The requirement in one line, the two July 2026 changes that did not change it, and the cost per CEU with the arithmetic shown.
32 CEUs. Every 2-year recertification cycle. 4 of them in ethics, 3 in supervision if you supervised anyone during the cycle - and that 3 becomes 4 on January 1, 2027. That is the whole requirement. Everything else on this page is the arithmetic and the two things that changed this summer.
32 CEUs over 24 months is 1.3 CEUs a month. 16 a year keeps you even. A BCBA who has banked 8 by the end of year one is not behind - but the ethics 4 and the supervision 3 are the ones people find themselves hunting for in the last month, because most CE is general. Bank those first. Your cycle is anchored to your certification date, not to when you bought anything, so check the date on your BACB account before you count.
1. Ethics got a wider definition. Under the ACE Provider Handbook effective July 1, 2026, ethics CE covers events related to the BACB's ethics requirements and/or events related to cultural and contextual responsiveness - and most of the event has to focus on that content. Whether a given course carries the ethics designation is a course-by-course call by the provider under BACB rules; the category being wider does not make every course ethics.
2. Self-paced CE must monitor participation. Asynchronous CE now needs participation monitoring - the handbook's example measure is at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU, or another form of required active responding. That is a rule about how providers build courses, not about what you owe. The one question to ask a provider: "Do your self-paced courses have knowledge checks built in?"
Prices vary a lot between providers, so here is one reference point you can do the math on. Special Learning's Video CE Library 1 is $199 for 32.5 CE hours - 25 general, 4 ethics, 3.5 supervision. $199 divided by 32.5 is $6.12 per CEU. The All Access Annual plan is $299 for 12 months, one payment. Prices as listed on the store on September 2, 2026; the store page is the source if they move.
Compare those numbers to whatever else you are looking at. Then compare the ethics and supervision hours specifically, because a cheap bundle with no ethics hours leaves you buying ethics separately in the last month - which is the expensive way to do it.
How many CEUs does a BCBA need to recertify?
32 continuing education units within each 2-year recertification cycle, including 4 CEUs in ethics and, for BCBAs who supervised during the cycle, 3 CEUs in supervision (BCBA Handbook). From January 1, 2027 the supervision requirement becomes 4 CEUs (BACB, 2027 BCBA Requirements).
Do unused CEUs carry over to the next cycle?
No. All 32 CEUs must be earned within the 2-year cycle, by the certification expiration date; excess CEUs do not roll forward (BCBA Handbook).
What counts as an ethics CEU in 2026?
Under the BACB ACE Provider Handbook effective July 1, 2026, ethics continuing education is defined as events related to the BACB's ethics requirements and/or events related to cultural/contextual responsiveness, and most of the event must focus on that content. Whether a specific course carries the ethics designation is decided course by course by the provider under BACB rules.
What changed for online CE on July 1, 2026?
The BACB's ACE Provider standard now requires participation monitoring on asynchronous CE - the handbook's example measure is at least 3 knowledge-check questions per CEU, or another form of required active responding. It is a provider-side rule about how self-paced CE is built, not a change to the 32-CEU requirement.
How much does a CEU cost?
It depends on the provider. As one reference point, Special Learning's Video CE Library 1 is $199 for 32.5 CE hours, which is $6.12 per CEU; the All Access Annual plan is $299 for 12 months, one payment. Prices as listed on the store on September 2, 2026.
Facts on this page were checked against the BACB documents named above as recorded in Special Learning's regulatory canon (supervision change verified at the 2027 Requirements document July 25, 2026; ethics definition verified at the ACE Provider Handbook August 9, 2026). Board rules change. If the source and this page ever disagree, the source wins - and tell us, so we fix the page.
General educational information - not legal advice and not a substitute for reading the BACB's own handbook. Your recertification cycle and what you have already earned are on your BACB account; nothing on this page can tell you your date or your balance.
Special Learning is a BACB Authorized Continuing Education (ACE) Provider (OP-14-2437). Video CE Library 1: $199, 32.5 CE hours including 4 ethics and 3.5 supervision. All Access Annual: $299 for 12 months, one payment.
See Video CE Library 1Authorization as an ACE Provider does not imply endorsement or approval of the ACE event content by the BACB.