New Jersey Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements
New Jersey psychologists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 20 hours of sponsored continuing education, 4 hours of domestic violence, 1 hour of prescription opioid drugs, and 1 hour of jurisprudence / state law.
40
total hours / 2 years
4
domestic violence hours
1
prescription opioid drugs hours
1
jurisprudence / state law hours
20
sponsored continuing education hours
Biennial renewal · calculating the next statewide deadline
New Jersey Psychologist requirements
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Total continuing education | 40 hours every 2 years. |
| Renewal | Biennial cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years. |
| Renewal fee | $300 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $75 fee. |
| Sponsored Continuing Education | 20 hours required each cycle. |
| Domestic Violence | 4 hours required each cycle. |
| Prescription Opioid Drugs | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| Jurisprudence / State Law | 1 hour required each cycle. |
| Format limits | At least 10 hours of sponsored continuing education must be earned live. |
| Carryover | Up to 10 unused hours can carry into the next cycle. |
| New licensees | Licensees applying for their first biennial renewal are not required to demonstrate completion of continuing education (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.20(c)). The full 40-credit requirement begins with the second renewal. |
| Approved providers | Provider classification is enforced only for the course/program credits tagged sponsored_continuing_education: those must be presented by, or by providers approved by, the American Psychological Association, the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, or the American Medical Association (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.21(a)). The alternative activities under 13:42-10.21(b) and the Board's own jurisprudence online review need no provider approval. |
| Recordkeeping | Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each course's completion date. |
| Board audit | The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance. |
| Late renewal | A late renewal allows a 30-day grace period after expiration and a $75 late fee. |
Limits on how the hours are earned
Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.
- sponsored continuing education via livemin 10 hrs
- academic courseworkmax 20 hrs
- textbook chapter authorshipmax 5 hrs
- journal article authorshipmax 5 hrs
- first time presentationmax 5 hrs
- teachingmax 5 hrs
- carryovermax 10 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.
Full board policy details
- TIER STRUCTURE: N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.21 splits the 40 credits into (a) at least 20 credits of courses/programs from the four approved national organizations or their approved providers; (b) up to 19 credits from five enumerated alternative activities (graduate coursework, textbook/chapter authorship, journal-article authorship, new presentations/curricula, teaching new courses), each with its own cap; and (c) one credit from the Board's jurisprudence online review. There are no lettered activity "categories" and no rule requiring hours from a minimum number of categories.
- 19-CREDIT UMBRELLA (PROSE-ONLY BY ARITHMETIC): "A licensee may complete up to 19 of the required 40 continuing education credits from the following [alternative activities]" (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.21(b)). This collective cap is not separately encoded because it is arithmetically redundant against the encoded floors: any licensee satisfying the 20-credit approved-course minimum (a) and the 1-credit jurisprudence requirement (c) has at most 19 of the 40 required credits left for alternative activities (40 - 20 - 1 = 19). With those floors enforced, no compliant-by-engine renewal can rely on more than 19 alternative credits, so the umbrella can never flip an engine verdict. Per-activity caps ARE encoded because they bind independently.
- GRADUATE-COURSEWORK INNER CAP: 13:42-10.21(b)1 states "up to 20 credits" for graduate coursework, but the subsection (b) umbrella limits all alternative activities collectively to 19 credits, so the effective maximum is 19. The cap is encoded at its stated 20-credit value; the one-credit difference cannot change an overall verdict for the same arithmetic reason as the umbrella note above.
- LIVE / FORMAT: There is no generic self-study cap. The only format rule is 13:42-10.21(d): at least 10 of the 20 subsection (a) course credits must offer "the opportunity for live interaction with the continuing education instructor." A synchronous online course with live instructor interaction qualifies; asynchronous recorded or home-study courses do not. Beyond that rule, the remaining credits may be earned in any format.
- COURSE REPEAT RESTRICTIONS: Teaching and presentation credit is limited to NEW material — a new lecture/seminar, new curricula, or a new course (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.21(b)4-5). The rule does not impose a general ban on an attendee repeating a course for credit.
- LICENSE STATUS RULES: A licensee may renew as INACTIVE (paying no CE) but "shall not engage in the practice of psychology" in New Jersey (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.17). There is no separate retired/emeritus CE tier. Reactivation from inactive status (13:42-10.18) requires a renewal application, certification of employment during the inactive period, fees (full renewal fee in the first year of a biennial period, half in the second), and evidence of having completed all CE for the CURRENT biennial period; a licensee actively licensed in good standing in another state who met that state's CE is deemed compliant, and if that state has none, New Jersey's requirements apply. Reinstatement after suspension under 13:42-10.17(e) for failure to renew (13:42-10.19) likewise requires evidence of all CE for the current biennial period — with the SAME out-of-state deeming provision (13:42-10.19(b)) — plus the current renewal fee, the past-due renewal fee from the prior biennial period, and the reinstatement fee. In both cases the Board may require an examination, refresher courses, or supervision on finding possible practice deficiencies — that discretionary layer requires manual review.
- WAIVER: The Board may waive CE requirements on an individual basis for hardship such as severe illness, disability, or military service (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.23). The licensee must apply in writing no fewer than 90 days before the renewal date with supporting documentation; a waiver applies only to the biennial period for which it is granted and must be re-requested if the hardship continues.
- BOARD-IMPOSED ADDITIONAL CE: Under N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.24 the Board may require CE beyond the 40 credits as a disciplinary/remedial measure or to correct a deficiency, and court- or Board-ordered CE cannot be used to satisfy the minimum 13:42-10.20 requirement. Case-specific — manual review.
- OVERLAYS: New Jersey has NOT enacted PSYPACT as of August 2026 (Assembly bill A4205 pending; NJ absent from the psypact.gov member map), and New Jersey grants no prescriptive authority to psychologists. Temporary one-year and three-year permits under N.J.A.C. 13:42-3 are pre-licensure training permits, not biennially renewed licenses subject to this CE rule.
We turn every category, format limit, and one-time rule on this page into a live checklist on your New Jersey Psychologist record, and reapply board changes automatically as they happen.
Track New Jersey Psychologist CE free →New Jersey Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do New Jersey Psychologist licensees need?
New Jersey requires 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a Psychologist license. Biennial cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.
How often do New Jersey Psychologist licensees renew?
Biennial cycle: CE due by June 30 of odd years.
How much does New Jersey Psychologist license renewal cost?
The board's renewal fee is $300 every 2 years, per the New Jersey board fee schedule. Renewing late adds a $75 delinquency fee on top. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.
Are there subject-specific CE requirements for New Jersey Psychologist licensees?
Yes. In addition to ethics, New Jersey requires 20 hours of sponsored continuing education, 4 hours of domestic violence, 1 hour of prescription opioid drugs, 1 hour of jurisprudence / state law.
Can New Jersey Psychologist licensees complete CE online or by home study?
At least 10 hours of sponsored continuing education must be earned live.
Is the first renewal different for new New Jersey Psychologist licensees?
Licensees applying for their first biennial renewal are not required to demonstrate completion of continuing education (N.J.A.C. 13:42-10.20(c)). The full 40-credit requirement begins with the second renewal.
Sources & verification
- State source
- New Jersey board rule
- Fee schedule
- New Jersey board fee schedule
- Last verified
- August 2026
- Ruleset version
- 2026.2
Reviewed against the New Jersey 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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