One Rule, Three Registered Intern Tracks
The Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (the Board) puts a 5-year, 60-month clock on every registered intern, counted from the date the registration is issued, for any registration issued after March 31, 2017 (s. 491.0045(5)-(6), F.S.). It applies without a track-specific carve-out, whether the intern is working toward Florida LMHC requirements as an RMHCI, an LMFT as an RMFTI, or Florida LCSW requirements as an RCSWI. The clock starts with the registered intern application being approved, not with graduation or a first day on the job.
The Board states the point without qualification: "An intern registration cannot be renewed." The limit itself is not old or obscure. Effective July 1, 2016, House Bill 373 and its companion, Senate Bill 12, were passed into law limiting intern registration to 5 years. Every RMHCI, RMFTI, and RCSWI registration issued since has run against that same 60-month ceiling.
Interns Owe No CE, and the Old Renewal Fee Is Gone
There are no continuing education requirements for registered interns, and the rule that once set a Registered Intern Biennial Renewal Fee, 64B4-4.016, has been repealed. Nothing about the repeal changes the 60-month limit itself; it simply confirms there is no renewal event left for a fee, or a CE requirement, to attach to. CE only starts once the full license, LMHC, LMFT, or LCSW, is issued and begins its own biennial renewal cycle.
Approaching 60 Months: Four Exits
Which exit applies depends on two things: whether the clinical experience and supervision hours are finished, and whether the national exam and required coursework are finished.
| Where you stand | Exit | Rule Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Hours are complete | Apply for full licensure | s. 491.005, F.S. |
| Hours are complete, but the exam or coursework is not | Apply for a provisional license | s. 491.0046, F.S.; 64B4-4.014 |
| Exam passed, education and practicum complete, hours not complete | File the one-time hardship exception | 64B4-3.0085(10)-(11) |
| None of the above | Reapply for a new registration | 64B4-3.0085(1) |
Only one of these four keeps the same registration alive past 60 months: the hardship exception. The other three either lead to a different credential or to a new registration.
The One-Time Hardship Exception
An intern who has already passed the national exam and finished the education and practicum requirements, but has not yet finished the clinical experience or supervision hours, can request a one-time hardship exception. It grants a 24-month extension measured from the registration's original expiration date, requested on Form DH5065-MQA (Revised 5/2023), filed at least 30 days before the registration expires (64B4-3.0085(10)-(11)).
The 24 months run from the original expiration date, not from the date the Board approves the request. The exception is also one-time only, and it is available solely to an intern who has already passed the exam. An intern who has not yet cleared the exam has no path to this exception, whatever else is finished.
The Provisional License
A provisional license serves the opposite situation: the clinical experience and supervision hours are done, but the exam or required coursework is not. It is a distinct license, not an extension of the intern registration, and it runs 24 months, is explicitly nonrenewable, and costs $100 (s. 491.0046, F.S.; 64B4-4.014). It is a bridge status while the remaining exam or coursework requirement is finished. Choose it knowingly: an individual who has held a provisional license may not apply for an intern registration in the same profession (s. 491.0045(7), F.S.).
A Worked Timeline
Take a registration issued on March 1, 2026. Sixty months later, on March 1, 2031, the registration expires (s. 491.0045(5), F.S.). The 100-week minimum duration under the 1,500-hour clinical experience requirement is a floor beneath the hours, not a deadline of its own, so an intern who starts logging hours as soon as the supervisor is approved clears that floor with most of the 60 months still ahead.
The date that actually matters as expiration nears is the hardship-exception filing deadline. Filing at least 30 days before March 1, 2031 means the paperwork, Form DH5065-MQA, has to be filed no later than January 30, 2031, and only if the exam is already passed and education and practicum are complete by that point. Waiting until closer to the expiration date to check where the hours, exam, and coursework stand leaves no room to file on time if the hardship exception turns out to be the only exit that fits.
