California Therapist Rules & Deadlines
California therapists have a lot to keep track of. This guide brings license renewals, continuing education, reporting deadlines, and other practice requirements together in one place, with links to official sources so you can check the details. For California marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, professional clinical counselors, and registered associates.
Verified September 21, 2026.
1. Every renewal cycle
A license renews every two years and a registration renews every year, and the continuing education owed is different for each of them. The renewal fees fell on July 1, 2026, so both the earlier and the current amounts are shown.
| Obligation | Applies to | When | Authority | Source | Explained here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| License renewal | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees | Every 2 years | B&P 4984 (LMFT), 4996.6 (LCSW), 4999.102 (LPCC). A license expires no more than 24 months after the issue date and cannot be renewed more than 90 days before expiration. | Statute, BBS | BBS renewal |
| Registration renewal | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | Every year | B&P 4984.01(a), 4996.28(a), 4999.100(a). A registration expires one year from the last day of the month in which it was issued. | Statute | AMFT registration |
| Six-year limit on a registration | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | 6 years from issue, 5 renewals | B&P 4984.01, 4996.28(c), 4999.100(d). A registration may be renewed a maximum of five times and may not be renewed or reinstated beyond six years from the last day of the month in which it was issued. | Statute | What an AMFT is |
| Continuing education | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees | 36 hours every 2 years | B&P 4980.54(c)(1), 4996.22(a)(1), 4999.76(a)(1). Certified to the Board on the renewal application. | Statute | CE requirements |
| Law and ethics continuing education | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees | 6 hours every renewal period | 16 CCR 1887.3. The BBS states that these six hours count toward the 36-hour requirement rather than being added to it. | BBS | CE requirements |
| Law and ethics continuing education | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | 3 hours every year | B&P 4980.54(c)(2) and 4980.399(e). Not less than three hours during each renewal period, whether or not the registrant has passed the California law and ethics examination. | Statute, BBS | CE requirements |
| California Law and Ethics Examination | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | Every year until passed | B&P 4980.399 and 4984.01(b)(3). The registrant must participate in the examination each year until they complete it successfully. | Statute | Law and ethics exam |
| Keeping continuing education records | All licensees and registrants | At least 2 years | The BBS directs licensees to keep documentation of completed continuing education for at least two years from the date of the renewal the courses were completed for, and states that it resumed routine continuing education audits on March 12, 2024. | BBS | CE records |
| Conviction and discipline disclosure at renewal | All licensees and registrants | At every renewal | B&P 4984(b)(4), 4984.01(b)(4), 4999.100(b)(3). The renewal application asks whether the person has been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony and whether any disciplinary action has been taken by a regulatory or licensing board since the last renewal. | Statute | Reporting to the BBS |
| Renewal fee before July 1, 2026 | LMFT, LCSW and LPCC licensees | $220 on time, $320 delinquent | 16 CCR 1816 and B&P 163.5. Active renewal is $220 on time and $320 delinquent. Inactive renewal is $120 on time and $170 delinquent. Each figure is the base renewal fee plus the $20 Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund fee, which applies to LMFT, LCSW and LPCC renewals and is not part of the base the delinquency fee is calculated on. | BBS form | Cost of licensure |
| Renewal fee on and after July 1, 2026 | LMFT, LCSW and LPCC licensees | $120 on time, $170 delinquent | 16 CCR 1816(k) to (n) and B&P 163.5. Active renewal is $120 on time and $170 delinquent. Inactive renewal is $70 on time and $95 delinquent. Each figure is the base renewal fee plus the $20 Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund fee, which is not reduced. The BBS uses the application postmark date to decide which fee applies and does not refund fees paid before July 1, 2026. | BBS | Cost of licensure |
| Registrant renewal fee | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | $150, then $75 | 16 CCR 1816(h) to (j), covering AMFT, ASW and APCC registrations. The annual registration renewal fee is $150 until June 30, 2026 and $75 for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. | Regulation text | BBS renewal |
