California LMFT License Renewal Requirements

All About the LMFT Renewal Process in California

Renewing a California LMFT license is a fundamental aspect of maintaining professional standing and ensuring compliance with state requirements. The renewal process for a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California serves as a critical checkpoint for licensed professionals to confirm their credentials remain valid, and allow them to continue providing quality service to their clients.
A California LMFT license is valid for a period of two years from the date of issue. Once this period has passed, it is necessary to complete the renewal process before the expiration date on the license or else face administrative penalties. In California, failure to renew your LMFT license can result in administrative penalties of $10.00 per month for a period of up to 30 months. The penalties are set forth in the California Code of Regulations ("CCR"). If the license has not been renewed within 5 years since the license expired, the LMFT license number is canceled.
Licenses that are canceled are subject to lapses of renewal, which are handled by the Associate Marriage and Family Therapy’s Board ("Board"). A lapse of renewal occurs when the renewal fee has not been paid and the license has been voided upon expiration date. To reinstate a canceled license, the individual must submit an application and pay the required fee before expiration of the first renewal period following the lapse . Regulations do mandate that this does not apply to any license originally issued for less than two years. The licensee would be required to reapply for licensure should reinstatement be necessary after the application process has ended.
After the Board has approved the renewal application, the license status will be changed from "lapsed" to "active", and a copy of the renewal will be mailed to the licensee. Upon receipt of the renewal, the licensee is required to retain a copy at the principal place of business. Those who do not receive a copy of their renewed license must contact the Board to rectify the issue.
The indemnification policy is required to be complied with after renewal of the license, and is set forth in California Government Code. It is important to remember, the licensee must have completed at least 36 hours of qualifying continuing education coursework during the prior two-year renewal period. This course work must be contained in a course or program that meets the requirements of the California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 18, Chapter one, Section 1815.
In addition, licensees are required to retain proof of attendance for four years post-renewal date. Such records should be organized in accordance with Business and Professions Code section 4980.36(b). Records of continuing education maintenance should be established for at least three years, while any information pertaining to a non-hours related subject is necessary for one year only.

What Continuing Education Do LMFTs Need?

The continuing education requirements for renewing your LMFT license are:
Law and Ethics (6 hours):
All LMFT licensees are required to complete a 6 hour course of California Law & Ethics for each renewal period. This course must be completed in the 2 years prior to the date on which your renewal application is submitted. In order to ensure that your continuing education provider is approved please make sure that the provider is a Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) approved continuing education provider.
Psychological Testing and Assessment (6 hours):
LMFT licensees must complete a minimum of 6 hours of continuing education in the area of Psychological Testing and Assessment. The Board currently requires licensees to take this coursework in order to understand the proper use of psychological tests and their impact on clients. In order to ensure that your continuing education provider is approved please make sure that the provider is a Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) approved continuing education provider.
Laws and Ethics, and Psychological Testing and Assessment course material may be taught in a separate, individual course or combined in a single course.

Renewal and Deadlines

The timelines for renewing the California LMFT license are exactly the same as the initial licensing timeline (with one important exception). You should apply for renewal at least 30-40 days before your license expires. If you miss this deadline, which again is based on when you get in the mail your official renewal notice, that’s OK, as you still have 15 days in which to file your renewal package.
During these 15 days, you will not be able to practice, but you have the option of requesting a temporary renewal "for reasons related to the health, safety, welfare of the public." If you think this may apply to you, you should get an attorney to help you with the process as there are specific procedures for getting the temporary renewal and the request will be scrutinized closely by the Board of Behavioral Sciences.
If your application for renewal is NOT accepted for any reason (even if you submit it on time), you will be notified of this by the BBS and allowed to correct the problem to renew your license within an additional 15 days.
Finally, take note that the time deadlines above do NOT apply to the next section of license renewal – CPD hours. That deadline is 2 years (again, exactly the same as the initial licensing). The bottom line is that 30 days for renewal, 15 days to fix any problems with the renewal (with possible temporary extension) and 24 months to finish CPD hours.

All Fees Involved with Renewal

Your renewal fee is currently $100 for an MFT/LCSW and $70 for an Associate LMFT. If you are retired, do not pay for your renewal at the time, and before your license expiration date send in the required form, your fee is $35. If your license is suspended, the fee is $75. Payment methods include checks, money orders, Visa and MasterCard (only for online renewals). A returned check will incur a $12 service charge. Fees are paid to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and are nonrefundable and subject to change without notice.
APPLYING LATE
If you were unable to renew your license before the expiration deadline, you are no longer a licensed MFT and will be considered an unlicensed individual. You must make sure that you submit your renewal application within three years of its expiration date to avoid further legal action. If you renew your license within 30 days of your expiration date, you will be subject to an $80 penalty fee plus the renewal fee.

Easy Steps to Renew Your License

For those who wish to renew their LMFT license online (which is by far the simplest and cheapest option), renewals are processed the 1st business day of every month, with licenses expiring at the end of the month. This means that for July and August, all LMFTs with an expiring license will need to have their renewal submitted online and paid for no later than July 31st and August 31st or their license will lapse. The same is true for any other months of the year and it does not matter when your birthdate is. You pay for your license, then you should get your renewal card six to eight weeks later. If you do not get your card by the end of the month that your license expires, you may want to check with the Board of Behavioral Sciences ("BBS"). So how do you go about actually renewing your license and what are the steps? If you obtained your initial LMFT license after January 1, 2009, and are therefore subject to AB5 (Business and Professions Code sections 5000 and 4981.4), you must pass the California Law & Ethics Exam to be eligible for license renewal .
If your license expires before YOUR birthday, you must complete 36 hours of approved continuing education in the two years PRIOR to license expiration. If your license expires AFTER YOUR birthday, you must complete 36 hours of approved continuing education in the two years AFTER YOUR birthday. If ANY of your required 36 CE hours were completed prior to YOUR birthday, it will still count toward the 36 hours you need each renewal period. If your license expires during the transition period, e.g., June 30, 2015, you would then have to meet the CE criteria for BOTH the June 30, 2015 renewal and the December 31, 2017 renewal. The BBS CE requirements are available here. Renewing your license is relatively simple. Fill out the application entirely by hand, making sure there are no blanks, and remember that unless one is an LMFT with Approved Supervisor status, one cannot supervise associates in the State of California. Then mail the renewal application and a check for the renewal fee ($50 for MFTs) to the BBS. Alternatively, the online renewal process, available here, requires about as much information, but you are charged a $15 convenience fee for processing the renewal.

Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Challenges That California LMFTs Face During the Renewal Process and How to Overcome Them
One of the most frequent problems facing licensees is the missed deadline. While late payments and missed deadlines happen, there is a late fee, charged for any renewal application that is filed after the expiration date. There is a $60 late fee for the initial 30 days. After 30 days, the late fee increases to $90. At the end of 90 days, the license becomes null and void, and the process to obtain a new license must begin. However, in order to obtain a new license, the applicant must refurnish their fingerprints and submit to a criminal history background check and a MFTRs must be in compliance with the continuing education requirement. It cannot be stressed enough that in order to avoid a lapse of the license, payment of fees must be on time.
Another problem that licensees face is the unanticipated cost of the fingerprinting and criminal history review. Fingerprint live-scan services could be free at educational institutions, but certain government agencies may appoint a private vendor, who will charge a fee for the fingerprint live-scan service. These costs can add up to be hundreds of dollars, and unfortunately, this expense is purely a personal obligation and cannot be reimbursed by your employer. If you have not been fingerprinted in the last few years under the Department of Justice, you will have to pay twice.
Sometimes, employers are reluctant to allow an employee time away from work to complete the fingerprinting process. The fingerprinting must be done during business hours, and needs to be submitted to the Department of Justice prior to the expiration of the MFTR. Whether you can be reimbursed for this expense by your employer ultimately depends on your employment contract. While MFTRs will have to submit to a health screening exam as part of the employment process, once the applicant becomes licensed as an LMFT by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, the employer is responsible for completion of any necessary health screening requirements.
The MFTR Board of Behavioral Sciences does not currently offer emergency medical services, including ambulance or air transport coverage. If you require medical assistance while in transit, whether or not it is related to your work, you will have to bear the cost of any emergency services received out of pocket. Questions regarding your home insurer, such as whether they provide health or medical coverage for accidents are purely a matter between you and your insurer.

Staying On Top of CA LMFT Requirements

Additionally, a Licensee should strive to find – and retain – a reputable source of information from which they can receive updates on new requirements. This could be a therapist’s state or regional association, their Board or Committee, Listserv or other clinician-based group that discusses updates and changes . Keeping in contact with CAL-MFT colleagues would also be a great way for a licensee to stay up-to-date on all the most current license renewal requirements.