If I renew my NBCOT certification, is my state license renewed too?

No. Each state license renews through its own board with its own fee, deadline and continuing education requirements.

Which state requires NBCOT certification to keep a license?

South Carolina. Its board says licensees must be certified and in good standing with NBCOT to maintain and renew their license.

Can my NBCOT units count toward state CE?

Sometimes. Oregon lets current NBCOT certification satisfy its CE points, but not its cultural competency or pain management requirements. South Carolina accepts NBCOT renewal activities. State-specific topics usually need their own courses.

When is NBCOT's renewal season?

NBCOT says renewal season runs from January to March each year, for those whose three-year cycle ends that year.

NBCOT Renewal and State License Renewal: Two Calendars, Two Sets of Rules

NBCOT renewal and state license renewal are separate obligations that never replace each other. NBCOT renews your OTR or COTA certification every three years; each state board renews your license on its own schedule, usually every two years. Finishing one does nothing for the other, though some states let your NBCOT activity count toward their continuing education, and at least one state requires you to stay NBCOT-certified.

How does NBCOT renewal work?

According to NBCOT's renewal page, completing the requirements by your scheduled date gives you "Active in Good Standing" status for another three years. The key points:

Units: 36 units over the three-year cycle.
Season: "The certification renewal season occurs between January and March annually."
Fee: $65 online or $75 on paper, per NBCOT's fee schedule. Paper takes two additional weeks.
Attestation: You attest to NBCOT's certificant conduct statement.
If you miss it: You "must apply for reinstatement and be approved before using your OTR or COTA credential." Reinstatement is $125 within three years of expiration or $175 after.

How do state renewal cycles compare?

These are the cycles and hour requirements we verified in each state's rules or board materials, as of October 2026. Required-topic lists change, so check the board before you renew.

Texas: Every two years by the end of your birth month, with 24 contact hours including an HHSC-approved human trafficking course, plus a passing score on the jurisprudence exam at each renewal (40 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 367.1, 370.1).
Ohio: OTs renew by June 30 of odd-numbered years and OTAs by June 30 of even-numbered years (Ohio Admin. Code 4755:1-1-05). Twenty contact hours per cycle, including one hour of ethics, jurisprudence or cultural competence and one hour of mental health or substance use education. No CE for the first renewal (4755:1-3-01).
Virginia: Biennially in your birth month in even-numbered years, with at least 10 contact hours of continuing learning (18VAC85-80-70, -71).
Tennessee: Biennially by the last day of your birth month, with 24 continued competence credits over the two calendar years before the renewal year (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1150-02-.09, -.12).
Illinois: All OT licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years. Twenty-four contact hours, including one hour each of ethics, sexual harassment prevention and implicit bias awareness, plus dementia training for those who treat adults 26 and older (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1315.145).
Georgia: Licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years. Twenty-four hours, including two of ethics and at least 12 on direct patient care in live formats (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 671-3-.08).
Florida: Current licenses expire February 28, 2027. Twenty-six hours: 22 general, 2 on prevention of medical errors and 2 on Florida laws and rules, with at least 14 live, according to the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy.
New York: Registration every three years, with 36 hours of continuing competency activities, at least 24 on professional subjects, according to the NYSED Office of the Professions.
California: 24 professional development units per renewal period (16 CCR § 4161).
Washington: 24 hours every two years, including at least two hours of health equity training every four years (WAC 246-847-065).
South Carolina: Renew by March 15 of odd-numbered years with 16 contact hours, and stay NBCOT-certified (South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy FAQ).

Our post on continuing competence requirements by state goes deeper on topics and formats.

Where do NBCOT and the state overlap?

States where NBCOT activity counts

South Carolina's board says its CE requirement is met "through completing continuing education and continued competency activities required for NBCOT certification and/or renewal." Oregon says maintaining current NBCOT certification "may be used to satisfy the requirements for CE" but does not cover its one-hour cultural competency requirement or its pain management module. Maryland's 2026 application says applicants without current NBCOT certification must document 24 contact hours from the preceding 24 months, so current certification spares an applicant that documentation. Virginia accepts courses approved or provided by NBCOT among its approved sources (18VAC85-80-71).

States where they do not

Most state-specific topics never count toward NBCOT and are rarely covered by generic courses: Florida's laws and rules and medical errors hours, Texas's human trafficking course and jurisprudence exam, Illinois's sexual harassment and implicit bias hours, Washington's suicide assessment training (WAC 246-847-066), and Pennsylvania's child abuse recognition and reporting hours. These are the line items that cause audit findings.

The one state that links them

South Carolina requires NBCOT certification "in order to maintain and renew" a license. Let NBCOT lapse there and your state license is at risk. We have not found another state with the same requirement in our review so far, but we check each state individually rather than assume.

Can one course count for both?

Often, yes. A course that meets NBCOT's renewal standards and is approved by your state, such as a program sponsored by AOTA, which Virginia and California both list as acceptable, can count toward both totals as long as each body's documentation rules are met. What it cannot do is satisfy a state's named topic unless it actually covers that topic and comes from an approved source. Florida requires that its medical errors and laws and rules courses come from a board-approved provider.

How should you plan if you hold licenses in several states?

List every renewal date in one place: NBCOT, each state license, and any OT Compact privilege. A privilege expires with your home-state license, and the Commission says you must purchase a new one each time you renew the home license.
Collect the highest common denominator. If you need 26 hours in Florida and 24 in Texas, plan for the larger number and the union of required topics.
Keep certificates for at least four years. Texas requires CE documentation to be kept for four years from the end of the expiration month of the renewal period (40 Tex. Admin. Code § 367.3).
Watch the first renewal. Ohio and Illinois both exempt the first renewal after initial licensure from CE. Florida requires a one-hour HIV/AIDS course at first renewal only.

See keeping several OT licenses current for a working system.

How do we help with renewals?

Our Annual Renewal and CE Compliance service is $299 per license, per year. We track every state deadline, map your courses to each state's required topics, flag gaps months ahead, and prepare the renewal applications for you to attest and submit. We do not complete coursework, take jurisprudence exams or renew NBCOT certification for you. For background on the two credentials, read NBCOT certification and your state license.