What is the 90-day rule?
After you graduate, you can't accumulate post-degree hours toward LMFT licensure until you're a registered AMFT. But the BBS processing window, typically around 28 days, creates a gap between graduation and when your number is actually issued. The 90-day rule closes that gap.
If the BBS receives your AMFT registration application within 90 days of your degree award date, and your application is approved, all post-degree hours of supervised experience you gained between your graduation date and your registration issue date will be credited toward licensure, retroactively.
The key phrase: 'degree award date'
The 90-day clock starts from your official degree award date, the date your degree was conferred on your transcript, not the date of your graduation ceremony, not the date you finished your last class. Check your official transcript for this date and count from there.
The timeline from graduation to registration
Day 0
Degree award date
Your official degree is conferred. Your 90-day window to submit your AMFT application begins today. Start your application immediately. Do not wait.
Days 1-90
Submit your AMFT application
The BBS must receive your completed application, fee, transcripts, and Live Scan fingerprints within this window. Submitting electronically through BreEZe is faster than mailing a paper application.
Days ~28
BBS issues your AMFT number
Average processing time is about 28 days, though it can be longer in peak season (late spring/summer when new graduates apply in volume). Hours you worked between your graduation date and this date are now protected.
Day 90+
Window closes. Apply now or lose those hours.
If the BBS has not received your application by day 90, no post-degree hours count until your AMFT number is actually issued. Any hours worked in this limbo period are permanently lost.
Processing time is not your friend in peak season. The BBS receives a surge of new AMFT applications in May, June, and July. If you graduate in spring, submit your application as early as possible. Do not wait until week 8 of your 90-day window. A 28-day average can become 45+ days during peak volume.
The 4 requirements to qualify
All four of these must be true for your hours to count under the 90-day rule. Missing any one of them means those hours are lost.
BBS receives your application within 90 days of your degree award date
The submission date that matters is the date the BBS receives your application, not the date you send it. If you mail a paper application on day 88 and it arrives on day 93, you have missed the window. Submit electronically through BreEZe to be safe.
Your application is ultimately approved and your AMFT number is issued
The rule only applies if you are actually issued an AMFT registration. If your application is denied or abandoned, no hours from the gap period count.
Your employer completed Live Scan fingerprinting before you gained those hours
If you graduated on or after January 1, 2020, this is a hard requirement. Your employer must have Live Scanned you before you began working there and before you gained any of the post-degree hours you are trying to protect. Hours can only be counted starting from the date recorded on your Live Scan form.
The hours were not gained in a private practice or professional corporation
Even under the 90-day rule, you cannot work in a private practice or professional corporation setting until your AMFT number is in hand. Hours gained at these settings during the gap period do not count, regardless of your application timeline.
The Live Scan requirement, explained
If you graduated on or after January 1, 2020, the Live Scan requirement added by AB 93 is probably the most confusing part of the 90-day rule. Here is exactly how it works.
Which Live Scan counts?
Your employer's Live Scan, not the BBS's. Your employer must have required you to complete Live Scan fingerprinting as a condition of employment before you started working and before you gained any post-degree hours. This is a separate Live Scan from the one you will complete as part of your AMFT registration application.
When does the clock start?
Your post-degree hours can only be counted starting from the date recorded at the bottom of your employer's Request for Live Scan Service form, not from your graduation date. If you started working before your Live Scan was processed, those early hours do not count.
What if I was already fingerprinted there as a Trainee?
That Live Scan may count if it was completed for that specific employer before you began providing services. Keep the documentation either way. The BBS will want to see it when you apply for licensure.
Do I need to do the BBS Live Scan too?
Yes. The BBS Live Scan for your registration application is separate and required regardless. Fingerprints are not transferable between employers or agencies. Each is its own background check.
Save your Live Scan form forever
Keep a copy of your employer's processed Live Scan form for the duration of your licensure journey. You'll need to submit it with your Application for Licensure to prove your 90-day rule hours are valid. Losing it means potentially losing those hours at the finish line.
Does this situation qualify?
Scenario
You graduated May 15, submitted your AMFT application July 1 (day 47), and your employer fingerprinted you before your first shift.
