Updated for 2026

Tennessee Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements

Tennessee psychologists must complete 40 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their Psychologist license, including 3 hours of law & ethics, 9 hours of apa sponsored CE, and 3 hours of cultural competency.

total hours / 2 years

apa sponsored CE hours

cultural competency hours

law & ethics hours

Biennial · renewal date varies by licensee.

Tennessee 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	$225 board renewal fee every 2 years; a late (delinquent) renewal adds a $100 fee.
Law & Ethics	3 hours required each cycle.
Apa Sponsored CE	9 hours required each cycle.
Cultural Competency	3 hours required each cycle.
Format limits	At least 20 hours must be earned live.
New licensees	First renewal after initial licensure: if your initial license term ran less than two years - the usual case under Tennessee's staggered expiration system - you owe at least 30 CE hours instead of 40 (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(1)(b)). The floors do not shrink: at least 20 of the hours must offer real-time interaction, at least 9 must come from an APA-approved sponsor, 3 must address cultural diversity, and 3 sponsor-provided hours must cover Tennessee law, Board rules, and professional ethics - passing the Tennessee Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam during your initial term counts for up to 3 hours and satisfies that law/ethics requirement. If your initial term ran a full two years, the rule's figure is the standard 40 hours - plan to 40 in that case even though this tracker shows the 30-hour first-renewal target.
Approved providers	Tennessee does not pre-approve CE courses and keeps no provider roster, so the provider classifications captured here are descriptive (provider_lists_enforced is off); the nine-hour APA-sponsor floor is evaluated through the apa_sponsored_ce category tag. Sponsored CE comes in two tiers: programs from an APA-approved sponsor (at least 9 of your hours each cycle must come from this tier - tag those credits apa_sponsored_ce), and other sponsor approved continuing education offered by a regional or state psychological association, a recognized and relevant national, regional or state professional credentialing body, an institution housing an APA-approved internship program, or a nationally recognized accredited college or university with a health-related professional training program (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(2)(a)-(b)). Experiences unacceptable as continuing education include administrative activities, psychotherapy, personal growth or enrichment, regular work activities as a psychologist, independent, unstructured or self-structured learning, and home study unless it is provided by one of the two sponsor tiers (1180-01-.08(1)(g)). Credits must fall inside the accrual window - must_be_within_cycle_window is enforced because CE counts only when acquired in the two calendar years (January 1 - December 31) prior to the licensure renewal year, and no carryover of excess hours into a later window is permitted (1180-01-.08(1)(a)). Keep certificates and records for five years; the Board audits by written request and does not maintain CE files (1180-01-.08(3)).
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 $100 late fee.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Board caps and floors on where the 40 hours can come from.

livemin 20 hrs
peer consultationmax 20 hrs
nonaccredited workshopsmax 20 hrs
board servicemax 20 hrs
professional servicemax 10 hrs
providing supervisionmax 5 hrs
presentationmax 3 hrs per activity
guest lecturemax 1 hrs per activity
journal reviewmax 20 hrs
academic courseworkmax 15 hrs
volunteer servicemax 8 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.

Your CE planTennessee

Psychologist

Biennialrenewal

Renews every 2 years. Add your renewal date for countdown and pacing.

Your renewal date

total hours completed0 / 40

apa sponsored CE hours completed0 / 9

cultural competency hours completed0 / 3

law & ethics hours completed0 / 3

Enter your completed hours to see what is left.

Also in the rule: 20 live hours minimum, 20 peer consultation hours cap, 20 nonaccredited workshops hours cap, 20 board service hours cap, 10 professional service hours cap, 5 providing supervision hours cap, 3 presentation hours cap per activity, 1 guest lecture hours cap per activity, 20 journal review hours cap, 15 academic coursework hours cap, and 8 volunteer service hours cap.

New licensees: your first cycle may be prorated or exempt; we apply that when your record has the issue date.

