Who Renews, and Who Does Not
BHEC is direct about the Associate license: "LPC Associate licenses expired 60 months from the date of issuance and cannot be renewed. Associates who do not complete the required supervised experience hours during the 60-month time period must reapply for licensure." The same holds for the other associate track. On the MFT renewal page: "Marriage and family therapy associate licenses expire 60 months from the date of issuance and cannot be renewed. Because the Associate license is not renewed, continuing education required for renewal does not apply to Associate license holders." The Council's own CE FAQ confirms it board-wide: "No, licenses that do not renew, such as LMFT and LPC associates or provisional psychologists, are not required to complete continuing education."
What an Associate has instead of a renewal is a fixed clock. The LPC Associate license runs 60 months from the date it was issued (22 TAC 681.91(g)). Before that clock runs out, the Associate does one of two things: complete the supervised hours and upgrading from LPC Associate to LPC, or fall short and reapply for licensure under whatever requirements are current at that time (22 TAC 681.91(h)). There is no renewal application in between, no CE to log, and no fee to pay to keep the Associate license alive past 60 months. Our guide to the 60-month LPC Associate limit covers what carries over into a reapplication and what does not.
A reapplication does not start from a blank record. Completed hours carry over into the new application, but only when a Supervised Experience Documentation Form is already on file for them; hours with no filed SED leave BHEC nothing to credit toward a reapplication (22 TAC 681.91(h)).
Everything below this section is for licenses that do renew: full LPC, full LMFT, and social work licenses (LBSW, LMSW, LCSW). If you are still an Associate, this page is not describing your license yet. It will be, once you upgrade, and hours tracking for Texas associates covers what to log in the meantime.
The Renewal Cycle for Licenses That Renew
Renewal is biennial, filed online, and due on the last day of the licensee's birth month (22 TAC 883.1(a)-(b)). You can file up to 60 days before that date, but not earlier. This cycle applies the same way to full LPC, full LMFT, and every social work license tier.
The first renewal after a new license is issued lands on a different timeline depending on when in the cycle you were licensed. Issued within 180 days before the end of your birth month, your first renewal is roughly two years out. Issued more than 180 days before that date, your first renewal is roughly one year out (22 TAC 883.2(b)). After that first renewal, every subsequent one falls on the standard two-year cycle.
Take a licensee born in June, whose renewal deadline is June 30 every other year. If BHEC issues the license in early May, inside the 180-day window before that June 30 date, the first renewal is roughly two years out, the June after next. If BHEC issues the license the previous December, more than 180 days out, the first renewal lands roughly a year out, the coming June.
Texas LPC CEU Requirements
A full LPC needs 24 hours of continuing education during each renewal period. BHEC's renewal page sets the floor plainly: LPCs must obtain "a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education during each renewal period they hold a license." Within that total, specific subject areas are required, and the jurisprudence exam repeats every renewal period rather than being a one-time application step.
| Requirement | Value | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Total CE per renewal period | 24 hours | LPC renewal page |
| Ethics | 6 hours minimum | LPC renewal page |
| Distinct populations and competency | 3 hours minimum | LPC renewal page |
| Jurisprudence exam | Every renewal period | LPC renewal page |
| LPC Supervisor add-on | 6 additional hours in supervision | LPC renewal page |
| Approved-provider share | At least half of the 24 hours, since Jan 1, 2024 | 681.140(f) |
A licensee who passes the jurisprudence exam "may claim 1 hour of ethics credit for passing the examination," which folds directly into the 6-hour ethics minimum rather than sitting outside it. See the Texas LPC jurisprudence exam for what the exam covers and how the certificate works at renewal versus at application.
The approved-provider rule works out to at least 12 of the 24 hours coming from an 681.140(f)-listed provider on a standard renewal, with the remaining 12 open to any qualifying CE source. A licensee who tracks provider status only at the end of the cycle risks discovering the split does not clear until it is too late to fix before the deadline.
