicit bias hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Illinois LPC & LCPC requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 30 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Sexual Harassment Prevention | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| Implicit Bias | 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. |
| Approved providers | CE must be earned from a board-approved provider. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 5 years after each course's completion date. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Other mandates | Illinois mandated reporter training (including implicit bias content) under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Must be completed within 3 months of starting as a mandated reporter and at least every 3 years thereafter. Counts toward CE hours. |
| Other mandates | 1 hour of cultural competency required every 6 years. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 30 hours can come from.
- teachingmax 10 hrs
- first time presentationmax 10 hrs
- publicationmax 10 hrs
- professional servicemax 8 hrs
- board servicemax 6 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.
Illinois LPC & LCPCrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Illinois requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- Illinois mandated reporter training (including implicit bias content) under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Must be completed within 3 months of starting as a mandated reporter and at least every 3 years thereafter. Counts toward CE hours.
- 1 hour of cultural competency required every 6 years.
Full board policy details
- All 30 hours may be completed via approved self-study or distance learning. Live, interactive webinars are treated as distance learning. All remote courses (live online or recorded) must include an examination or quiz to verify comprehension. There is no required minimum of in-person hours.
- Teaching: 1.5 hours of CE credit are awarded for each hour taught, but only for the FIRST presentation of a given course. Repeat presentations of the same material earn no additional credit. Maximum 10 hours per renewal.
- Publications and first-time presentations: credit is awarded only once per unique work (only the first time an article is published or a talk is given). Maximum 10 hours per renewal.
- The counseling rule limits repeat credit for an instructor's repeat presentation and gives publication credit only for qualifying first publication; it does not establish a general attendee course-repeat ban. Sponsors must still verify full attendance.
- Illinois requires one hour of cultural competency education in the first applicable renewal on or after January 1, 2025 and once every six years thereafter.
- The one-hour Alzheimer's disease and other dementias mandate applies only to health professionals who provide services to or have direct patient interactions with adults age 26 or older, and excludes a practice limited to people under 26. The current license context does not record patient age or direct-interaction scope, so this conditional mandate must be reviewed manually and is not enforced as a universal LPC/LCPC requirement.
- Individual course approval: Licensees may petition the Division for individual course approval, with a fee, for courses from non-approved providers. However, self-study or remote courses taken from non-approved out-of-state providers cannot be retroactively approved — the petition pathway is not a post-hoc credit cure for already-completed asynchronous coursework from unapproved providers. Not enforced structurally (any petition-approved course should be entered with provider marked approved at credit-entry time).
- Inactive status: While a license is inactive, no CE is required and the licensee may not practice. Retired practitioners may either let the license expire or place it on inactive status — no CE required during the inactive period.
- Reactivation: To restore an inactive/expired license held inactive 5 years or less, the licensee must submit proof of 30 hours of CE completed in the 24 months prior to the restoration application. If inactive more than 5 years, additionally either evidence of active practice in another jurisdiction OR passing the licensing exam again (or other board-approved demonstration of competency) is required.
- Hardship CE waivers may be requested in writing before the renewal deadline for good cause (full-time military service, incapacitating illness with physician documentation, or other extenuating circumstances beyond the licensee's control). Waivers are granted one cycle at a time. Requesting a waiver based on incapacitating illness in two consecutive renewal periods is treated as prima facie evidence that the licensee may be unable to practice safely and may be grounds for denying the waiver and/or initiating an inability-to-practice review.
- Dual license holders (LCPC + LMFT): a single CE course that meets content criteria can be applied toward both licenses' 30-hour requirements; duplicate hours need not be earned. The 1-hour mandated topic courses can be counted for each license without repeating.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Illinois LPC / LCPC record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Illinois LPC / LCPC CE free →Illinois LPC & LCPC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Illinois LPC / LCPC licensees need?
Illinois requires 30 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a LPC / LCPC license. Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
How many ethics hours are required for Illinois LPC / LCPC licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Illinois LPC / LCPC licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by March 31 of odd years.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Illinois LPC / LCPC licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Illinois requires 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, 1 hour of implicit bias.
Is the first renewal different for new Illinois LPC / LCPC 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
- Illinois board rule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.4
Reviewed against the Illinois 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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