Missouri Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
Missouri psychologists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of ethics and 15 hours of category A formal.
40
total hours / 2 years
3
ethics hours
15
category A formal hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
Missouri Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by January 31 of even years. |
| Renewal fee | $300 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $150 fee. |
| Ethics | 3 hours required each cycle. |
| Category A Formal | 15 hours required each cycle. |
| Carryover | Up to 15 unused 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 category A formal, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by accredited university, apa approved provider, regional professional association, state professional association, local professional association, american medical association approved provider, and other professional body. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 5 years after the end of each cycle. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a $150 late fee. |
| Other mandates | One-time 2-hour training in suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management, meeting the committee's guidelines, required as a condition of initial licensure (§337.020.1 RSMo). May be part of the graduate course of study or obtained through self-study; applicants must maintain documentation. Does NOT recur and does NOT count toward the 40-hour CE renewal total. Applies to all applicants for initial licensure (temporary, provisional, or permanent) on or after the statute's effective date; documentation requirement applied to applicants after January 1, 2019. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- category B informalmax 25 hrs
- individual studymax 10 hrs
- graduate teachingmax 10 hrs
- undergraduate teachingmax 9 hrs
- carryovermax 15 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.
Total hours
40 hours every 2 years.
Renewal
Biennial cycle: CE due by January 31 of even years.
Renewal fee
$300 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $150 fee.
Ethics
3 hours required each cycle.
Category A Formal
15 hours required each cycle.
Carryover
Up to 15 unused 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 category A formal, qualifying CE may be offered or sponsored by accredited university, apa approved provider, regional professional association, state professional association, local professional association, american medical association approved provider, and other professional body.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 5 years after the end of each cycle.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal allows a $150 late fee.
Other mandates
One-time 2-hour training in suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management, meeting the committee's guidelines, required as a condition of initial licensure (§337.020.1 RSMo). May be part of the graduate course of study or obtained through self-study; applicants must maintain documentation. Does NOT recur and does NOT count toward the 40-hour CE renewal total. Applies to all applicants for initial licensure (temporary, provisional, or permanent) on or after the statute's effective date; documentation requirement applied to applicants after January 1, 2019.
Missouri Psychologistrequired trainings & mandates
Beyond the 40-hour CE total, Missouri requires specific trainings — some once around initial licensure, some on their own recurring schedule.
Recurring mandates outside the 2 years cycle
- One-time 2-hour training in suicide assessment, referral, treatment, and management, meeting the committee's guidelines, required as a condition of initial licensure (§337.020.1 RSMo). May be part of the graduate course of study or obtained through self-study; applicants must maintain documentation. Does NOT recur and does NOT count toward the 40-hour CE renewal total. Applies to all applicants for initial licensure (temporary, provisional, or permanent) on or after the statute's effective date; documentation requirement applied to applicants after January 1, 2019.
Full board policy details
- CATEGORY STRUCTURE: All CE is organized into Category A (formal/accredited programs) and Category B (informal/other). At least 15 of the 40 hours must be Category A; Category B is capped at 25 hours per cycle. There is NO rule requiring hours to be drawn from a minimum number of different categories, and NO live/in-person minimum. Category A accepts programs presented under the auspices of a regionally accredited institution of higher education, the American Psychological Association, regional/state/local psychological associations, the American Medical Association, and other professional bodies or groups (20 CSR 2235-7.005(1)).
- FORMAT / SELF-STUDY: Individual study (self-study of professional material — books, journals, periodicals, other media, and preparation of relevant lectures/talks) is capped at 10 hours per cycle and sits inside the 25-hour Category B ceiling. Accredited formal online/distance-learning courses are NOT self-study — they count as Category A and are uncapped. All 40 hours may be distance-learning courses provided at least 15 hours are Category A. A credit hour equals at least 50 minutes of instruction (20 CSR 2235-7.005(3)).
- ACCEPTABILITY STANDARDS: The following are expressly NOT acceptable for CE in any category (20 CSR 2235-7.030(2)): personal psychotherapy, workshops for personal growth, services to professional associations, providing supervision, and case conference. CE must be relevant to the practice of psychology.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: For teaching (graduate Category A.4 and undergraduate Category B.C), no single course may be reported more than one time per reporting cycle. Graduate teaching is capped at 10 credits/cycle, undergraduate teaching at 9 credits/cycle. Preparation credit for individual study (Category B.D) may not be claimed for a presentation already credited under Category A. There is no general prohibition on a licensee attending the same accredited course twice.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: Inactive-status licensees are exempt from CE (20 CSR 2235-1.050(6); §337.030.5). Retired-and-not-registered psychologists have no CE obligation. Reactivating from inactive requires proof of 40 CE hours completed within the two years immediately prior to reactivation, plus the reactivation fee (or renewal fee if reactivating at renewal time). Restoration of an expired license lapsed 2+ years requires 40 CE hours completed within the two years immediately preceding the application, proof of passing the Missouri Jurisprudence Examination within the past 5 years, a background check, and the restoration fee. Lapse of less than 2 years requires the delinquency fee plus renewal fee and proof of CE compliance.
- FIRST RENEWAL / PRORATION: A psychologist licensed during the middle of a reporting cycle receives a pro-rata reduction of 5 hours for every 3 full months between the date of licensing and the normal date of cycle commencement (20 CSR 2235-7.010(3)). Same requirements in kind, reduced in amount; the total_ce_hours requirement carries prorated: true.
- WAIVER / VARIANCE: Hardship, illness, military, and disability situations are handled through a general variance mechanism — variances are granted case-by-case upon written petition to the committee, reviewed at the next quarterly meeting (20 CSR 2235-7.050). No enumerated qualifying conditions, maximum duration, or set form beyond the written petition.
- CATEGORY B ATTENDANCE: Category B includes registered attendance at relevant nonaccredited workshops, seminars, colloquia, grand rounds, and academic courses. Professional-meeting attendance earns 3 hours per day; there is no separate 3-hour cycle cap beyond the 25-hour Category B ceiling.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your Missouri Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track Missouri Psychologist CE free →Missouri Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Missouri Psychologist licensees need?
Missouri requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a Psychologist license. Biennial cycle: CE due by January 31 of even years.
How many ethics hours are required for Missouri Psychologist licensees?
Of the total, 3 hours must be in ethics.
How often do Missouri Psychologist licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by January 31 of even years.
How much does Missouri Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $300 every 2 years, per the Missouri board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $150 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Missouri Psychologist licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, Missouri requires 15 hours of category A formal.
Is the first renewal different for new Missouri 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
- Missouri board rule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.3
Reviewed against the Missouri 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.
Missouri mental health workforce data
21,153 active providers, or 337.3 per 100,000 residents, ranked 38 of 51. County density map and free CSV downloads.
Other Missouri CE requirement pages
Psychologist CE requirements in other states
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