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Full board policy details

SPONSOR TIERS: Continuing education provided by an APA-approved sponsor consists of programs which are postdoctoral in nature and include formal learning objectives and evaluation of learning activities (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(2)(a)). Other sponsor approved continuing education consists of formal activities which are psychological in nature, provide documentation of attendance, and have a preassigned number of CE credits, sponsored by a regional psychological association, a state psychological association, a recognized and relevant national, regional or state professional credentialing body, an institution housing an APA-approved internship program, or a nationally recognized accredited college or university with a health-related professional training program (1180-01-.08(2)(b)). The provider classification captured here is descriptive: the only structured provider gate is the nine-hour APA-sponsor floor, evaluated through the apa_sponsored_ce category tag.
UNACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCES / HOME STUDY: Experiences unacceptable as continuing education include, but are not limited to, administrative activities; psychotherapy; personal growth or enrichment; regular work activities as a psychologist; independent, unstructured or self-structured learning; and home study, unless the home study constitutes continuing education provided by an APA-approved sponsor or other sponsor approved continuing education (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(1)(g), lettered (1)(f) before the 2026 amendment). There is deliberately no numeric self-study cap in this file: admissibility of non-interactive study is categorical (sponsor-provided or nothing), and the twenty-hour real-time floor already bounds non-interactive hours at twenty of the forty (ten of the thirty at a short first renewal).
REAL-TIME MAPPING: The twenty-hour floor requires the opportunity for real time interaction during the event (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(1)(a)). Both in-person attendance and live interactive online events satisfy it - the engine's live format minimum accepts in_person credits - while recorded, correspondence, and self-paced formats do not offer real-time interaction and should be logged as recorded or self_study.
PER-YEAR ACTIVITY CEILINGS - ARITHMETIC: Four activity maxima are stated per year while the accrual window spans two calendar years: non-accredited workshops/seminars/courses at ten hours per year (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(2)(c)2), Board service at ten hours per year ((2)(c)3), state/national psychological association service at five hours per year ((2)(c)4), and voluntary healthcare services at four hours per year ((2)(e)). The rule thereby affirmatively limits each activity across the window to twenty, twenty, ten, and eight hours respectively, and the engine enforces those aggregate ceilings; a within-single-year overage (for example fifteen workshop hours in one calendar year against the two-year twenty) is not separately evaluable and is administered by the Board at audit. Every verdict on the two-year magnitude is identical to applying the per-year caps to a compliant year split.
PEER CONSULTATION THRESHOLD: In order to obtain CE hours for peer consultation, a minimum of ten (10) hours is required per renewal cycle; one hour equals one CE credit hour, and a maximum of twenty (20) CE hours can be received biennially (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(2)(c)1). The engine enforces the twenty-hour ceiling; the all-or-nothing ten-hour participation threshold has no structured home and is a manual check - a licensee logging one to nine peer-consultation hours should expect the Board to credit none of them. Acceptable documentation: date, time, duration, location, attendees, and topic.
LAW/ETHICS FLOOR - SOURCE RESTRICTION AND SATISFACTION PATHS: The three law/ethics hours must be continuing education provided by an APA-approved sponsor or other sponsor approved continuing education (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(1)(f)) - a source restriction on a topic floor that the engine cannot cross-check, enforced by the Board at audit. Serving as a member of the Board satisfies this requirement ((2)(c)3), as does passing the Tennessee Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam during the initial term of licensure ((2)(c)6) - credits earned through either path should carry the law_and_ethics tag in addition to their activity tag so the floor evaluates them.
RE-LETTERING (AMENDMENT EFFECTIVE 2026-07-27): The amendment filed April 28, 2026 relettered Rule 1180-01-.08(1): the law/ethics floor moved from (1)(e) to (1)(f) and the unacceptable-experiences paragraph from (1)(f) to (1)(g), while new provisions set Certified Psychological Assistant CE at fifteen hours per two years ((1)(c)) and added Certified Psychological Testing Technicians ((1)(e)). The cross-references in (2)(a), (2)(c)3, and (2)(c)6 still cite '(1)(e)' - under the current lettering they denote the law/ethics floor at (1)(f), a drafting artifact of the relettering. The psychologist-facing numbers (40/30 hours, 20 real-time, 9 APA-sponsor, 3 cultural diversity, 3 law/ethics, and every activity maximum and conversion) are unchanged from the text effective 2021-07-06.
RENEWAL MECHANICS: The due date for license renewal is the expiration date indicated on the licensee's certificate (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.05(1)(a)); Division licenses are valid for twenty-four months and expire on the last day of the last month of the license period, with expirations distributed throughout the calendar year (1200-10-01-.10). Renewal requires the completed application form plus the biennial renewal and state regulatory fees on or before the expiration date (1180-01-.05(1)(c)). No renewal application is accepted after the last day of the month following the expiration date (1200-10-01-.10(2)); after that, the license must be reinstated under 1180-01-.05(2). Because the accrual window closes on December 31 before the renewal year begins, all qualifying CE is complete before the renewal application is due.
EXPIRED-LICENSE REINSTATEMENT: An expired license may be reinstated upon payment of the renewal fee and the late renewal fee, compliance with the continuing education requirements of Rule 1180-01-.08, and registration of supervisors of record if required; a license expired more than five (5) years additionally requires passing the jurisprudence and ethics examination, paying its fee, and obtaining six (6) months of supervision (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.05(2)(a)). Reinstatement decisions may be made administratively by the Board Administrator ((2)(b)).
RETIRED STATUS AND REACTIVATION: A licensee may convert to retired status and pays no renewal fee while retired (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.07(1)). Re-entry to active status, in the rule's own boundary language: a person whose license has been retired and who has not practiced for up to two (2) years (or whose Tennessee license has been retired while licensed, in good standing, and in continuous practice in another state) re-enters with a written request plus the renewal, state regulatory, and late renewal fees, with no CE showing (1180-01-.07(3)); a person who has not practiced for two (2) years up to five (5) years re-enters with the same fees plus proof of successful completion of forty (40) hours of continuing education as provided in Rule 1180-01-.08 (1180-01-.07(4)); a person who has not practiced for over five (5) years re-enters with the same fees plus the forty hours of CE, supervisor registration where required, passing the jurisprudence and ethics examination if required with its fee, and six (6) months of supervision (1180-01-.07(6)). At exactly two years the texts of (3) ('up to two (2) years') and (4) ('two (2) years up to five (5) years') overlap; a licensee at that boundary should be prepared to show the forty hours. The forty-hour reactivation showing equals the standard cycle requirement, so no separate conditional block is encoded; the tiers are duration-dependent and administered procedurally. Chapter 1180-01 has no separate inactive status - retirement is the non-practice status.
HARDSHIP WAIVER: The Board may grant a waiver of the need to attend and complete the required hours of continuing education where illness, disability, or other undue hardship beyond the control of the licensee prevents compliance; waivers are considered only on an individual basis, must be requested in writing with supporting documentation before the end of the licensure cycle in which the CE is due, and are effective only for the renewal period sought unless the Board specifies otherwise; the Board Consultant and designee may grant or deny subject to Board ratification (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(5)). There is no conditional or provisional registration for licensees short on CE at renewal - the deficiency paths are the waiver or discipline under T.C.A. 63-11-215 ((4)).
OVERLAYS - HSP, PSYPACT, PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY, TELEPSYCHOLOGY: (1) Health Service Provider (HSP) designation is granted by the Board to qualifying Psychologists, displayed on the renewal certificate, and required for delivering health services (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-02-.01(2), (4); 1180-01-.02(3)); it is an attribute of the psychologist license with no separate CE requirement anywhere in Rule 1180-01-.08. (2) Tennessee participates in PSYPACT (TN S 161, enacted and effective May 11, 2021): APIT/TAP authority rides on ASPPB credentials with their own renewal obligations and adds no hours to this CE requirement. (3) Tennessee grants psychologists no prescriptive authority - chapter 1180-02 contains no prescription certificate or associated CE. (4) The telepsychology rule (1180-02-.27) imposes practice standards - a Tennessee license is required to serve patients located in Tennessee, and the base license alone does not authorize telepsychology into other jurisdictions - but attaches no CE hours.
OTHER BOARD CREDENTIALS - OUT OF SCOPE: This file covers the Psychologist license only. Senior Psychological Examiners and Psychological Examiners are separate master's-level licenses that share the forty-hour text of Rule 1180-01-.08(1)(a); Certified Psychological Assistants owe fifteen (15) hours per two years under the amendment effective 2026-07-27 (1180-01-.08(1)(c); 1180-04-.01(4)(f)); Certified Psychological Testing Technicians pursue CE as directed by their supervisor and are exempt from the cultural-diversity and law/ethics floors (1180-01-.08(1)(e); chapter 1180-06). Temporary and provisional licenses are time-limited pre-licensure tiers (1180-01-.01(24)). Tennessee school psychologists are credentialed by the State Board of Education as school services personnel (Rule 0520-02-03-.05(1)(d)), outside this board entirely. There is no suicide-prevention or other external training mandate for this board's licensees - the Tullis Act (T.C.A. 63-1-125) covers other behavioral-health boards, not the Board of Examiners in Psychology.