Staying Under Supervision Until the License Arrives
Whichever exit applies, the requirement to remain under a qualified supervisor's oversight does not end until a license to practice the profession, or a letter from the Department stating the applicant is licensed, is actually in hand (64B4-3.008(1); s. 491.0045(3), F.S. separately requires supervision throughout registered intern status). Passing the exam or finishing the hour count does not, by itself, end supervision. For the frequency, delivery mode, and alternation rules that govern that supervision, see Florida registered intern supervision requirements.
Common Mistakes Near the 60-Month Mark
These are the errors that turn a routine expiration into a lost registration, every one avoidable by checking the calendar early.
Treating 60 months as an approximate figure
The expiration date is exactly 60 months after the registration's issue date, not an estimate rounded to five years on a birthday or anniversary.
Filing the hardship exception with less than 30 days to spare
Form DH5065-MQA has to reach the Board at least 30 days before the registration expires. A form filed closer to the date does not meet the requirement.
Requesting the hardship exception before the exam is passed
The exception is only available to an intern who has already passed the national exam and finished education and practicum. It is not a grace period for someone still preparing to test.
Assuming a second hardship exception is available
The extension is granted once. An intern who used it already and reaches the extended expiration date has no repeat option.
Stopping supervision once the exam is passed
Supervision continues until the license, or a Department letter confirming licensure, is actually received, not from the date the exam result comes back.
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Related Florida Registered Intern Guides
What Is an RMHCI in Florida
The registration itself: title, scope, and how it leads to the LMHC.
What Is an RCSWI in Florida
The registration itself: title, scope, and how it leads to the LCSW.
Florida LMHC Requirements
The full hours and supervision requirement set for the RMHCI track.
Florida LCSW Requirements
The full hours and supervision requirement set for the RCSWI track.
The Registered Intern Application
Filing DH-MQA 1175 for any of the Board's three intern tracks.
Florida Registered Intern Supervision Requirements
Frequency, delivery mode, and the alternation rule in full.
FAQ: The Florida Registered Intern 60-Month Limit
How long is a Florida registered intern registration valid?▾
Five years, or 60 months from the date of issuance, for registrations issued after March 31, 2017 (s. 491.0045(5)-(6), F.S.). The limit applies the same way to a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern, and a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern; all three run on the same statute.
Can a Florida intern registration be renewed?▾
No. The Board states it without qualification: an intern registration cannot be renewed. Effective July 1, 2016, House Bill 373 and its companion, Senate Bill 12, set the 60-month limit in place of whatever term applied before, and every registration issued since carries that same nonrenewable ceiling (s. 491.0045(5)-(6), F.S.).
What is the one-time hardship exception for a Florida registered intern?▾
A 24-month extension from the registration's original expiration date, available once, only if the national exam has already been passed and the education and practicum requirements are complete. It is requested on Form DH5065-MQA (Revised 5/2023), filed at least 30 days before the registration expires (64B4-3.0085(10)-(11)).
What is a Florida provisional license?▾
A bridge status for an intern who has finished the clinical experience and supervision hours but has not yet passed the exam or completed required coursework. It runs 24 months, is explicitly nonrenewable, and costs $100 (s. 491.0046, F.S.; 64B4-4.014). It is a separate license, not an extension of the intern registration.
Do Florida registered interns have to complete continuing education?▾
No. There are no continuing education requirements for registered interns, and the rule that once set a Registered Intern Biennial Renewal Fee, 64B4-4.016, has been repealed. CE only becomes a requirement once the full license, LMHC, LMFT, or LCSW, is issued and starts renewing on its own biennial cycle.
Do I have to keep working under supervision while I wait for my Florida license?▾
Yes. An intern stays under supervision until a license to practice the profession, or a letter from the Department stating the applicant is licensed, is actually in hand (64B4-3.008(1); s. 491.0045(3), F.S. separately requires supervision throughout registered intern status). Passing the exam or finishing hours does not, by itself, end the supervision requirement.
More Florida guides
For the Board's other registered-intern rules and the rest of the cluster, see all Florida guides.
Requirements verified against Chapter 491, F.S. and Rule Chapter 64B4, F.A.C., as adopted by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling and current as of September 2026. Statutes and rules can change. Always confirm current requirements at floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.