California Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
California psychologists must complete 36 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 4 hours of law & ethics and 4 hours of cultural diversity and social justice.
36
total hours / 2 years
4
law & ethics hours
4
cultural diversity and social justice hours
Biennial · renewal date depends on the licensee's issue date.
California Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 36 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary. |
| Renewal fee | $825 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $397.5 fee. |
| Law & Ethics | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Cultural Diversity and Social Justice | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Approved providers | For sponsored continuing education, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by national professional association, state professional association, apa approved provider, and accme accredited provider. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each renewal. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $397.5 late fee. |
| One-time requirements | One-time requirement (B&P § 2915.4): prior to first renewal, or on reactivation/reinstatement, complete a minimum of 6 hours of coursework or supervised applied experience in suicide risk assessment and intervention. Discharged if obtained in the qualifying graduate program or applied experience. Counts toward the 36-hour total only in the cycle it is first claimed as CE; the same course may not be double-counted at a later renewal. (6 hours, one time). |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 36 hours can come from.
- peer consultationmax 18 hrs
- practice outcome monitoringmax 9 hrs
- professional servicemax 12 hrs
- conference convention attendancemax 6 hrs
- examination functionsmax 12 hrs
- expert review consultationmax 12 hrs
- board meeting attendancemax 8 hrs
- academic courseworkmax 18 hrs
- academic instructionmax 18 hrs
- supervisionmax 18 hrs
- publicationsmax 9 hrs
- self directed learningmax 6 hrs
- sponsored continuing educationmax 27 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.
California Psychologistrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 36-hour CE total, California requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
One-time requirements
- One-time requirement (B&P § 2915.4): prior to first renewal, or on reactivation/reinstatement, complete a minimum of 6 hours of coursework or supervised applied experience in suicide risk assessment and intervention. Discharged if obtained in the qualifying graduate program or applied experience. Counts toward the 36-hour total only in the cycle it is first claimed as CE; the same course may not be double-counted at a later renewal. (6 hours, one time).
Full board policy details
- Format caps (16 CCR § 1397.61.1(f)-(i)): No single global percentage cap; each activity carries its own hour ceiling. Self-Directed Learning (independent reading/podcasts/webcasts) capped at 6 hours. Sponsored Continuing Education (in-person or online, credited 1:1) capped at 27 hours. There is NO minimum live/in-person requirement — Sponsored CE has no live requirement. Peer Consultation must be conducted live/real-time.
- Credit conversions (non-1:1): Academic coursework 1 semester unit = 6 hours, 1 quarter unit = 4.5 hours; term-long academic course (instruction) = 18 hours; Sponsor-Approved CE Instruction 1 hour = 1.5 hours credit; Publications 1 publication = 9 hours; Professional Service 1 year = 9 hours / 6 months = 4.5 hours; Conference/Convention 1 full day = 1 hour; Board of Psychology meeting 1 full day = 6 hours (meetings <= 3 hrs are 1:1); Practice Outcome Monitoring 1 patient/client = 1 hour; ABPP Board Certification = 36 hours (100%), Senior Option = 18 hours (50%). These ratios are encoded structurally in credit_conversions and applied by the credit-entry conversion helper.
- Cross-category rule: with the exception of 100% ABPP Board Certification, a licensee must accrue hours during each renewal period from at least 2 of the 4 CPD activity categories (Professional Activities; Academic; Sponsored Continuing Education; Board Certification). No activity may be claimed for credit in more than one CPD category (16 CCR § 1397.61.1(l)). No carryover of excess hours is permitted; every cap is per renewal period.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: Credit may be granted only once during a renewal cycle for each course taken (Sponsored CE). Each course taught by an instructor counts only once per renewal period. Each academic course taken counts only once per renewal period.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive-status psychologists are exempt from the § 2915 CE requirement but may not practice (B&P § 2988). Retired licenses are not subject to renewal/CE and holders may not practice (B&P § 2988.5). Reactivation from inactive requires 36 hours of qualifying CPD completed in the 24 months immediately preceding reactivation (16 CCR § 1397.67.1(a)). Reactivation from retired (issued < 3 years ago) requires completing the CPD required for renewal within two years of the application; retired 3+ years requires a new-license application and passing the California Psychology Law and Ethics Examination (B&P § 2988.5(d)). Renewal of an expired license within 3 years requires 36 hours of qualifying CPD for the two-year period prior to renewing (16 CCR § 1397.67.1(b)). MANUAL REVIEW: the only exemption is active military service (B&P § 114.3; 16 CCR § 1397.62.1), which prorates first post-discharge renewal at 1.5 hours/month plus the 4-hour laws/ethics and 4-hour cultural diversity minimums. A military exemption request must be filed at least 30 days before the renewal deadline; if the request is denied, the balance of the CPD must be completed within 120 days of the notice of denial.
- SPONSORED CE PROVIDER ACCEPTANCE (16 CCR § 1397.61(c)): recognized approving agencies are the American Psychological Association (APA), the California Psychological Association (CPA), the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), the California Medical Association (CMA), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). The Board may additionally accept CE approved by an entity that demonstrates in writing at least a 10-year history of providing educational programming for psychologists and documented procedures for maintaining a continuing-education approval program.
- ONE-TIME COHORT REQUIREMENTS for licensees who began graduate study before January 1, 2004: a course in spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies during the first renewal period (B&P § 2915.5), and a 3-hour course in aging and long-term care (B&P § 2915.7). NOT ENFORCED: the product does not capture graduate-study start date, and no licensee reaching a FIRST renewal today can belong to the pre-2004 cohort — documented for completeness.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your California Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track California Psychologist CE free →California Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do California Psychologist licensees need?
California requires 36 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a Psychologist license. Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How many ethics hours are required for California Psychologist licensees?
Of the total, 4 hours must be in law & ethics.
How often do California Psychologist licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: counted from your license anniversary.
How much does California Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $825 every 2 years, per the California board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $397.5 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for California Psychologist licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, California requires 4 hours of cultural diversity and social justice.
Sources & verification
- State source
- California board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the California 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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