RBT Supervision Requirements: The BACB's Monthly Checklist

Every calendar month you provide behavior-analytic services as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) requires all six checks below, met separately at each organization you work for. These RBT supervision requirements are BACB certification rules for RBTs working in the United States; your state, employer, or funder can add its own.

Your monthly supervision check

Source: BACB RBT Handbook (updated 06/2026), "Ongoing Supervision," printed pp. 16–21.

Enough hours is only one of six checks. Work out your minimum · What to do if a month falls short

Last verified September 16, 2026 · Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team

Work out your minimum

Multiply the service hours you worked at one organization this calendar month by 3. The answer is your minimum supervision in minutes.

• Minimum minutes = service hours × 3 (because 5% of 60 minutes is 3 minutes)
• Your percentage = qualifying supervision minutes ÷ (service hours × 60) × 100, when service hours are greater than zero

Minimum supervision for one organization in one calendar month (our arithmetic from the BACB's 5% rule)

Four things trip people up:

• Convert decimals carefully. 38 hours × 5% is 1.9 hours. That's 1 hour 54 minutes, not 1 hour 90 minutes. Working in minutes (38 × 3 = 114) avoids the mix-up.
• Don't round your way to 5%. 3 hours 59 minutes against 80 service hours is about 4.98%, not 5%. Keep the exact numbers.
• Recheck as the month goes. An extra shift raises your minimum. The BACB's own checklist suggests tracking your service hours weekly so you can see when you need more supervision (Supervision Checklist for RBTs, "On a Monthly/Quarterly Basis").
• Count one organization at a time. Hours from a second job go in their own calculation.

Which tasks belong in your service-hour total? The BACB bases the rule on "the hours you spend providing behavior-analytic services" and lists writing session notes among the activities RBTs typically do (RBT Handbook, p. 16). This handbook section doesn't provide a task-by-task or billing-code definition of that total. Review an uncertain activity with your supervisor against the BACB's service-hour rule before relying on your calculation. Document the counting rule you use; a local agreement doesn't replace the BACB requirement.

Five examples that catch common mistakes

These are original teaching examples, not real records or BACB decisions. The results address the facts given; they don't verify records, qualifications, or other conditions the example doesn't describe.

Example 1: One long meeting

The month: 80 service hours. One 4-hour individual contact that includes an observation. No other contact that month.

Result: 4 of 80 hours is 5.0%, so the amount is met. The month still fails: it has one contact, and the BACB requires two. A long meeting doesn't turn into two meetings.

Example 2: No observation

The month: 80 service hours. Two individual case-review meetings, 2 hours each. The supervisor never watches the RBT work with a client.

Result: Amount (5.0%), contacts (2), and one-on-one are met. The observation is missing. Talking about a client isn't the same as watching you work with one.

Example 3: Two organizations

The month: Agency A: 100 service hours, 6 hours of supervision over three contacts, including an observation and a one-on-one. Agency B: 40 service hours, 1 hour of supervision in one individual contact that includes an observation.

Result: Agency A: 6.0%, and every number is met. Agency B: 2.5% (it needed 2 hours) and only one contact. Added together, 7 of 140 hours is 5.0%, but the BACB doesn't let you add organizations. Agency B fails.

Example 4: A light month

The month: 6 service hours. Two separate 30-minute individual contacts: one is an observation, the other is a feedback meeting.

Result: The minimum is 18 minutes; 60 minutes were provided (about 16.7%). The amount, contact, observation, and one-on-one checks are all met. A light month lowers the minutes you need, not the number of contacts.

Example 5: A supervisor who never listed you

The month: No Requirements Coordinator at this organization. 100 service hours. Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) 1, who lists the RBT in the portal, gives 3 hours over two contacts, including a one-on-one observation. BCBA 2 gives 2 more hours but never added the RBT as a supervisee.