| Delinquency fee for a late renewal | Licensees | 50 percent of the base renewal fee | B&P 163.5 and 4984.7(a)(8). The renewal delinquency fee is one-half of the fee for license renewal, and not less than $25 nor more than $150. A person who permits their license to expire is subject to it. The 50 percent runs on the base renewal fee and not on the $20 Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund fee. | Statute, B&P 4984.7 | Renewing late |
| Letting a registration expire | AMFT, ASW and APCC registrants | No fee, but the hours stop counting | There is no delinquency fee for a registration. The BBS states that a registration not renewed on or before its expiration date expires, that while it is expired the registrant may not work in a private practice or professional corporation, and that hours of experience in any setting do not count during that time. | BBS form | Renewing late |
| Renewing after expiration | Licensees | Within 3 years | The BBS states that a license not renewed within three years after its expiration date is cancelled, and that the person must then reapply, meet all current requirements and pass the licensing examinations. The BBS states there is no grace period. | BBS form | Renewing late |
| Inactive status | Licensees | No CE to renew inactive | The BBS states that no continuing education is required to renew a license on inactive status. The Reactivation Request form requires 18 hours of continuing education if the license expires less than one year from the date of the reactivation request, and 36 hours if it expires more than one year from that date. The courses must be from Board-accepted providers and taken within the two years prior to submission of the request, and the six-hour law and ethics course must be among them if it was not already taken in the current renewal period. The reactivation fee is $50. | BBS, Reactivation form | Inactive status |
| Continuing professional development in supervision | Supervisors who have completed initial supervisor training, other than psychologists, board-certified psychiatrists and holders of an approved supervisor certification | 6 hours each renewal period after the initial training | 16 CCR 1834(c) for MFT supervisors, and the parallel 1871(c) for LCSW and 1821.3(c) for LPCC. A minimum of six hours of continuing professional development in supervision during each subsequent renewal period while providing supervision. Qualifying activities are training or coursework on supervision, teaching such a course, authoring published research focused on supervision, mentoring or consultation with another board-qualified supervisor, and attendance at supervisor peer discussion groups. Under 1834(d) an approved supervisor certification from AAMFT, ABECSW, CAMFT or CCE is accepted in place of the requirement, and the regulation does not reach psychologists or board-certified psychiatrists. | Regulation, BBS form | Becoming a supervisor |
2. One time, and on commencement
Each of these is owed once, either at the start of a career or at the point a practice begins doing something new, such as taking on a first supervisee or hiring a first employee.
| Obligation | Applies to | When | Authority | Source | Explained here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervisor Self-Assessment Report | Any licensed person who supervises an MFT trainee, AMFT, ASW or APCC | Within 60 days of first supervising | 16 CCR 1833.1 for MFT supervisors, 1870 for LCSW, 1821 for LPCC. The report is certified under penalty of perjury. The BBS form states that it is a one-time submission and is not resubmitted on commencing supervision with a new supervisee. | BBS form, BBS FAQ | Becoming a supervisor |
| Supervision Agreement | Supervisor and supervisee, for each supervisory relationship | Within 60 days of commencing supervision | 16 CCR 1833 for MFT, 1869 for LCSW, 1820 for LPCC. Where supervision will last less than 60 days the agreement is signed before it ends. The requirement applies to supervisory relationships commencing on or after January 1, 2022. | BBS | Supervision requirements |
| Initial supervisor training | Any licensed person who supervises, other than psychologists, board-certified psychiatrists and holders of an approved supervisor certification | 15 hours, by 60 days after first supervising | 16 CCR 1834 for MFT supervisors, and the parallel 1871 for LCSW and 1821.3 for LPCC. Fifteen hours of supervision training covering the topics listed in the regulation. The training may be completed in advance or after supervision begins: training taken from a government agency or an acceptable continuing education provider must have been taken within two years before commencing supervision, or within 60 days after, and master's-level or higher coursework from an accredited institution within four years before, or within 60 days after. Under 1834(d) the Board accepts a valid and active approved supervisor certification from AAMFT, ABECSW, CAMFT or CCE in place of the requirement, and a certification from another entity whose requirements the licensee can demonstrate meet or exceed theirs. The regulation reaches persons licensed by the Board, so psychologists and board-certified psychiatrists fall outside it. | Regulation, BBS | Becoming a supervisor |
