New York LMHC Continuing Education Requirements
New York counselors must complete 36 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew their LMHC license.
The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
During each triennial registration period1 an applicant for registration as a licensed mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychoanalyst, and creative arts therapist shall complete a minimum of thirty-six hours1 of acceptable formal continuing education, a maximum of twelve hours2 of which may be self-instructional course work2 acceptable to the department.
- 36 hours every three years
- No more than 12 hours of self-study
It's free for 30 days, and you don't need a card.
New York LMHC requirements
Total
Limits on how the hours are earned
- Home study / self-study
- max 12 hrs
Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Cycle and record rules
- Renewal
- The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
- Renewal fee
Renewal fees by license status Status / fee Amount and conditions Active registration renewal $241. Triennial total: $196 registration plus $45 mandatory CE fee. Late filing charge per month $10. Monthly charge, not a flat penalty; applies to delayed registration while practicing. CE courses cost extra. Nonpractice/exempt-practice registration and conditional registration have separate rules; contact NYSED before resuming practice.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
- New licensees
- The first three-year registration period after initial licensure is exempt from continuing education under Education Law 8412(2)(a).
- Approved providers
- CE must be earned from a board-approved provider.
- Recordkeeping
- Keep CE documentation for 6 years after each course's completion date.
- Board audit
- The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
- Provisional renewal
- The board allows a provisional/conditional renewal for up to 12 months before full compliance is required. Per Education Law §8412(3), NYSED may issue a conditional registration (max one year, non-renewable) to a licensee who fails to meet CE requirements but agrees to make up deficiencies and complete any additional education the Department requires. The licensee must pay the standard triennial renewal fee plus an additional conditional registration fee of the same amount. Practicing on an expired registration without a conditional registration is professional misconduct under Education Law §6510.
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.
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 LPC CE hours calculatorAlso hold a New York LMFT or LCSW license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the New York LMFT and New York LCSW requirements.
New York LMHC required trainings and mandates
Beyond the 36-hour CE total, New York requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 3-year cycle
- One-time, pre-licensure training (approximately 2 hours) in the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment, required by N.Y. Education Law §6507 and Social Services Law §413. Required prior to initial licensure or issuance of a limited permit. Does not count toward the 36-hour CE total.
- Updated child abuse training curriculum covering reducing implicit bias in reporting decisions, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and recognizing signs of abuse via virtual interactions. Mandated reporters who completed the prior child abuse training must complete this updated curriculum by April 1, 2025 (Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021). Does not count toward the 36-hour CE total.
- Additional child abuse training component on identifying abuse of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Practitioners who took the prior training must complete this new component by November 17, 2026 (Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024). Does not count toward the 36-hour CE total.
Full board policy details
- Registration periods are aligned to the licensee's birth month, not the original license-issue anniversary. The initial registration period is CE-exempt. The second registration period may be shorter than three years when NYSED adjusts the registration to the birth month, and its requirement is prorated at one CE hour per month; that variable transition period requires manual review because this rule's recurring engine cycle is the standard 36-month period.
- CE must be taken from a provider approved by NYSED for the licensee's specific profession. LMHC and LMFT provider approvals are profession-specific; broad national-association, university, hospital, or agency status alone is not sufficient. The provider's current NYSED approval must be checked manually.
- No more than 12 of the 36 hours per triennial cycle may be earned through self-instructional/self-study coursework. The remaining 24 hours must be from live or interactive learning (live in-person, live webinars, or other real-time interactive formats). Live webinars with real-time instructor interaction are not considered self-study.
- Course repeat restriction (instructors/presenters): Credit for teaching an approved CE course, teaching a relevant course in an accredited academic program, or presenting at a professional conference is NOT acceptable where the licensee has taught the course on more than one occasion without presenting new or revised material. Instructors may count up to 2 hours of preparation for each hour of presentation (effectively triple the presentation time), one-time per content per cycle. For attendees, taking the identical course twice in one cycle is generally not credited twice.
- Authoring publications: credit is granted only for first-time publications. Authoring a first-time peer-reviewed journal article earns 2 hours; authoring a first-time book earns 5 hours. Subsequent publications of substantially the same content do not yield additional credit.
- Inactive/retired status: Licensees who are not registered (not practicing) are exempt from CE during the period of non-practice. There is no formal 'retired' designation; not renewing the registration places the licensee in a non-practicing status with no CE accrual obligation.
- Reactivation/lapse-in-practice: A licensee returning to practice after a lapse must complete makeup CE equal to 1 hour for each month the license was lapsed (unregistered), up to a maximum of 36 hours, completed in the 12 months before returning. Alternatively, the licensee may complete the 36 hours for the last registration period missed. These makeup hours are IN ADDITION TO completing the standard 36-hour requirement for the new registration period (which can be done after reinstatement, but at least 12 hours per year must be done going forward). If the licensee maintained active practice in another state during the lapse, only the standard 36 hours for the new registration period is required. These rules are governed by 8 NYCRR §79-9.8(e) and §79-10.8(e).
- Hardship adjustments/waivers: NYSED may grant an adjustment or waiver of the CE requirement for documented health issues, active military duty, or other good cause that makes timely completion impossible. Requests are evaluated case-by-case by the State Board for Mental Health Practitioners.
- Dual licensure under Article 163 (e.g. holding both LMHC and LMFT): 36 hours of CE total covers both licenses, but content should be distributed across the scopes of both professions.
New York LMHC CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do New York LMHC licensees need?
New York requires 36 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew a LMHC license. The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
How often do New York LMHC licensees renew?
The renewal cycle is triennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
How much does New York LMHC license renewal cost?
| Status / fee | Amount and conditions |
|---|---|
| Active registration renewal | $241. Triennial total: $196 registration plus $45 mandatory CE fee. |
| Late filing charge per month | $10. Monthly charge, not a flat penalty; applies to delayed registration while practicing. |
CE courses cost extra. Nonpractice/exempt-practice registration and conditional registration have separate rules; contact NYSED before resuming practice.
We verified these fees on 2026-09-30. Board fee schedule.
Can New York LMHC licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 12 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new New York LMHC licensees?
The first three-year registration period after initial licensure is exempt from continuing education under Education Law 8412(2)(a).
Sources and verification
- State source
- New York board rule
- Fee schedule
- New York board fee schedule
- Profession source
- NBCC continuing education guidance
- Last verified
- July 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.5
We reviewed this page against the New York 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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