Result: Only BCBA 1's time counts, because the BACB says supervision counts toward the 5% only when the supervisor has you listed. That's 3 of 100 hours (3.0%), 2 hours short. BCBA 2 needed to list the RBT before supervising. (BACB supervision-structures guidance, RBT Supervisor structure; RBT Handbook, pp. 19–20)

What counts as a supervision contact?

A contact counts when you and your supervisor interact in real time, face to face, either in person or by live video (RBT Handbook, p. 17).

• Phone calls and email don't count. The handbook rules them out directly.
• Live video is allowed; in-person, on-site observation is preferred. Remote supervision has to follow applicable laws.
• Watching isn't the same as supervising. The BACB warns that video monitoring on its own, without real-time interaction or feedback, may not count.
• "Individual" doesn't mean the client has to leave. It means no other RBTs or trainees are present. A one-on-one observation can cover both the observation and the individual contact, but you still need a second contact that month.
• Groups have a size limit. A group contact is an interactive meeting of 2 to 10 RBTs with similar experiences. It can't go over 10, no matter how many supervisors attend. People who aren't RBTs should mostly listen.
• Supervision is about your clients. A general training or staff in-service is not client-focused supervision. It can count toward professional development only when it meets the BACB's PD rules, and one event can't count as both.

What happens in a contact? The handbook's examples include setting performance expectations, observing you, behavioral skills training (instructions, modeling, practice, and feedback), modeling professional and ethical behavior, reviewing your session notes and data sheets, and checking how services and supervision are working (RBT Handbook, p. 17). Your supervisor also decides which tasks you may perform (p. 16). The steps in behavioral skills training are detailed in the Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), pp. 7–8.

How long does each meeting have to be? The handbook doesn't set a minimum length for a single contact. It sets the monthly total (5%) and the monthly structure (two contacts, one observation, one individual). An employer can set a longer standard.

Who can supervise an RBT?

An RBT Supervisor must hold active BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) or BCaBA (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst) certification, with the Florida legacy exception below. The BACB ended the noncertified RBT Supervisor role on January 1, 2026 (Recent & Upcoming Changes). An RBT Requirements Coordinator must be a BCBA (RBT Handbook, p. 19; BACB Supervision and Training).

One narrow exception: a small number of legacy Florida Certified Behavior Analysts (FL-CBAs) have the responsibilities and privileges of BCBA certification, and that designation is valid only in Florida (BACB FL-CBA page). It isn't a route for licensed clinicians in general.

Every RBT Supervisor and Coordinator must finish an 8-hour supervision training, based on the BACB's Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), and upload it to their BACB portal account before supervising (RBT Handbook, p. 19; BACB Supervision and Training). You can look your supervisor up on the BACB Certificant Registry, which shows certification status and can filter for people who have completed supervision training. For a legacy FL-CBA, use the Verification Letter Request linked on the BACB FL-CBA page.

The two supervision structures

Your organization uses one of these. Ask which one. The credential labels below use the standard BCBA/BCaBA roles; the Florida legacy exception above still applies.

Sources: RBT Handbook, pp. 17–20; BACB blog on supervision structures (updated June 29, 2026); Supervision Checklist for RBT Supervisors and Coordinators (version 6/2026).

Check it yourself. Your required supervisor or Coordinator appears in the Supervision widget of your BACB portal account and on the public Certificant Registry. Without a Coordinator, every RBT Supervisor providing your supervision must list you. With a Coordinator, only the Coordinator must list you; an individual supervisor's absence from that record is not, by itself, a missing-supervisor problem. If a required listing is missing, contact the responsible Supervisor or Coordinator to correct it (RBT Handbook, pp. 19–20). Our guide to reading a BACB certification record explains what the Registry fields mean.

People who can't be your supervisor

You can't be supervised by someone who is related to you, your subordinate, your employee, or in another relationship with you, such as a friendship or business partnership (RBT Handbook, p. 19). You also can't receive supervision from a past romantic or sexual partner until at least six months after the relationship ended (RBT Ethics Code (2.0), standard 1.12). Paying for supervision services doesn't, by itself, make you the supervisor's employer (Handbook, p. 19).