LMFT and Social Work Renewal CE
LMFT and social work licenses renew on the same biennial cycle as LPC, with their own CE totals and subject requirements set out on their respective renewal pages.
| Board | CE Total | Required Areas | Provider Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMFT | 30 clock hours | 6 ethics; 3 distinct population; 2 technology-assisted services where applicable; supervisor: 6 supervision + jurisprudence exam | Half from an 801.261(f) provider, since Jan 1, 2024 |
| Social work (LBSW, LMSW, LCSW) | 30 hours | 6 ethics; 3 distinct population; supervisor: 6 hours in supervision | Half from a 781.501 provider, since Jan 1, 2024 |
The social work row matters for a reason the LPC and LMFT rows do not share: the LMSW is a full, renewable practice license, not an associate registration, so an LMSW working toward LCSW under a Clinical Supervision Plan DOES renew biennially and DOES owe the 30 hours of CE above. That is a different structure from the LPC and LMFT Associate licenses, which never renew and never carry a CE obligation. See the Texas LMSW license for how that license works.
Renewal and Related Fees (22 TAC 885.1)
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| LPC renewal | $141 |
| LMFT renewal | $141 |
| LBSW/LMSW renewal | $108 |
| LMSW-AP/LCSW renewal | $108 |
| Additional fee to keep Supervisor Status (any board) | $50 |
| Jurisprudence exam | $39 |
Renewing late adds a multiplier on top of the base fee, not a flat penalty. Expired 90 days or less, the fee is 1.5 times the base renewal amount. Expired more than 90 days but less than a year, it is 2 times the base amount (885.1). Past a year expired, you are outside the renewal window described here.
What Else Renewal Requires
CE hours are the largest requirement, but not the only one. Renewal also depends on completing a human trafficking prevention course under Occupations Code §116.002, which must be finished every renewal cycle, not just once. The application asks for the profile information required under Health and Safety Code §105.003, and if you are selected for audit, a current NPDB self-query (22 TAC 883.1(c)-(d)).
CE hours are reported through CE Broker, at bhec.texas.gov/continuingeducation, rather than uploaded directly with the renewal application.
An LPC Supervisor renewing without the extra 6 supervision hours keeps the LPC license but loses Supervisor Status. Track that 6-hour requirement as its own line item, separate from the 24-hour general total, so it does not get absorbed into other CE categories.
What Is Not on the BHEC Renewal Pages
BHEC's CE pages list the hour totals and subject areas, but they never state the length of the renewal cycle as a number. The biennial cycle on this page comes from 22 TAC 883.1, not from the CE pages themselves. The board renewal pages for LPC, LMFT, and social work also do not restate the dollar fees; every fee here comes from the 885.1 fee schedule in the rulebook, a separate document from the renewal pages that describe the process.
Common Renewal Mistakes
Most renewal problems trace back to one of six assumptions, most of them carried over from a different license type or a different state.
Assuming the Associate license renews
It does not. The LPC Associate and LMFT Associate licenses expire 60 months from issuance and cannot be renewed. There is no renewal notice coming, and none is missing.
Assuming CE applies to an Associate
BHEC's CE FAQ states plainly that licenses which do not renew, including LPC and LMFT Associates, are not required to complete continuing education. Logging CE hours as an Associate does not build credit toward anything.
Missing that the jurisprudence exam repeats every renewal period
A full LPC who passed the exam once at application still owes it again at every renewal, not just at upgrade. It is a recurring renewal item, not a one-time step.
Missing the half-from-approved-providers rule
Since January 1, 2024, at least half of the CE total on every board must come from a listed provider. CE hours from an unlisted source can leave a licensee short even with 24 or 30 hours logged.
Letting supervisor status lapse by skipping the 6 supervision hours
The general CE total does not automatically cover the supervisor add-on. An LPC-S, LMFT-S, or LCSW-S who logs only the base hours loses supervisor status even with a valid license renewal.
Renewing late and paying 1.5 or 2 times the fee
The 60-day early window exists for a reason. Filing after the birth-month deadline adds a fee multiplier on top of the base renewal amount, on a scale tied to how many days late the filing is.