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Tennessee Psychologist CE: frequently asked questions

How many CE hours do Tennessee Psychologist licensees need?

Tennessee 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 Tennessee Psychologist licensees?

Of the total, 3 hours must be in law & ethics.

How often do Tennessee Psychologist licensees renew?

Biennial cycle: tied to your license's renewal (expiration) date.

How much does Tennessee Psychologist license renewal cost?

The board's renewal fee is $225 every 2 years, per the Tennessee 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 Tennessee Psychologist licensees?

Yes. In addition to ethics, Tennessee requires 9 hours of apa sponsored CE, 3 hours of cultural competency.

Can Tennessee Psychologist licensees complete CE online or by home study?

At least 20 hours must be earned live.

Is the first renewal different for new Tennessee Psychologist licensees?

First renewal after initial licensure: if your initial license term ran less than two years - the usual case under Tennessee's staggered expiration system - you owe at least 30 CE hours instead of 40 (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-01-.08(1)(b)). The floors do not shrink: at least 20 of the hours must offer real-time interaction, at least 9 must come from an APA-approved sponsor, 3 must address cultural diversity, and 3 sponsor-provided hours must cover Tennessee law, Board rules, and professional ethics - passing the Tennessee Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam during your initial term counts for up to 3 hours and satisfies that law/ethics requirement. If your initial term ran a full two years, the rule's figure is the standard 40 hours - plan to 40 in that case even though this tracker shows the 30-hour first-renewal target.

Sources & verification

State source: Tennessee board rule
Fee schedule: Tennessee board fee schedule
Last verified: August 2026
Ruleset version: 2026.1

Reviewed against the Tennessee 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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