Your supervisor has to know your clients

Your RBT Supervisor or Coordinator needs enough client-specific knowledge to direct your work. That means working for the same organization, or having a contract with your client. You need a supervisor or Coordinator for every client you serve, not three out of four (RBT Handbook, p. 20).

What changed in 2026?

For ongoing supervision, the key eligibility change was who may supervise. Noncertified RBT Supervisors were eliminated on January 1, 2026. The 5%, contact, observation, and individual rules didn't change in the 2026 transition (BACB 2026 transition guidance, p. 3). The move to two-year recertification with professional development units is a separate change. See our RBT certification renewal guide for that.

Working for two organizations

Each organization has to meet every monthly check on its own. You can't have 3% at one job and 2% at another (RBT Handbook, p. 19). Example 3 above shows how a combined 5% can still leave one job short.

Each organization needs its own supervision arrangement and the required BACB listings for that structure. If the BACB audits you, each organization's Coordinator answers only for supervision at that organization. A lost certification, though, affects your work everywhere (BACB blog on supervision structures, FAQ 9).

Keep a monthly supervision record

You and your RBT Supervisor or Requirements Coordinator both need records that prove each month's requirements were met, and you both keep them at least 7 years, even after the supervisory relationship ends (RBT Handbook, p. 21). Keep your own copy in an approved secure system and arrange continued access when either of you leaves.

The handbook says your records must show:

• the days and times you provided behavior-analytic services
• the dates and length of each supervision contact
• the format of each contact (for example, one-on-one or group)
• the dates your supervisor observed you working with a client
• the names of the supervisors who supervised you
• proof of each supervisor's relationship to the client
• extra documentation, such as session notes, if records disagree

The handbook lists what your records must show; it doesn't prescribe a particular form. If you're audited, it may ask for an RBT Supervision Audit Log and supporting documents (Handbook, pp. 21–22).

A monthly record you can copy

This is a Castleport template built from the handbook's list, not a BACB form. Keep it in your organization's approved, secure system. Don't put client names or identifying details anywhere public, including on this page (RBT Ethics Code (2.0), standards 2.08–2.10).

Monthly summary

One row per service period

Record the actual service periods rather than only a monthly total. Use the secure source reference to reconcile the times with approved timesheets or session records.

One row per supervision contact

Supporting evidence and continued access

A label such as “same employer” isn't the proof itself. Keep the supporting evidence in the approved secure record system.

The handbook requires the service dates and times, supervision dates and duration, format, observation dates, supervisor names, relationship evidence, and documents needed to resolve discrepancies. The summary calculations, RBT identification fields, group-size reminder, delivery-method field, notes, secure-reference layout, and action/access plan are our organization aids—not extra BACB form requirements (RBT Handbook, p. 21).

If a month falls short

Tell your supervisor, fix what you still can before the month ends, and self-report a missed month to the BACB. A self-report doesn't automatically mean trouble. The BACB describes it as a way to acknowledge the problem and give context, including why it happened and your plan to prevent it (BACB blog, updated June 29, 2026). The BACB also tells supervisors that an RBT can keep working and representing themself as an RBT while waiting to hear back (BACB blog for supervisors). That assumes your certification remains active and you have the qualified supervision and required listing for your structure; it does not override a BACB restriction or inactive status.

Report promptly. The handbook says supervision noncompliance must be self-reported "in a timely manner" (p. 23). Following supervision requirements is also part of the RBT Ethics Code (standard 3.01), and code violations must be self-reported within 30 days of the event or of becoming aware of it (BACB blog; Ethics Code standard 3.04). Treat 30 days as your outer limit. The BACB self-reporting page has the form, which includes a "Did Not Meet RBT/BCaBA Supervision Requirements" option. Download and complete the Self-Reporting Statement linked there, then submit it with the Ethics Self-Reporting Form. Do not submit a Notice of Alleged Violation against yourself.

A message you can adapt:

For [month] at [organization], my records show [service hours] service hours and [supervision minutes] minutes of supervision. I'm still missing [the amount / a second contact / a one-on-one contact / an observation / a record]. Can we confirm the records and plan the next step this week?

Sending this message isn't supervision, and it doesn't replace a self-report.

What an audit can lead to

The BACB can audit current or former RBTs, supervisors, and Coordinators at any time. Starting an audit doesn't change your certification status. If the audit finds you substantially noncompliant, the BACB either ends your certification or makes you ineligible to recertify, effective when you receive the audit determination. You then can't apply for RBT certification for at least six months, and the handbook provides for enhanced auditing of your supervision records if you requalify. A Notice of Alleged Violation may also be filed against your supervisor or Coordinator. You can appeal within 30 days (RBT Handbook, pp. 21–22; BACB blog for supervisors).

Supervision isn't professional development, and it isn't fieldwork

Supervision time doesn't count as professional development units (PDUs), and one event can't count as both (RBT Handbook, pp. 17 and 30). The 12-PDU requirement for a two-year recertification cycle is covered in our RBT certification renewal guide.

If you're also earning hours toward BCBA or BCaBA certification, know that many tasks done as part of RBT work and RBT supervision may not count toward that fieldwork (BCBA Handbook, p. 14). The two rule sets look alike but differ. The BCBA column below is the 2022 application-requirements track, not the 2027 track.

Sources: RBT Handbook, pp. 16–21; BCBA Handbook, pp. 14 and 18–22. A recorded BCBA fieldwork observation does not automatically count as a real-time contact or as supervision time; the fieldwork handbook sets separate interaction and feedback conditions (p. 20).

For BCBA fieldwork, the applicable requirements depend on when you submit your certification application—not simply when you worked the hours. If you apply on or after January 1, 2027, use the 2027 requirements and BACB transition guidance, pp. 1–3. That is a separate credential rule, not a change to the RBT monthly checklist.

What you may have read, and what the handbook says

Sources: RBT Handbook, pp. 16–20 and 30; 2026 changes. The August 2020 BACB Newsletter, p. 5, already described Requirements Coordinators; its older portal-listing instructions are not the current rules.

Studying for the RBT exam? Six practice questions

Supervision is tested under Ethics in the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.): task F.3 (provide services only under ongoing supervision from supervisors who meet BACB requirements) and task F.4 (identify effective supervision practices). These are original, unofficial Castleport practice questions, not BACB exam questions. Six items can't tell you whether you're ready for the exam. Apply the BACB rules described on this page; unless a question identifies a problem, assume the supervisors meet the other qualification, client-oversight, and record requirements.

Question 1 · RBT-SUP-01 · Task F.3

An RBT's BCBA supervisor spends 30 minutes watching the RBT run a teaching program with a client and gives feedback in the moment. No other RBTs or trainees are there. How does this contact count toward the month's requirements?

• A. It's an observation, but not an individual contact, because a client was present.
• B. It can count as both the observation and the individual contact, but the RBT still needs a second real-time contact that month.
• C. It meets every monthly contact requirement by itself.
• D. It doesn't count as supervision, because supervision has to happen away from clients.

Answer and explanation, Question 1: B. The BACB defines an individual contact as one with no other RBTs or trainees present, so a client being there doesn't disqualify it. The observation requirement is met when your supervisor watches you provide services during a contact, so one contact can cover both conditions. The handbook still requires at least two real-time contacts a month. A adds a condition the BACB doesn't use. C ignores the two-contact rule. D is backwards: the observation requirement means at least one contact happens while you're working with a client.

