A quiet shift in BACB rules is about to affect a lot of BCBA portfolios.
On July 1, 2026, the BACB drops two CE formats from acceptance for recertification:
- Code-word verification — recorded webinars + a passphrase
- Article-plus-quiz — read a paper, answer questions, get credit
Interactive formats stay: video plus assessment, live webinar, and in-person workshop. CEUs you have ALREADY earned through code-word or article-plus-quiz before that date still count toward your current cycle. But anything earned in those formats after the cutoff will not be honored.
Two practical effects for ABA agency owners:
- If your team relies on a CE vendor whose catalog is mostly article-plus-quiz, that vendor’s CEUs stop counting on July 1. Worth checking now, not in late June. Audit the catalog your agency reimburses against.
- Any cycle that closes after July 1, 2026 should be planned with interactive-format CEUs only. Treat code-word credits earned in the next 6 weeks as a finite resource that expires at the cutoff.
If your agency is supporting team CE — through reimbursement, bulk seats, or just letting practitioners pick from a vetted list — this is the moment to verify your vendors before the rule change costs you compliance gaps.
For agencies looking for a BACB-ACE-Provider with interactive-format CEUs already in catalog: Special Learning CE Library has been interactive from day one. Video plus assessment, 32 CEUs per library, $199/year, ACE Provider OP-14-2437.
Agency owners navigating BACB rule changes — this is one decision in a larger operational picture. See how ABA Business Growth helps owners build durable infrastructure.