Maryland Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
Maryland psychologists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of law & ethics and 3 hours of cultural diversity.
40
total hours / 2 years
3
law & ethics hours
3
cultural diversity hours
Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.
Maryland Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date. |
| Renewal fee | $400 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $50 fee. |
| Law & Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Cultural Diversity | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Format limits | Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study. |
| Carryover | Up to 0% of hours can carry into the next 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 | For sponsored continuing education and independent study, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by apa approved provider, accredited university, governmental agency, national professional association, nasw approved provider, and american medical association approved provider. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $50 late fee. |
| Other mandates | One-time attestation of completion of an approved implicit-bias and structural-racism training program at the applicant's first license or certificate renewal after April 1, 2026 (Health Occupations Article §1-225). Does not automatically count toward the 40-hour CE total as codified in COMAR 10.36.02. |
| Other mandates | Every 6 years following the initial submission, a renewing licensee must submit to a criminal history records check (COMAR 10.36.01.08A(7)). Not a training and not CE. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- home study / self-studymax 20 hrs
- publicationmax 20 hrs
- publication editor chapter articlemax 15 hrs
- journal editormax 15 hrs
- editorial board membermax 15 hrs
- first time presentationmax 15 hrs
- scholarly postermax 15 hrs
- scholarly activitiesmax 30 hrs
- peer consultationmax 4 hrs
- carryovermax 0%
- carryovermax 0%
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.
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
Renewal fee
$400 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $50 fee.
Law & Ethics
3 hours required each cycle.
Cultural Diversity
3 hours required each cycle.
Format limits
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Carryover
Up to 0% of hours can carry into the next 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
For sponsored continuing education and independent study, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by apa approved provider, accredited university, governmental agency, national professional association, nasw approved provider, and american medical association approved provider.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a $50 late fee.
Other mandates
One-time attestation of completion of an approved implicit-bias and structural-racism training program at the applicant's first license or certificate renewal after April 1, 2026 (Health Occupations Article §1-225). Does not automatically count toward the 40-hour CE total as codified in COMAR 10.36.02.
Every 6 years following the initial submission, a renewing licensee must submit to a criminal history records check (COMAR 10.36.01.08A(7)). Not a training and not CE.
Maryland Psychologistrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 40-hour CE total, Maryland requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- One-time attestation of completion of an approved implicit-bias and structural-racism training program at the applicant's first license or certificate renewal after April 1, 2026 (Health Occupations Article §1-225). Does not automatically count toward the 40-hour CE total as codified in COMAR 10.36.02.
- Every 6 years following the initial submission, a renewing licensee must submit to a criminal history records check (COMAR 10.36.01.08A(7)). Not a training and not CE.
Full board policy details
- FORMAT CAPS/MINIMUMS: A maximum of 20 of the 40 hours (50%) may be earned by independent study (COMAR 10.36.02.04A(1)); at least 20 hours must be earned as courses or other non-independent-study activity. There is no requirement that any hours be physically in person. Real-time interactive webinars are treated as "courses" (live), not independent study, per COMAR 10.36.02.02B(7). For the first renewal the independent-study cap is 10 of the 20 required hours.
- ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: Authorized sponsors are enumerated in COMAR 10.36.02.06 (American Psychological Association; Association for Psychological Science; American Medical Association; National Association of Social Workers; National Association of School Psychologists; Maryland Department of Health; National Institutes of Health; and accredited academic institutions), and the Board accepts courses from any APA-approved provider. Course/independent-study CE must come from an authorized sponsor; several non-sponsor activities (authoring/editing publications, presenting, posters, peer consultation) are separately creditable. To earn independent-study credit the licensee must pass an examination on the activity and be awarded a certificate of completion (COMAR 10.36.02.04E(5)).
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: During each reporting period CE hours may be earned only once for the same activity (COMAR 10.36.02.04C). Presentation credit is limited to the FIRST offering of a scholarly paper or course (COMAR 10.36.02.05C(2)); repeat teachings of the same material are not separately creditable. Extra peer-consultation participation hours may not be carried over to the next reporting period (COMAR 10.36.02.05-1F). Where an activity has multiple authors/presenters, CE hours are awarded only to the first three authors. Carryover of excess CE to the next period is not permitted.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: A psychologist in good standing may request inactive status for 2 years (COMAR 10.36.01.08C(1)); while inactive the licensee is not accruing active-renewal CE, but CE must be satisfied to reactivate. On reactivation from inactive status with less than 1 year remaining in the reporting period, the psychologist must document a minimum of 20 CE hours completed during the current reporting period with not more than 10 hours in independent/home study (COMAR 10.36.02.08A(1)); with more than 1 year remaining, the psychologist must document 20 CE hours (<=10 independent) at reactivation AND complete the remaining 20 hours (<=10 independent) by the end of the reporting period (COMAR 10.36.02.08A(2)). Reinstatement of a license expired <1 year requires documenting 20 CE (<=10 independent) now and completing the balance by period's end; expired >1 but <5 years requires the full 40 CE for the current period; expired >5 years requires reapplication for licensure (COMAR 10.36.02.08B). No separate "retired" status exists for psychologists. Time-scaled/historical-window reactivation makeup is preserved here for manual review because the credit window cannot evaluate it exactly.
- HARDSHIP/MODIFICATION: The Board may modify CE requirements on written request with evidence of a disability or inability to access activities (COMAR 10.36.02.09A-B). No fixed maximum duration; approved case-by-case.
- REPORTING-PERIOD PHASE: Maryland reporting periods run April 1 through March 31 on alternating odd/even phases determined by the final digit of the license or registration number. The engine uses the credential's March 31 expiration as the fixed-window anchor; license-number parity remains a manual-review fact.
- PEER CONSULTATION CONVERSION: 7–13 participation hours earn 1 CE hour; 14–20 earn 2; 21–27 earn 3; 28 or more earn 4. This tiered, non-linear conversion is not representable by the current linear conversion schema, so the 4-hour cap is enforced and the tier calculation requires manual review.
- REACTIVATION MANUAL REVIEW: Less than one year remaining in the reporting period requires 20 hours (no more than 10 independent study); more than one year remaining requires 20 hours at reactivation plus the remaining 20 by period end. The current license context cannot predicate on time remaining, so no inaccurate fixed branch is emitted.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Maryland Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Maryland Psychologist CE free →Maryland Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Maryland Psychologist licensees need?
Maryland requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a Psychologist license. Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How many ethics hours are required for Maryland Psychologist licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in law & ethics.
How often do Maryland Psychologist licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.
How much does Maryland Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $400 every 2 years, per the Maryland board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $50 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Maryland Psychologist licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Maryland requires 3 hours of cultural diversity.
Can Maryland Psychologist licensees complete CE online or by home study?
Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.
Is the first renewal different for new Maryland Psychologist 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
- Maryland board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.1
Reviewed against the Maryland 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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What to keep for a CE audit
What boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, what the notice looks like, and a printable checklist.
Maryland mental health workforce data
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Other Maryland CE requirement pages
Psychologist CE requirements in other states
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