| Supervision training on resuming supervision | A previously board-qualified supervisor who has not supervised for the past two years | 6 hours within 60 days of resuming | 16 CCR 1834(b) for MFT supervisors, and the parallel 1871(b) for LCSW and 1821.3(b) for LPCC. A licensee who previously served as a board-qualified supervisor but has not supervised for the past two years takes six hours of supervision training or coursework within 60 days of resuming supervision. Where the absence has been less than two years the BBS states that a new supervision course is not necessary. The 1834(d) approved supervisor certifications are accepted in place of this requirement as well. | Regulation, BBS | Becoming a supervisor |
| Suicide risk assessment and intervention coursework | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees | 6 hours, once | B&P 4980.396 and the parallel 4996.27 and 4999.66. Six hours of coursework or applied experience under supervision, satisfied in any of three ways: as part of the qualifying graduate degree program, certified by the registrar or training director; as part of applied experience, meaning a qualifying practicum or associateship, a formal postdoctoral placement under Section 2911, or other qualifying supervised experience, certified by the director of training or primary supervisor; or by a continuing education course meeting Section 4980.54. It is a one-time requirement for a licensee before their first renewal after January 1, 2021, and for applicants for reactivation or reinstatement. Compliance is certified under penalty of perjury and the proof is retained for submission on request. | Statute | One-time courses |
| Telehealth coursework | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees | 3 hours, once | B&P 4980.395 and the parallel 4996.27.1 and 4999.67. Required of applicants for licensure on or after July 1, 2023, and a one-time requirement for a licensee before their first renewal after July 1, 2023 and for applicants for reactivation or reinstatement on or after that date. Two routes satisfy it: the qualifying graduate degree program, or a continuing education course meeting Section 4980.54. Previously completed qualifying coursework satisfies it. The coursework must include law and ethics related to telehealth. | Statute | Telehealth rules |
| Notice before declining to sign further hours | Supervisors | At least 1 week beforehand | 16 CCR 1833.1(b), 1870(b) and 1821(b). A supervisor gives at least one week's prior written notice to an associate supervisee of the supervisor's intent not to sign for any further hours of experience. | BBS FAQ | Supervision requirements |
| First Statement of Information | A licensee who forms a professional corporation | Within 90 days of registering | California Secretary of State. Form SI-550 is filed within the first 90 days of registering, and then every year before the end of the calendar month of the original registration date. | Secretary of State | Therapy corporation |
| Minimum franchise tax | Professional corporations | $800 a year | Franchise Tax Board. The $800 minimum franchise tax is not required in the corporation's first year. It is then remitted by the 15th day of the 4th month of the taxable year, which is April 15 for a calendar-year corporation. | FTB, Form 100-ES instructions | Therapy corporation |
| Workers' compensation coverage | A practice with one or more employees | From the first employee | Labor Code 3700. The Department of Industrial Relations states that all California employers must provide workers' compensation benefits, and that a business employing one or more employees must satisfy the requirement. | DIR | Hiring an employee |
| New hire reporting | A practice with employees | Within 20 calendar days of the start of work | Employment Development Department. Employers report newly hired employees to the New Employee Registry within 20 calendar days of the start-of-work date. | EDD | Hiring an employee |
| Professional liability insurance for Medi-Cal enrollment | LMFTs enrolling in Medi-Cal fee for service | At enrollment | Department of Health Care Services. The application requires a certificate of professional liability insurance in an amount of not less than $100,000 per claim and a minimum annual aggregate of $300,000. | DHCS | Malpractice insurance |
3. Triggered deadlines
These deadlines begin to run when something happens rather than on a fixed date, and most of them are short, so each row gives the triggering event alongside the time allowed.
