RBT requirements: who can apply

Age and education

You must be at least 18 years old when you submit the application, and have at least a high school-level education or the equivalent. A college degree isn't required.

Criminal background check

You must pass a criminal background check no more than 180 days before you pay for the application. The check must be comparable to those required in your community for home health aides, child care professionals and teachers. If your employer uses continuous monitoring, the date of the most recent result can be used even if it's more than 180 days old. The BACB doesn't require fingerprinting, but your state or employer may.

Abuse registry check

The same 180-day limit applies to an abuse registry check of the same standard. If you live where there's no abuse registry, or the registry isn't available to organizations like your employer, "Unavailable" can be entered on the attestation form.

The attestation

You don't upload the check results themselves. A BACB certificant, the Attesting Certificant, confirms your age, your education and that you passed both checks, no more than 180 days before you submit, and then signs the RBT Certification Application Attestation form no more than 90 days before you pay. They may not be related to you, subordinate to you, or employed by you. In an audit they may be asked for the documents behind their attestation.

40-hour training

You must complete a 40-hour training that meets the RBT 2026 40-Hour Training Requirements and Curriculum Outline, in no less than 5 and no more than 180 days. The start and end dates both count: a training that starts on January 1 can end no earlier than January 5 and no later than June 29. The trainer may not be related to, subordinate to, or employed by you. A training completed before 2026 counts only if it meets every current requirement; one built on the old RBT Task List (2nd ed.) doesn't. See the 40-hour training.

Initial Competency Assessment

After the training, and no more than 90 days before you submit the application, you must show an assessor that you can perform the tasks on the RBT Initial Competency Assessment (effective January 1, 2026). The assessor may not be related to, subordinate to, or employed by you. See the competency assessment.

Where you live

The BACB accepts RBT applications from residents of the United States and Canada, except Ontario: Ontario residents can no longer apply for RBT certification, and RBTs who move to Ontario are placed on voluntary inactive status. Residents of Australia can apply until January 1, 2027. The exam itself is given in the US, Canada (except Quebec and Ontario) and, until January 1, 2027, Australia. Your address in your BACB account must be your real, current residence.

Disclosures on the application

When you apply, you must say whether you have a physical or mental health condition or a substance use disorder that could impair your ability to work safely and competently as a behavior technician, and whether you've been subject to certain investigations, disciplinary actions or official actions related to behavior-analytic services or public safety. A "yes" means submitting an Ethics Self-Reporting Statement, and the application is held while BACB staff review it. If you're unsure whether your history could affect your eligibility, you can ask for a review with the Prior History Review form before you pay for an application.

Check your dates

The 180-day, 90-day and 5-to-180-day limits run from different dates. The application timeline calculator works them out for you.