Updated for 2026

Kentucky Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements

Kentucky psychologists must complete 39 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of ethics or risk management and 3 hours of social and cultural factors.

39hours every 3 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 39
3ethics or risk management
3social and cultural factors

The renewal cycle is triennial and is counted from your license anniversary.

What the board saysKentucky board rule
Each credential holder shall document the completion of at least thirty-nine (39) continuing education hours1 … within each three (3) year renewal period1. … Include a minimum of three (3) hours in either ethical practice or risk management2 with each three (3) year renewal period; and (e) Include a minimum of three (3) hours on the topic of social and cultural factors3 that affect health, functioning, and quality of life … A person who teaches an approved continuing education workshop or program shall: … Not receive: … More than nine (9) total continuing education hours for these teaching activities4. … There shall not be a carry-over5 of continuing education hours earned in excess of those required … into the immediately following renewal period.
What it means
  1. 39 hours every 3 years
  2. 3 hours of ethics or risk management
  3. 3 hours on social and cultural factors
  4. No more than 9 hours for teaching
  5. Extra hours do not carry into the next period
201 KAR 26:175Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.1How we verify
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Requirements

Kentucky Psychologist requirements

Total

39 hoursYou need 39 hours every 3 years. The renewal cycle is triennial and is counted from your license anniversary.

Topic minimums, counted within the 39

The remaining 33 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Ethics or Risk Management
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Social and Cultural Factors
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Teaching activity
max 9 hrs
Home study
max 39 hrs
Interactive videoconferencing
max 39 hrs
Carryover
max 0%

Up to 0% of hours can carry into the next cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is triennial and is counted from your license anniversary.
Renewal fee
The board renewal fee is $795 every 3 years, and a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $100 fee.
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 state professional association, regional professional association, national professional association, international professional association, state licensing board, licensing board other jurisdiction, and accredited university.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
The board allows a 90-day grace period after expiration. A late renewal adds a $100 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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Open the full Psychologist CE hours calculator

Also hold a Kentucky LPC license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Kentucky LPC requirements.

Kentucky Psychologist required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 39-hour CE total, Kentucky 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

  • A minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in suicide assessment, treatment, and management within the first year of licensure and every six years thereafter, as required by KRS 210.366. These hours count toward the 39-hour CE total. Exempt for the first six years if a qualifying 3-semester-hour graduate course in suicide and crisis assessment, prevention, and intervention was completed during graduate education. Ongoing exemptions apply where the licensee is primarily employed in a Joint Commission (or similarly accredited) clinical setting requiring suicide risk assessment with each patient, teaches a graduate-level psychology course on the subject, or teaches a CE course on the subject at least once during the six-year period.
Full board policy details
  • FORMAT CAPS/MINIMUMS: As of the 2026-02-12 amendment, there is NO cap on home study/internet-based courses and NO cap on interactive videoconferencing participation (the former 12-hour home-study cap and 24-hour interactive videoconferencing cap were removed by 52 Ky.R. 861). No minimum live/in-person hours are required. Attendance at a board-approved CE program, home study/internet courses, and interactive videoconferencing are all credited 1 CE hour per 55-minute clock hour. A CE hour is a 55-minute clock hour of instruction.
  • COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: A person teaching an academic course or an approved CE workshop/program shall not receive credit more than once for teaching a particular course/workshop/program during a renewal period, and shall not receive more than 9 total CE hours for these teaching activities (201 KAR 26:175 §7). A person completing home study/internet courses shall not receive credit for repeating a specific study course during a renewal period. Program approval permits a sponsor to offer a program one time; re-offering the same approved program requires a renewal filing and a $10 fee.
  • LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive credential holders are NOT exempt from CE. Under 201 KAR 26:165, an inactive credential holder is relieved of the renewal fee and supervision obligations but shall continue to meet the CE requirements. Inactive status may be granted for up to three consecutive years (KRS 319.071(3)). Reactivation within the three-year window requires notification, payment of the current renewal fee, resumption of any required supervisory relationship, and demonstration of compliance with all CE requirements during the inactive period. If not reactivated within three years, the credential is forfeited and a new application and reexamination are required. Any credential holder who has failed to renew, or has been inactive for three or more years, may renew only upon passing an examination procedure and paying the renewal and penalty fees. There is no separate retired status. No hardship, illness, military, or disability CE waivers or extensions exist in the psychology rules.
  • ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: All 39 hours must be board-approved. The board automatically accepts programs sponsored by an affiliated state chapter of the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, or National Association of Social Workers; a recognized state, regional, national, or international psychological association; a state or provincial psychology licensure board; and graduate-level academic courses in psychology or psychiatry offered by a nationally, regionally, or state accredited academic institution. The board may also approve a non-listed organization as a sponsor for a 12-month period (application + fee) or approve a specific program. Kentucky uses qualifying-organization classes plus direct approval, there are no lettered provider tiers (Category A/B). No carryover of CE hours in excess of those required is permitted into the following renewal period (201 KAR 26:175 §8).
  • SUPERVISION TIMING: The recurring 3-hour supervision-theory/techniques requirement begins with the renewal period immediately after the period in which the original supervisory training under 201 KAR 26:171 §4(1)-(2) was received. Select the supervision after initial training modality only from that subsequent period onward.
  • CREDENTIAL SCOPE: Certified Psychologist, Licensed Psychological Associate, Certified Psychologist with Autonomous Functioning, Licensed Psychological Practitioner, and Licensed Psychologist are all legally governed by the same 201 KAR 26:175 CE regulation. They remain distinct credentials; this product record is keyed only to the independent Licensed Psychologist credential and does not represent the others as CE-exempt.

Kentucky Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Kentucky Psychologist licensees need?

Kentucky requires 39 continuing education hours every 3 years to renew a Psychologist license. The renewal cycle is triennial and is counted from your license anniversary.

How many ethics hours are required for Kentucky Psychologist licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics or risk management.

How often do Kentucky Psychologist licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is triennial and is counted from your license anniversary.

How much does Kentucky Psychologist license renewal cost?

The board's renewal fee is $795 every 3 years, per the Kentucky board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $100 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Kentucky Psychologist licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Kentucky requires 3 hours of social and cultural factors.

Is the first renewal different for new Kentucky Psychologist 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
Kentucky board rule
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.1

We reviewed this page against the Kentucky 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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Kentucky 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.Kentucky mental health workforce data →18,646 active providers, or 404.7 per 100,000 residents, ranked 29 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Kentucky CE requirement pages

Kentucky LPCKentucky LMFTKentucky LCSWKentucky Addiction CounselorKentucky PMHNP

Psychologist CE requirements in other states