Source: RBT Handbook, Ongoing Supervision, pp. 16–17

Question 2 · RBT-SUP-02 · Task F.3

An RBT in Ohio starts a new job in October 2026. Her new organization has no RBT Requirements Coordinator. Under BACB certification rules, which person could serve as her RBT Supervisor?

• A. A licensed psychologist with 15 years of ABA experience who holds no BACB certification
• B. An active BCaBA who has finished and uploaded the 8-hour supervision training and lists her as a supervisee in the BACB portal
• C. A BCBA who plans to finish the 8-hour supervision training next month
• D. An RBT who has worked with the same clients for three years

Answer and explanation, Question 2: B. Since January 1, 2026, RBT Supervisors must hold BCBA or BCaBA certification, and the supervision training has to be finished and uploaded before any supervision starts. With no Coordinator, the supervisor must also list the RBT in the portal. A doesn't qualify: a professional license and ABA experience do not replace the required BACB credential. C holds the right credential but hasn't finished the training. D doesn't hold a credential that can supervise RBTs.

Source: RBT Handbook, RBT Supervisor Requirements, pp. 19–20; BACB Recent & Upcoming Changes (January 1, 2026); BACB Supervision, Assessment, Training, and Oversight

Question 3 · RBT-SUP-03 · Task F.3

In one month, an RBT's only supervision is a 90-minute, face-to-face, real-time interactive group meeting with six other RBTs, where the supervisor reviews their clients' graphs, and a 45-minute phone call about one client. Her 5% minimum that month is 2 hours. Which statement best explains why the month falls short?

• A. The group had more RBTs than a small group may include.
• B. The phone call can't count as supervision, which leaves one qualifying contact, no individual contact, no observation, and 90 of the required 120 minutes.
• C. Group meetings can't count toward RBT supervision.
• D. At least half of each month's supervision time must be individual.

Answer and explanation, Question 3: B. Supervision can't happen by phone or email, so only the group meeting counts. That leaves one contact instead of two, no one-on-one contact, no observation of her with a client, and 30 minutes below her minimum. A is wrong: seven RBTs is within the 2–10 limit. C is wrong: one of the two contacts may be a small group. D is a rule for BCBA and BCaBA fieldwork, not for RBT supervision.

Source: RBT Handbook, Ongoing Supervision, pp. 16–17; BCBA Handbook, Supervised Fieldwork, p. 20; BCaBA Handbook, Supervised Fieldwork, pp. 11 and 17

Question 4 · RBT-SUP-04 · Task F.4

A supervisor notices an RBT fading prompts too quickly during discrete-trial teaching. Which response best reflects effective supervision practice?

• A. Email the RBT a written description of the correct fading steps.
• B. Explain the correct steps, model them, have the RBT practice with feedback, then watch the RBT use them with the client.
• C. Ask the RBT to watch a video about prompt fading before the next session.
• D. Note the error to discuss at the RBT's annual review.

Answer and explanation, Question 4: B. The RBT exam outline gives instructions, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and observation of service delivery as examples of effective supervision, and the handbook lists behavioral skills training and performance feedback among supervision activities. B does all of those. A and C pass along information without practice or feedback. D delays feedback on a known implementation error.

Source: RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.), task F.4; RBT Handbook, Supervision activities, p. 17; Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), section 6, pp. 7–8

Question 5 · RBT-SUP-05 · Task F.3

An RBT's only RBT Supervisor resigns on the 10th and removes her in the BACB portal. The organization has no RBT Requirements Coordinator, and a new BCBA starts on the 24th. What should the RBT do until the new supervisor lists her?

• A. Keep providing services, because the 5% only has to be met by the end of the month.
• B. Keep providing services under a senior RBT's guidance.
• C. Stop providing and billing services as an RBT, because her certification is inactive while no supervisor is on record.
• D. Apply for voluntary inactive status so she can keep working.