| Obligation | Applies to | When | Authority | Source | Explained here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report a criminal conviction to the Board | All licensees and registrants | Within 30 days | 16 CCR 1845 for MFT, 1823 for LPCC, 1858 for LEP and 1881 for LCSW. Failure to report to the Board within 30 days a conviction of any felony or misdemeanor, which is not subject to Health and Safety Code sections 11357(b), (c), (d) or (e), or 11360(b), is unprofessional conduct. A conviction includes any verdict of guilty, or plea of guilty or no contest. | BBS rulemaking file | Reporting to the BBS |
| Report discipline by another licensing authority | All licensees and registrants | Within 30 days | 16 CCR 1845 for MFT, 1823 for LPCC, 1858 for LEP and 1881 for LCSW. The reportable action is any disciplinary action taken by another licensing entity or authority of this state or of another state, an agency of the federal government, or the United States military. | BBS rulemaking file | Reporting to the BBS |
| Change of mailing address | All licensees and registrants | Within 30 days | B&P 136 requires notice to the issuing board of any change in mailing address within 30 days after the change, unless the board has set a shorter period by regulation. The BBS states the same 30-day deadline. | Statute, BBS | Reporting to the BBS |
| Change of legal name | All licensees and registrants | Within 30 days | The BBS states that licensees and registrants must update their legal name with the Board within 30 days of the issuance of a new government-issued photographic identification. | BBS | Reporting to the BBS |
| Permit inspection of a client's records | Any health care provider | Within 5 working days | H&S 123110(a). The provider permits inspection during business hours within five working days after receipt of a request for the records. The request need not be in writing. The duty is subject to H&S 123115 and 123120. Under 123115(b), a provider who determines that there is a substantial risk of significant adverse or detrimental consequences to a patient in seeing or receiving a copy of their mental health records may decline, subject to conditions including a written record of the date of the request and the specific anticipated consequences. Under 123115(a), the representative of a minor has no right of access to records of services the minor could consent to alone. | Statute, H&S 123115 | Access to records |
| Provide copies of a client's records | Any health care provider | Within 15 days | H&S 123110(b)(1). Copies are transmitted within 15 days after receiving a request specifying the records to be copied. The request need not be in writing. Under 123110(j)(2) the fee may not exceed 25 cents a page for paper copies, or 50 cents a page for records copied from microfilm. The duty is subject to the same H&S 123115 and 123120 exceptions that apply to inspection. | Statute, H&S 123115 | Access to records |
| Records and an unpaid bill | Any health care provider | Always | H&S 123110(i) prohibits a health care provider from withholding patient records or summaries because of an unpaid bill for health care services, and makes willful withholding subject to the sanctions in 123110(h). | Statute | Access to records |
| Suspected child abuse report | Mandated reporters | Telephone at once, then 36 hours | Penal Code 11166(a). The mandated reporter makes an initial report by telephone to the agency immediately or as soon as is practicably possible, and prepares and sends, faxes or electronically transmits a written follow-up report within 36 hours of receiving the information. The written report is Form SS 8572. | Statute, Attorney General | Reporting deadlines |
| Suspected elder or dependent adult abuse report, outside a long-term care facility | Mandated reporters | At once, then 2 working days | W&I 15630(b)(1). The report is made by telephone or through the confidential internet reporting tool immediately or as soon as practicably possible. If reported by telephone, a written report is sent within two working days. The written report is Form SOC 341. Under 15630(b)(1)(F), where the abuse occurred in any place other than a long-term care facility, a state mental hospital or a state developmental center, the report is made to the adult protective services agency or the local law enforcement agency. | Statute, CDSS form | Reporting deadlines |
| Suspected elder or dependent adult abuse in a long-term care facility | Mandated reporters | 2 hours verbal, 24 hours written | W&I 15630(b)(1)(A)(ii), as amended by AB 1417, Stats. 2023, Ch. 580, effective January 1, 2024. A verbal report is made to the local law enforcement agency immediately or as soon as practically possible, and no longer than two hours. A written report is made within 24 hours to all of the long-term care ombudsman, the local law enforcement agency and the corresponding state licensing agency. Under 15630(b)(1)(A)(iii) the time limit begins when the mandated reporter observes, obtains knowledge of, or suspects the abuse or neglect. The written report is Form SOC 341. Subparagraph (A) excludes a state mental health hospital and a state developmental center. Abuse in those facilities is reported under 15630(b)(1)(E). | Statute, CDSS form | Reporting deadlines |