What HourJourney Actually Tracks
HourJourney tracks supervised hours toward licensure, not CE credits. For the audience on this page, that means one thing in particular:
- ✓Direct, indirect, and supervision hours logged against the 3,000-hour LPC Associate total
- ✓The 60-month Associate license window tracked against your hour count and duration floor, so it ends in an upgrade rather than a reapplication
- ✓Per-supervisor totals ready to hand over on the Supervised Experience Documentation Form
- ✓Board form export as a PDF replica, one per supervisor, with initials, recommendation, and signatures left blank for you and your supervisor to complete
Built for Texas pre-licensed clinicians.
Related Texas Guides
Texas LPC Associate Hours Requirements
The 3,000-hour supervised experience total you complete before there is anything to renew.
The 60-Month LPC Associate Limit
What the fixed license window means and what happens if it runs out.
Upgrading From LPC Associate to LPC
The no-fee upgrade application, and what starts the renewal clock.
The Texas LPC Jurisprudence Exam
What the exam covers, and why it repeats at every renewal.
The Texas LMSW License
The full, renewable license that works differently from an Associate registration.
Hours Tracking for Texas Associates
How HourJourney tracks direct, indirect, and supervision hours for Texas tracks.
FAQ: Texas LPC Renewal, Fees and CE
Do LPC Associates renew their license in Texas?▾
No. BHEC states it directly: "LPC Associate licenses expired 60 months from the date of issuance and cannot be renewed. Associates who do not complete the required supervised experience hours during the 60-month time period must reapply for licensure." An Associate either upgrades to full LPC before the 60 months run out or reapplies under whatever requirements are current at that time (22 TAC 681.91(g)-(h)).
How many CE hours does a Texas LPC need?▾
24 hours during each renewal period. At least 6 of those hours must be in ethics and at least 3 in distinct populations and competency. An LPC Supervisor needs 6 additional hours in supervision to keep that status. Since January 1, 2024, at least half of the 24 hours must come from a provider listed in 22 TAC 681.140(f).
How often do you renew an LPC license in Texas?▾
Every two years. Renewal is biennial and handled online, due on the last day of the licensee's birth month, and it can be filed up to 60 days before that date (22 TAC 883.1(a)-(b)). This applies to full LPC, LMFT, and social work licenses. LPC and LMFT Associates do not renew at all.
When is a Texas LPC renewal due?▾
On the last day of your birth month, every other year, with the exact year set by when your license was first issued relative to that date (22 TAC 883.1(b), 883.2(b)). You can renew as early as 60 days before the due date, but not sooner.
How much is the Texas LPC renewal fee?▾
$141 for the biennial renewal (22 TAC 885.1). If you also hold LPC Supervisor status, keeping it costs an additional $50 at renewal. Renewing late adds 1.5 times the base fee within 90 days of expiration, or 2 times the base fee if you are more than 90 days but less than a year late.
Do LPC Associates need continuing education in Texas?▾
No. BHEC's continuing education FAQ says it plainly: "No, licenses that do not renew, such as LMFT and LPC associates or provisional psychologists, are not required to complete continuing education." CE only attaches to a license that renews, and the Associate license does not.
Do you take the jurisprudence exam at renewal?▾
Yes, for a full LPC. The exam is required each renewal period, and a licensee who passes it may claim 1 hour of ethics credit toward the 6-hour ethics requirement inside the 24-hour CE total. This is separate from the jurisprudence exam an Associate takes at initial application and again at upgrade.
How many CE hours do Texas social workers need?▾
30 hours per renewal period for LBSW, LMSW, and LCSW license holders, with at least 6 in ethics and 3 in distinct population competency. A social work supervisor needs 6 additional hours in supervision. Since January 1, 2024, at least half of the 30 hours must come from a provider listed in 22 TAC 781.501.
What happens if you renew your Texas LPC license late?▾
A late fee on top of the $141 base. Expired 90 days or less, the renewal fee is 1.5 times the base amount. Expired more than 90 days but less than a year, it is 2 times the base amount (22 TAC 885.1). Renewal also still requires CE compliance and the human trafficking prevention course for that cycle.
Requirements verified against the LPC Rulebook (March 2026) and the BHEC LPC renewal, MFT renewal, and continuing education FAQ pages. Statutes and regulations can change. Always confirm current requirements at bhec.texas.gov before making decisions about your licensure path. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice.