What is the BBS hours log?
The BBS hours log is the weekly record the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requires pre-licensed associates and trainees to keep of their supervised experience. Every week you work toward licensure, you log your direct clinical hours, your non-clinical hours, and the supervision you received, and your supervisor signs off on that week.
People search for “BBS hours log” as if it were a single document, but the BBS actually issues a different weekly log for each registration type. AMFTs and MFT Trainees, ASWs, and APCCs each have their own version, and the columns differ slightly between them even though the underlying idea is the same: track hours weekly, get them signed, keep them for your licensure application.
One log per track
Your BBS hours log depends on your registration, not your license goal directly. An AMFT logs hours toward LMFT licensure using Form 37A-525. An APCC logs hours toward LPCC licensure using Form 37A-638. An ASW logs hours toward LCSW licensure using the ASW Weekly Log.
Which BBS hours log form applies to you
The form you use is tied to your BBS registration, not the license you eventually want. Here is the breakdown:
| Registration | Licensure track | BBS hours log form |
|---|---|---|
| AMFT / MFT Trainee | LMFT | AMFT Weekly Log (Form 37A-525) |
| APCC | LPCC | APCC Weekly Log (Form 37A-638) |
| ASW | LCSW | ASW Weekly Log (Form 37A-638) |
One quirk worth knowing: the BBS stamps the same DCA form number, 37A-638, on both the APCC and ASW logs, so go by the form title at the top of the PDF, not the number in the footer. All three tracks require 3,000 total supervised hours over a minimum of 104 supervised weeks. What differs between AMFT, ASW, and APCC is the hour minimums within that total and the exact columns on the log, not the overall structure of logging weekly and getting a supervisor signature.
What gets logged on a BBS hours log each week
Every version of the log follows the same basic shape. There is a column for direct clinical hours (face-to-face work with clients), a column for non-clinical hours (supervision contact, clinical reports, progress notes, testing, approved workshops), and a total column that is simply the two added together. Some versions break out subcategories, like couples/families/children hours on the AMFT form or individual versus group supervision on the APCC form, but those subcategories are already included inside the parent columns. They are not added again to the weekly total.
Across all three registration types, the BBS caps countable experience at 40 hours in any 7 consecutive days, combined across every work setting you log at. Supervision hours are capped separately at 6 hours per week. If you log more than 10 hours of direct clinical work in a week at a given setting, an additional unit of supervision is required for that week.
You need a separate BBS hours log for each supervisor and each work setting. Two supervisors at one site means two logs. One supervisor across two sites also means two logs. Start a new log each calendar year.
Supervisor signatures on the BBS hours log
Your supervisor signs the log for each individual week, not once at the bottom of the page. A single end-of-year signature does not satisfy the requirement. Per BBS FAQ guidance updated February 2025, original wet signatures, scanned signatures, and electronic signatures are all accepted on BBS forms, including the weekly hours logs.
If your supervisor leaves partway through the year, get the signatures for the weeks already worked before they go, then start a new log with your next supervisor. Hours from two different supervisors never go on the same log.
Do you submit the BBS hours log, and how long do you keep it?
You do not send your BBS hours log to the Board on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis. You hold onto your signed logs yourself for the entire length of your associate or trainee period, then submit them all together with your Application for Licensure once your hours are complete.
The BBS can also request your logs at any time for an audit, which is why they need to stay complete and signed as you go rather than reconstructed later. Keep the signed originals, and back up scanned copies somewhere separate from your paper files in case anything gets lost or damaged over a multi-year supervision period.
Registration comes first
You generally cannot accrue hours on a BBS hours log without being registered as an AMFT, ASW, or APCC first. The one exception is the 90-day rule, which lets hours between your degree date and your registration date count if your registration application reaches the BBS within 90 days of your degree being awarded.
How HourJourney fills your BBS hours log automatically
You do not need to know which form applies to you or track the column math by hand. HourJourney already knows whether you are an AMFT, ASW, or APCC and generates the correct BBS hours log from the hours you log in the app.
Detects your registration type and generates the right form: 37A-525 for AMFT/Trainee, 37A-638 for APCC, or the ASW Weekly Log for ASW
Maps your logged hours into the correct columns automatically, including subcategories, so nothing gets double-counted
Applies the 40-hour weekly cap and 6-hour supervision cap so you catch overages before they cause problems
Pre-fills your name, supervisor, work setting, and every weekly total, ready for your supervisor's signature
Also generates the matching Experience Verification form for your licensure application
Instead of tracking your BBS hours in a spreadsheet and hand-filling a PDF every week, you log your hours once in HourJourney and export a correctly totaled, BBS-compliant log whenever you need it.
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FAQ: the BBS hours log
What is the BBS hours log?+
The BBS hours log is the weekly record the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requires associates and trainees to keep of their supervised experience hours. It is not one single form. AMFTs and MFT Trainees use Form 37A-525, APCCs use Form 37A-638, and ASWs use the ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours. Each version tracks direct clinical hours, non-clinical hours, and supervision, with a weekly supervisor signature.
Which form do I use for my BBS hours log?+
It depends on your registration. AMFTs and MFT Trainees working toward LMFT licensure use Form 37A-525. APCCs working toward LPCC licensure use Form 37A-638. ASWs working toward LCSW licensure use the ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours (aswlog.pdf). Using the wrong form does not carry over to your licensure application.
Do I submit my BBS hours log every week?+
No. You keep your signed weekly logs yourself throughout your entire associate or trainee period. They get submitted together with your Application for Licensure once you have accrued your hours. The BBS may also request them at any point during an audit, so they need to be complete and signed on an ongoing basis, not filed all at once at the end.
Does my supervisor need to sign the BBS hours log every week?+
Yes. Your supervisor signs the box for each individual week, not just once at the bottom of the form. Per BBS FAQ guidance updated February 2025, original wet signatures, scanned signatures, and electronic signatures are all accepted on BBS forms including the weekly logs.
Do I need to be registered with the BBS to log hours?+
Yes, with one exception. The BBS requires AMFTs, ASWs, and APCCs to register before accruing supervised experience, except under the 90-day rule, which lets hours between your degree date and your registration date count if your registration application reaches the BBS within 90 days of your degree being awarded.
Related guides
BBS Form 37A-525: The AMFT Weekly Log
Every column explained, plus the C = A + B formula, for AMFTs and Trainees.
BBS Form 37A-638: The APCC Weekly Log
Column by column instructions for APCCs working toward LPCC licensure.
The ASW Weekly Log of Experience Hours
How ASWs log hours toward LCSW licensure, column by column.
The 90-Day Rule for AMFTs in California
What counts before registration, and how to protect those early hours.
This guide covers BBS Forms 37A-525, 37A-638, and the ASW Weekly Log. Always verify current requirements at bbs.ca.gov.