| Abuse in a long-term care facility by a resident with diagnosed dementia, without serious bodily injury | Mandated reporters | 24 hours written | W&I 15630(b)(1)(A)(i). Where the abuse was allegedly caused by another resident of the facility with dementia diagnosed by a licensed physician and there was no serious bodily injury, a written report is made within 24 hours to both the long-term care ombudsman and the local law enforcement agency. The clock start in 15630(b)(1)(A)(iii) applies to this report as well. Subparagraph (A) excludes a state mental health hospital and a state developmental center. Abuse in those facilities is reported under 15630(b)(1)(E). | Statute, CDSS form | Reporting deadlines |
| Suspected elder or dependent adult abuse in a state mental hospital or state developmental center | Mandated reporters | 2 hours | W&I 15630(b)(1)(E). The report is made immediately, and no later than two hours from the mandated reporter observing, obtaining knowledge of, or suspecting the abuse or neglect. Under (E)(i), where the abuse or neglect resulted in a death, a sexual assault, an assault with a deadly weapon by a nonresident of the facility, an assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, an injury to the genitals when the cause is undetermined, or a broken bone when the cause is undetermined, the report goes to designated investigators of the State Department of State Hospitals or the State Department of Developmental Services and to the local law enforcement agency. Under (E)(ii), all other reports go to those designated investigators or to the local law enforcement agency. | Statute | Reporting deadlines |
| Deliver the Required Notice to Consumers | All licensees and registrants | Before psychotherapy begins | B&P 4980.32, and the parallel 4996.75, 4999.71 and 4989.17. The notice is written in at least 12-point type and given prior to initiating psychotherapy services, or as soon as practicably possible thereafter. Since July 1, 2025 it must also carry the full name as filed with the Board, the license or registration number, the type, and the expiration date. Delivery must be documented. | Statute, BBS | None |
| Verify the client's name and present location by telehealth | Licensees and registrants providing telehealth | At the start of every session | 16 CCR 1815.5, adopted in 2016 and amended effective January 1, 2026. The clinician verbally obtains from the client and documents the client's full name and address of present location at the beginning of each telehealth session. | BBS | Telehealth rules |
| Assess a supervisee's strengths and limitations | Supervisors | At least once a year, and at the end | The BBS Supervisor Self-Assessment Report requires an assessment of the supervisee's ongoing strengths and limitations at least once per year and at the completion or termination of supervision. | BBS form | Supervision requirements |
Triggered deadlines: privacy, retention and the two six-year clocks
| Obligation | Applies to | When | Authority | Source | Explained here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notify individuals of a breach of unsecured protected health information | HIPAA covered entities | No later than 60 days after discovery | 45 CFR 164.400 to 164.414. Notice is given without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 days following discovery of a breach. The duty runs only on a breach of unsecured protected health information, meaning information that has not been rendered unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized persons through a technology or methodology specified by the Secretary. HHS guidance specifies encryption and destruction, and information secured that way is not subject to the notification requirement. | HHS | Breach notification |
| Notify HHS of a breach affecting 500 or more individuals | HIPAA covered entities | No later than 60 days | 45 CFR 164.408. Notice to the Secretary is given contemporaneously with individual notice, without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 calendar days from the discovery of the breach. The duty runs only on a breach of unsecured protected health information, meaning information that has not been rendered unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized persons through a technology or methodology specified by the Secretary. HHS guidance specifies encryption and destruction, and information secured that way is not subject to the notification requirement. | HHS | Breach notification |
| Notify HHS of a breach affecting fewer than 500 individuals | HIPAA covered entities | Within 60 days of year end | 45 CFR 164.408. These breaches are logged and submitted no later than 60 days after the end of the calendar year in which they were discovered. The duty runs only on a breach of unsecured protected health information, meaning information that has not been rendered unusable, unreadable or indecipherable to unauthorized persons through a technology or methodology specified by the Secretary. HHS guidance specifies encryption and destruction, and information secured that way is not subject to the notification requirement. | HHS | Breach notification |
| Notify California residents of a data breach | Any individual or business conducting business in California that owns or licenses computerized personal information | Within 30 calendar days | Civil Code 1798.82(a)(1) reaches a breach in which a California resident's unencrypted personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person, or in which encrypted personal information was so acquired together with the encryption key or security credential, where the business has a reasonable belief that the key or credential could render the information readable or usable. Civil Code 1798.82(a)(2)(A), as amended by SB 446, Stats. 2025, Ch. 319, effective January 1, 2026. Disclosure is made within 30 calendar days of discovery or notification of the data breach. Under 1798.82(a)(2)(B) it may be delayed to accommodate the legitimate needs of law enforcement under subdivision (c), or as necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system. | Statute | Breach notification |
| Send a sample breach notice to the Attorney General | Anyone notifying more than 500 California residents from a single breach | Within 15 calendar days | Civil Code 1798.82. A single sample copy of the notice, excluding personally identifiable information, is submitted electronically to the Attorney General within 15 calendar days of notifying affected consumers. | Statute, Attorney General | Breach notification |
| Retain client records | LMFT, LCSW and LPCC licensees | 7 years | B&P 4980.49, and the parallel 4993 and 4999.75. Records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date therapy is terminated. If the client is a minor, for a minimum of seven years from the date the client reaches 18 years of age. | Statute | Records retention |
| Six-year clock on supervised experience | Applicants for LMFT licensure | 6 years before the application | B&P 4980.43(c)(7). Hours of experience may not have been gained more than six years prior to the date the application for licensure was received by the Board, except that up to 500 hours of clinical experience gained in the supervised practicum is exempt from the six-year requirement. | Statute | Supervised hours |
| Report a change to your National Provider Identifier record | Covered health care providers | Within 30 days | Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A covered health care provider reports any change to the information provided for the NPI within 30 days of the change. | CMS | None |
| Retain supervision records | Supervisors | 7 years after supervision ends | The BBS Supervisor Self-Assessment Report requires supervision records to be retained for a period of seven years after termination of supervision. | BBS form | Supervision requirements |
4. Dated changes and sunsets
This group covers rules that took effect on a particular date, together with rules that already carry an expiry date in the statute or regulation that created them.
| Date | What changed | Applies to | Authority | Source | Explained here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2025 | The unprofessional conduct regulations were renumbered and the citation and fine provisions were amended. The duty to report a conviction, or discipline by another licensing authority, to the Board within 30 days was already in the regulations and carried over under a new subsection letter. | All licensees and registrants | 16 CCR 1845, 1858, 1881, 1886.30 and 1886.40, as amended. OAL approved the package on October 9, 2024. | BBS | Reporting to the BBS |
| July 1, 2025 | The Required Notice to Consumers must also carry the full name as filed with the Board, the license or registration number, the type of license or registration, and the expiration date. | All licensees and registrants | B&P 4980.32(b), added by SB 1024, Stats. 2024, Ch. 160, and the parallel sections. | Statute | None |
| January 1, 2026 | The BBS telehealth regulation was amended. The amendment added privacy compliance citations to the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and the HIPAA security rule, added definitions of medical information and protected health information, amended the consent and license-information provisions, and updated pronouns. The requirement to verbally obtain and document the client's full name and address of present location at the beginning of each session was already in the regulation and was not added by this amendment. | Licensees and registrants providing telehealth | 16 CCR 1815.5, as amended. OAL approved the regulation on August 19, 2025. | BBS | Telehealth rules |
| January 1, 2026 | B&P 2290.5, the telehealth consent and definitions statute, was amended by SB 402. | Any provider delivering health care by telehealth | Stats. 2025, Ch. 413. The same act added Chapter 17, commencing with Section 4999.200, to Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code. | Statute | Telehealth rules |
