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 standards or law.

total hours / year

ethics standards or law hours

Annual · renewal date varies by licensee.

Virginia LPC requirements

Requirement	Notes
Total continuing education	20 hours per year.
Renewal	Annual cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Ethics Standards OR Law	2 hours 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	Qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by accredited university, governmental agency, licensed health facility, national professional association, state professional association, regional professional association, credentialing body, other state counseling board, and aascb approved sponsor 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 allows a late fee.

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, authored book chapters, and specific publications may be counted only once (lifetime, not across multiple renewals).
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.

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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. Annual cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How many ethics hours are required for Virginia LPC licensees?

Of the total, 2 hours must be in ethics standards or law.

How often do Virginia LPC licensees renew?

Annual cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

Is the first renewal different for new Virginia LPC 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: Virginia board rule
Profession source: NBCC continuing education guidance
Last verified: December 2025
Ruleset version: 2026.1

Reviewed against the Virginia board source and refreshed from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is informational only and not legal or board advice. Always verify requirements with your licensing board before you renew. See something wrong? Report it →

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Other Virginia CE requirement pages

Virginia LCSW