Result
All post-degree hours from May 15 forward count once your number is issued. You are fully protected.
Scenario
You graduated May 15 and submitted your application on August 19, 96 days later. You were busy with the move and did not realize the clock was ticking.
Result
No hours from the gap period count. Your post-degree clock starts the day your AMFT number is actually issued.
Scenario
You were already Live Scanned at your practicum site before graduation. You graduate and keep working there while your application is processed.
Result
Your Trainee-era Live Scan at that site may satisfy the requirement. Keep the documentation. Hours from your graduation date can count.
Scenario
You graduate and your supervisor invites you to keep seeing clients at their private practice while you wait for your AMFT number.
Result
None of those hours count under the 90-day rule. Private practice and professional corporation settings require your actual registration number to be in hand.
Scenario
You started working on June 1 but your employer did not complete your Live Scan until June 14. Your degree award date was May 20.
Result
Hours from June 1-13 do not count. Your countable post-degree hours begin on the date of your Live Scan form, June 14.
Scenario
You submit on day 30 after graduation. The BBS takes 40 days to issue your number, well past day 90.
Result
You are protected. The 90-day rule requires your application to be received within 90 days. Processing time after that is irrelevant. All hours from graduation count.
If you are approaching graduation, do these things now
Find your official degree award date
Check your official transcript or contact your registrar. This is the date your 90-day window opens, not the ceremony date.
Confirm your employer's Live Scan status
If you graduated on or after Jan 1, 2020, verify that your current or planned employer has you fingerprinted before your first post-degree shift. Get a copy of the completed form immediately.
Submit your AMFT application electronically through BreEZe
Do not mail a paper application. Submit through BreEZe for faster processing. Have your transcripts, Live Scan, and $150 fee ready before you sit down to apply.
Set a hard deadline: submit by day 60 at the latest
Do not use all 90 days. Give yourself a 30-day buffer for BBS processing, missing documents, or application corrections. Day 60 is your real deadline.
Start logging hours from your graduation date
Even before your number arrives, log every hour you work. Once your AMFT number is issued, those hours will be backdated to your graduation date, but only if you have records.
Download the official BBS forms
These forms are free and publicly available from the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. No email required.
AMFT Registration Application
The application to register as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with the BBS.
Download from bbs.ca.gov →90-Day Rule FAQ
The BBS official FAQ explaining the 90-day rule for post-degree hours before registration.
Download from bbs.ca.gov →Don't lose a single hour in the gap
HourJourney lets you start logging hours from your graduation date, before your AMFT number arrives. When your registration is issued, your hours are already organized, categorized, and ready to count. No reconstructing from memory. No missing weeks.
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Frequently asked questions
What if I missed the 90-day window? Are all my post-graduation hours lost?
Not necessarily. Hours you work after your AMFT number is actually issued will still count. You just lose the gap period between graduation and issuance. If you missed the window, apply immediately. Every day you delay costs you additional hours.
Does the 90-day rule apply to APCCs and ASWs too?
Yes. The 90-day rule applies to Associate Professional Clinical Counselors (APCCs) and Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASWs) as well. The same requirements, 90-day application window and Live Scan fingerprinting, apply to all three associate registration types under the BBS.
Can I work at a private practice during the gap if I apply within 90 days?
No. Private practice and professional corporation settings require your actual AMFT registration number to be in hand, not just your application receipt. Even under the 90-day rule, you cannot gain countable hours at a private practice until your number is issued.
What documents do I need to keep to prove my 90-day rule hours?
Keep a copy of your employer's processed Live Scan fingerprint form (this is the single most important document), your signed weekly logs covering the gap period, and any documentation confirming your degree award date. You will submit these with your Application for Licensure.
I graduated in December. Is timing a concern?
December graduates typically have an easier time with processing than spring graduates since BBS application volume is lower. Still, submit as early as possible. Do not assume a slower season means you have extra time.
My application was submitted within 90 days but the BBS lost it. What happens?
This is why electronic submission through BreEZe is strongly preferred. You get a confirmed submission timestamp. If submitting by mail, send it certified with return receipt so you have proof of delivery date. Contact the BBS immediately if there is any issue with your application receipt.
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