| January 1, 2026 | Outer deadline for a county that had deferred to implement the amended definition of "gravely disabled," which now reaches a mental health disorder, a severe substance use disorder, or both, and adds personal safety and necessary medical care to the food, clothing and shelter test. | Counties, and clinicians working with involuntary holds | W&I 5008(h)(1)(A) for the definition, and 5008(h)(4) for the deferral, under which a county could elect by resolution of its governing body to defer implementation until January 1, 2026. DHCS states the same. | Statute, DHCS | SB 43 |
| January 1, 2026 | AB 489 made the prohibitions on using protected professional terms and letters enforceable against an entity that develops or deploys artificial intelligence using those terms in advertising or functionality. | Developers and deployers of AI, and the boards that enforce against them | Stats. 2025, Ch. 615, adding Chapter 15.5, commencing with Section 4999.8, to Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code. | Statute | AB 489 |
| January 1, 2026 | California data breach notification moved to a fixed deadline of 30 calendar days from discovery, with a sample notice to the Attorney General within 15 calendar days of notifying consumers where more than 500 California residents are notified. The duty runs on a breach of unencrypted personal information, or of encrypted personal information where the encryption key or security credential was also acquired and could render the information readable or usable. | Any business holding computerized personal information | Civil Code 1798.82, as amended by SB 446, Stats. 2025, Ch. 319. | Statute | Breach notification |
| April 1, 2026 | The amended advertising regulation took effect. Registrants must include in any advertising the name of their employer, or if not employed the entity for which they volunteer, and that they are supervised by a licensed person. A new subsection (g) allows a nickname or former legal name where the advertisement also carries the name as filed with the Board. | All licensees and registrants who advertise | 16 CCR 1811, as amended. OAL approved the regulation on December 16, 2025. | BBS, BBS fact sheet | AMFT advertising rules |
| July 1, 2026 | The temporary fee reduction began. The base biennial active renewal fee fell from $200 to $100, and the base inactive renewal fee from $100 to $50. For LMFTs, LCSWs and LPCCs the $20 Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund fee is added to each, so active renewal fell from $220 to $120 and inactive renewal from $120 to $70. Licensed educational psychologists do not pay that fee, so their amounts are the base figures, $200 to $100 active and $100 to $50 inactive. Annual registration renewal fell from $150 to $75 and carries no $20 fee. The $20 fee itself was not reduced. | LMFT, LCSW, LPCC and LEP licensees and all registrants | 16 CCR 1816(h) to (n). OAL approved the package on February 4, 2026. | BBS | Cost of licensure |
| July 1, 2026 | The revised Disciplinary Guidelines took effect. Among the changes, the minimum suspension in the guideline category for sexual misconduct other than as defined in B&P Section 729 was reduced from 120 days to 60 days, within a range of 60 to 180 days, with revocation stayed and seven years of probation. The reduction does not reach the separate category for engaging in sexual contact with a client or former client, where the law requires revocation or denial of the licence under B&P 4982.26, 4992.33, 4989.58 and 4999.90(k). A probationer files a quarterly report within ten calendar days of the end of each calendar quarter. | Licensees and registrants subject to Board discipline | 16 CCR 1888, which incorporates the guidelines by reference. OAL approved the package on October 29, 2025. | Guidelines, BBS | Disciplinary Guidelines |
| January 1, 2027 | The California minimum wage rises to $17.40 an hour, and the annual salary needed to meet the exempt threshold rises to $72,384. | Practices with employees | Department of Industrial Relations. | DIR | Hiring an employee |
| January 1, 2030 | B&P 4980.11 is repealed by its own provisions. It currently allows a marriage and family therapist licensed in another United States jurisdiction to provide services in California for a period not to exceed 30 consecutive days in any calendar year, to an existing client who has become located in California, subject to conditions. | Out-of-state licensees whose established clients travel to California | B&P 4980.11(e), as amended by SB 775, Stats. 2025, Ch. 787. | Statute | None |
| June 30, 2030 | Last day of the reduced fee schedule. The prior fees apply again from July 1, 2030. | All licensees and registrants | 16 CCR 1816(h) to (n), which set the reduced fees for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. | Regulation text | BBS renewal |
5. Recurring business and payer filings
These obligations come from agencies other than the Board, and a private practice is subject to them all the same. The rows marked for practices with employees begin to apply as soon as there is one employee.
