Updated for 2026

Virginia LPC Continuing Education Requirements

Virginia counselors must complete 20 continuing education hours per year to renew their LPC license, including 2 hours of ethics.

20hours per year
Topic minimums, counted within the 20
2ethics

Next deadline: June 30, 2027The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 of odd years.

What the board saysVirginia board rule
Licensed professional counselors shall be required to have completed a minimum of 20 hours1 of continuing competency for each annual licensure renewal1. A minimum of two of these hours2 shall be in courses that emphasize the ethics, standards of practice, or laws2 governing behavioral science professions in Virginia … Up to two hours3 of the 20 hours required for annual renewal may be satisfied through delivery of counseling services, without compensation3, to low-income individuals … Publication of books. Activity will count for a maximum of 18 hours4 … Clinical supervision/consultation. Activity will count for a maximum of 10 hours5.
What it means
  1. 20 hours every year
  2. 2 hours of ethics, standards of practice, or Virginia law
  3. No more than 2 hours of volunteer service
  4. No more than 18 hours for publishing a book
  5. No more than 10 hours of clinical supervision received
18VAC115-20-105 and 18VAC115-20-106Last verified September 2026Ruleset 2026.8How we verify
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Requirements

Virginia LPC requirements

Total

20 hoursYou need 20 hours per year. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 of odd years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 20

The remaining 18 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics
2
You need 2 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Journal article
max 8 hrs
Book authorship
max 18 hrs
First time presentation
max 8 hrs
Teaching new course
max 8 hrs
Dissertation
max 18 hrs
Clinical supervision received
max 10 hrs
Leadership service
max 8 hrs
Volunteer service
max 2 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 of odd 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.
Approved providers
Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by accredited university, governmental agency, licensed health facility, national professional association, state professional association, regional professional association, local professional association, credentialing body, national certifying body, other state counseling board, aascb approved sponsor, nbcc approved provider, aca approved provider, apa approved provider, nasw approved provider, aamft approved provider, crcc approved provider, naadac approved provider, and aapc approved provider and recognized associations in counseling, mft, social work, psychology, psychiatry, addiction, rehabilitation counseling, and pastoral counseling.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 2 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
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 June 30, 2027.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full LPC CE hours calculator

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

Full board policy details
  • All 20 hours may be completed via approved home-study or online courses; no required in-person minimum and no overall cap on self-paced hours from approved providers.
  • Up to 2 CE hours per cycle may come from unpaid counseling to low-income individuals via qualifying clinics, at a conversion of 1 CE hour per 3 hours of service.
  • Practice-related (non-clinical) training that enhances practice may be counted up to 8 hours with board-acceptable justification.
  • Instructor/presenter rule: the same presentation may be claimed for CE credit only once in any two-year period; only actual presentation time counts.
  • Repeating the same CE course within the same renewal cycle does not yield additional credit; each CE activity is generally creditable only once per cycle.
  • Dissertation credit may be counted only once. Article, book, presentation, course-development, supervision-received, and leadership limits are activity categories rather than delivery formats.
  • Inactive status: licensees on inactive status are not required to complete CE during the inactive period and may not practice until reactivating.
  • Reactivation from inactive status requires 20 hours per year inactive (max 80 hours), all earned within the 4 years immediately preceding reactivation.
  • After a long inactive period, the Board may additionally require proof of competency to practice (beyond CE makeup hours) as a condition of reactivation.
  • Reinstatement from a lapsed (expired) license follows the same CE catch-up: up to 80 hours within the prior 4 years, mirroring the inactive reactivation policy.
  • The Board may grant a one-time extension of up to 12 months for good cause if requested in writing before the renewal deadline; the CE requirement is delayed, not waived.
  • The Board may waive all or part of CE for circumstances beyond the licensee's control (e.g., temporary disability, mandatory military service, officially declared disasters).
  • Dual licensees under the Virginia Board of Counseling (e.g., LPC + LMFT or LPC + LSATP) may use the same 20 CE hours (including 2 ethics) to renew all such licenses; no separate hour pool is required per credential.
  • Disciplinary CE ordered by the Board as part of a sanction does not count toward the regular 20-hour renewal requirement.
  • Virginia does not allow exam re-taking or supervised experience to substitute for the CE clock-hour requirement.
  • All CE activities (including publications, presentations, leadership service, course development, and academic coursework) must come from approved sources and meet Board criteria; no activity type is exempt from the approved-provider requirement.
  • CE providers approved by another state's counseling board or by the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB) are recognized as acceptable sponsors.

Virginia LPC CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Virginia LPC licensees need?

Virginia requires 20 continuing education hours per year to renew a LPC license. The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 of odd years.

How many ethics hours are required for Virginia LPC licensees?

Of the total, 2 hours must be in ethics.

How often do Virginia LPC licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is annual, and CE is due by June 30 of odd years.

Is the first renewal different for new Virginia LPC 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
Virginia board rule
Profession source
NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified
September 2026
Ruleset version
2026.8

We reviewed this page against the Virginia 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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Virginia 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.Virginia mental health workforce data →29,924 active providers, or 337 per 100,000 residents, ranked 39 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Virginia CE requirement pages

Virginia LMFTVirginia LCSWVirginia PsychologistVirginia Addiction CounselorVirginia PMHNP

LPC CE requirements in other states