Answer and explanation, Question 5: C. When the last supervisor on record removes you, your certification becomes inactive right away. While it's inactive, you can't practice, bill, or represent yourself as an RBT. A treats the monthly percentage as the only rule. B names someone who can't supervise RBTs. D is backwards: voluntary inactive status also means you can't provide services as an RBT.

Source: RBT Handbook, pp. 15, 21, and 31; BACB blog, When RBT Certification Doesn't Go as Planned

Question 6 · RBT-SUP-06 · Task F.3

A BCBA at an RBT's organization leads a 50-minute in-service on graphing for all RBTs. The RBT wants to count it toward both her professional development units (PDUs) and her monthly supervision. What's correct?

• A. It counts for both, because a BCBA presented it.
• B. It counts for both if the RBT's own supervisor attends.
• C. It can't count for both, because supervision and professional development are separate requirements.
• D. It counts only toward supervision, because it happened at her organization.

Answer and explanation, Question 6: C. The handbook says one event can't satisfy both requirements, and ongoing supervision has to be client-focused. An organization's in-service can be a PDU source when it meets the BACB's PD rules, but it isn't supervision. A and B name conditions that don't allow double counting. D is wrong because a general training isn't client-focused supervision.

Source: RBT Handbook, Structure of supervision, p. 17; RBT Handbook, Professional Development, p. 30

Common questions

Sources and how we checked this page

On September 16, 2026, we read the "Ongoing Supervision," "Ethics and Self-Reporting," and "Inactive Policy" sections of the BACB's RBT Handbook (updated 06/2026) and checked them against the other BACB sources below. The minutes-per-hour rule, the minimum-supervision table, and the five examples are our arithmetic and teaching examples, built from the 5% rule. We recalculated the numbers and checked all six practice questions, their answer keys, and their explanations against the cited BACB sources. We didn't sign in to a BACB account, search anyone's record, or submit a form.

This page was researched and written with AI assistance and is maintained by the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. It hasn't been reviewed by a BCBA. It explains published BACB requirements and isn't a BACB decision about your records.

Last verified: September 16, 2026 — supervision amount and structure, supervisor qualifications and training, portal listing, records and retention, self-reporting, audits, the 2026 change, the six supervision practice questions, and the separately labeled BCBA fieldwork comparison.

BACB sources

• RBT Handbook, updated 06/2026 — "Ongoing Supervision," pp. 16–22; "Self-Reporting," p. 23; recertification, pp. 28–30; "Inactive Policy," p. 31
• Recent & Upcoming Changes to BACB Requirements — January 1, 2026 entries
• Guidance for Meeting RBT Requirements During the 2026 Transition, p. 3
• Supervision, Assessment, Training, and Oversight — qualifications by role and the 8-hour training
• Supervision Checklist for RBTs (version 7/2025)
• Supervision Checklist for RBT Supervisors and RBT Requirements Coordinators (version 6/2026)
• When to Establish an RBT Requirements Coordinator Structure (updated June 29, 2026)
• When RBT Certification Doesn't Go as Planned (updated June 29, 2026)
• When Supervising RBTs Doesn't Go as Planned (updated June 29, 2026)
• RBT Ethics Code (2.0) and Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
• Self-Reporting
• Florida Certified Behavior Analysts (FL-CBAs)
• BACB Certificant Registry
• RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.) — tasks F.3 and F.4
• BCBA Handbook, updated 06/2026 — Supervised Fieldwork, pp. 14–22; 2027 eligibility, pp. 25–28
• BCaBA Handbook, updated 06/2026 — individual fieldwork supervision, pp. 11 and 17
• Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), version 05/2026 — behavioral skills training, section 6, pp. 7–8
• Guidance for Meeting the BCBA Requirements During the 2027 Transition, updated 01/2026 — application-date rule, pp. 1–2; fieldwork comparison, p. 3
• August 2020 BACB Newsletter — earlier Coordinator-role description, p. 5; supervision volume, pp. 6–7. Used for those points, not for current portal-listing rules.
• U.S. Licensure of Behavior Analysts

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