| Obligation | Applies to | When | Authority | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Information | Professional corporations | Every year | California Secretary of State. Form SI-550 is filed every year before the end of the calendar month of the original registration date. The Franchise Tax Board assesses a $250 penalty for a corporation that files late. | Secretary of State, FTB |
| Quarterly payroll tax returns, DE 9 and DE 9C | Practices with employees | Quarterly | Employment Development Department. The returns are due the first day after each quarter ends. For 2026 the EDD lists the third quarter as delinquent if not filed by November 2, 2026, and the fourth quarter as delinquent if not filed by February 1, 2027. | EDD |
| Form 1099-NEC for contractors | Practices paying independent contractors | February 1, 2027 for tax year 2026 | Internal Revenue Service. Section 6071(c) requires Form 1099-NEC to be filed on or before January 31. For tax year 2026 that date falls on a Sunday, so the forms are due February 1, 2027. The reporting threshold for nonemployee compensation is $2,000 for tax years beginning after 2025. For 2025 payments reported in January 2026 the threshold is $600. | IRS |
| Form W-2 for employees | Practices with employees | February 1, 2027 for tax year 2026 | Internal Revenue Service. Copy A of Forms W-2 and Form W-3 are filed with the Social Security Administration by February 1, 2027, because January 31 falls on a Sunday. | IRS |
| Medi-Cal provider revalidation | Providers enrolled in Medi-Cal | At least every 5 years | 42 CFR 455.414 requires the state Medicaid agency to revalidate the enrollment of all providers at least every 5 years. | eCFR |
| CAQH Provider Data Portal re-attestation | Providers credentialed through the CAQH Provider Data Portal, formerly ProView | Every 120 days | DataSpring, formerly CAQH, operates the CAQH Provider Data Portal. The operator states that a provider is notified to re-attest every 120 days, or every 180 days for providers practicing in Illinois. | DataSpring |
How this page is built and maintained
What this page covers. Key recurring obligations, one-time filings, triggered deadlines and dated rule changes that apply to a California marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker or professional clinical counselor, together with the pre-licensed registrants supervised under each of those licenses. A small number of rows reach any licensed health care provider, or any business holding client data, and the "Applies to" column says so on each of them.
Where the facts come from. Primary and official sources. Statutes and the state constitution come from the California Legislature's own site, regulations come from the Board of Behavioral Sciences rulemaking files and the guidance the Board publishes alongside them, and federal rules come from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations and the agencies that administer them. Every row links to the source it was read from.
How current it is. The verification date at the top of the page is the date on which every row was last read at its own source.
How unverified items are handled. A row appears here only when its rule was read at a primary source. Where a requirement could not be confirmed that way it is left off rather than estimated or carried over from a secondary source, and where an agency's own position is unsettled the table quotes the agency and stops there.
How corrections are handled. Anyone can request a correction by emailing mabundez@sentio.org. We respond within five business days, and corrections supported by published materials are made immediately.
Independence. Sentio University is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This page contains no paid placements, no affiliate links, no sponsored entries, and no advertising of any kind.
About the authors
This page is written and maintained by the team at Sentio University, a nonprofit graduate school in Los Angeles. The note above explains the sources and the rules we hold ourselves to.
President and Program Director, Sentio University
Tony Rousmaniere, Psy.D. is the President of Sentio University and the Executive Director of the Sentio Counseling Center. He is Past-President of the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association and the author of many books on Deliberate Practice, including the series The Essentials of Deliberate Practice (APA Books). In 2017 he published the widely cited Atlantic article “What your therapist doesn’t know.” He is a licensed psychologist in California and Washington.
Chief Academic Officer and Faculty Supervisor, Sentio University
Alexandre Vaz, Ph.D. is the cofounder of the Deliberate Practice Institute and provides advanced clinical training and supervision to clinicians around the world. He is the author or co-editor of many books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training, including the series The Essentials of Deliberate Practice (APA Books). He is founder and host of Psychotherapy Expert Talks. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Portugal.
Director of Student Services, Sentio University
Mikaela Abundez is the Director of Student Services at Sentio University and a Registered AMFT (#144302) at the Sentio Counseling Center. She holds a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and is trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy, and Internal Family Systems. Her private practice is at growwithmikaela.com.
Mission
Our mission is to advance a more rigorous and accountable standard of therapist training. We believe becoming an effective therapist requires more than acquiring knowledge. It requires sustained effort, openness to feedback, and a willingness to confront mistakes with honesty and humility. Helping therapists and therapists in training find the rules that govern their work, stated plainly and linked to the source, is part of that mission. Because many online resources for therapists are influenced by paid placements or affiliate relationships, we provide ad-free, independent information designed to help therapists make decisions without hidden commercial incentives.
Last updated: September, 2026
The rules are summarized from published sources and are not legal advice. A therapist deciding how any of them applies to their own practice should consult their own attorney.