Updated for 2026

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.

40hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 40
3law & ethics
3cultural diversity

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of your renewal year. Every license expires March 31; the year varies by licensee.

What the board saysMaryland board rule
A psychologist shall complete a minimum of 40 CE hours during each reporting period1 with a: (1) Maximum of 20 CE hours in independent study2; (2) Minimum of 3 CE hours3 in activities whose content area is: (a) Laws3 pertaining to the practice of psychology; (b) Ethics3 and professional conduct in the practice of psychology; or (c) Managing risks associated with the practice of psychology; (3) Minimum of 3 CE hours4 in activities designed to enhance competence in the provision of psychological services to culturally diverse populations4.
What it means
  1. 40 hours each reporting period
  2. No more than 20 hours of independent study
  3. 3 hours on law, ethics, or risk management
  4. 3 hours on culturally diverse populations
COMAR 10.36.02.04Last verified August 2026Ruleset 2026.3How we verify
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Requirements

Maryland Psychologist requirements

Total

40 hoursYou need 40 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of your renewal year. Every license expires March 31; the year varies by licensee.

Topic minimums, counted within the 40

The remaining 34 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Law & Ethics
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.
Cultural Diversity
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Home study / self-study
max 20 hrs
Publication
max 20 hrs
Publication editor chapter article
max 15 hrs
Journal editor
max 15 hrs
Editorial board member
max 15 hrs
First time presentation
max 15 hrs
Scholarly poster
max 15 hrs
Scholarly activities
max 30 hrs
Peer consultation
max 4 hrs
Carryover
max 0%

Up to 20 hours may be completed through home study / self-study.

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

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of your renewal year. Every license expires March 31; the year varies by licensee.
Renewal fee
The board renewal fee is $400 every 2 years, and a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $50 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
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 adds a $50 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 Maryland LPC license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Maryland LPC requirements.

Maryland Psychologist required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 40-hour CE total, Maryland requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year 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.

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. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of your renewal year. Every license expires March 31; the year varies by licensee.

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?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by March 31 of your renewal year. Every license expires March 31; the year varies by licensee.

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?

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
Maryland board rule
Last verified
August 2026
Ruleset version
2026.3

We reviewed this page against the Maryland 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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Maryland 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.Maryland mental health workforce data →32,280 active providers, or 515.2 per 100,000 residents, ranked 17 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Maryland CE requirement pages

Maryland LPCMaryland LMFTMaryland LCSWMaryland Addiction CounselorMaryland PMHNP

Psychologist CE requirements in other states