Updated for 2026

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.

30hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 30
3ethics
1sexual harassment prevention
1implicit bias

Next deadline: March 31, 2027The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.

What the board saysIllinois board rule
An LPC or LCPC is required to complete 30 hours1 of continuing education each license cycle … during the 24 months1 before the expiration date printed on the license. The CE must include the following topics/categories: • 3 hours Counseling Practice Ethics2 • 1 hour Sexual Harassment Prevention training3 • 1 hour Implicit Bias Awareness training4 … Verified teaching … No more than 10 CE hours5 may earned this way each renewal cycle. • Authoring papers, publications, dissertations, or books, OR preparing presentations … No more than 10 CE hours6 may earned this way each renewal cycle. • Providing or receiving clinical supervision on a regular basis with a set agenda. No more than 8 CE hours7 may be earned this way each cycle.
What it means
  1. 30 hours every 2 years
  2. 3 hours of counseling ethics
  3. 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention
  4. 1 hour of implicit bias awareness
  5. No more than 10 hours from teaching
  6. No more than 10 hours from first-time publications or presentations
  7. No more than 8 hours from clinical supervision
IDFPR CE Fact Sheet, 68 IAC 1375.220Last verified July 2026Ruleset 2026.9How we verify
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Requirements

Illinois LPC & LCPC requirements

Total

30 hoursYou need 30 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 30

The remaining 25 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Sexual Harassment Prevention
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.
Implicit Bias
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Teaching
max 10 hrs
First time presentation
max 10 hrs
Publication
max 10 hrs
Professional service
max 8 hrs
Board service
max 6 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.
Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. Two-year renewal amount.
Board fee schedule
Expired-license restoration charge$50. Restoration adds lapsed renewal fees, with a $300 cap under 1375.205(c)(1).
Board fee schedule

Restoration is distinct from ordinary renewal; inactive-status and waiver provisions may differ. CE course costs are separate.

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

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.
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.

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 March 31, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LPC CE hours calculator

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

Illinois LPC & LCPC required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 30-hour CE total, Illinois 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

  • 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.
  • You need 1 hour of cultural competency 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 health care services to and have direct patient interactions with adults age 26 or older. It is due before the first renewal requiring CE on or after January 1, 2025, then every six years, and may count toward the total. The current license context does not record patient age or direct-interaction scope, so this conditional mandate requires manual review. Source: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/dpr/continuing-education.html (20 ILCS 2105/2105-365).
  • 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.

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. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is 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?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of odd years.

How much does Illinois LPC / LCPC license renewal cost?
Renewal fees by license status
Status / feeAmount and conditions
Active renewal$120. Two-year renewal amount.
Board fee schedule
Expired-license restoration charge$50. Restoration adds lapsed renewal fees, with a $300 cap under 1375.205(c)(1).
Board fee schedule

Restoration is distinct from ordinary renewal; inactive-status and waiver provisions may differ. CE course costs are separate.

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

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?

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
Illinois board rule
Fee schedule
Illinois board fee schedule
Profession source
NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified
July 2026
Ruleset version
2026.9

We reviewed this page against the Illinois 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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Illinois 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.Illinois mental health workforce data →56,193 active providers, or 441.8 per 100,000 residents, ranked 25 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Illinois CE requirement pages

Illinois LMFTIllinois LCSWIllinois PsychologistIllinois PMHNP

LPC CE requirements in other states