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United States · Certification exam

NBCOT certification renewal

Your first renewal with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) falls four years after the year you pass the exam, and each renewal after that comes three years later. NBCOT certification renewal season runs from January to March every year, whatever month you were certified. You renew online in MyNBCOT for $65, once you’ve earned 36 units and agreed to NBCOT’s certificant attestation.

  • $65Online renewal fee
  • 4 years, then 3Time to your first renewal, then each after
  • January to MarchRenewal season every year
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

When is your NBCOT certification renewal due?

NBCOT’s own example: if you pass in 2026, your first renewal is between January and March 2030. After that you’re on a three-year cycle, so the next is January to March 2033. NBCOT sends a reminder before your date, which is why it asks you to keep your contact details current in MyNBCOT.

How to renew

  1. Read NBCOT’s Certification Renewal Handbook.
  2. Earn 36 units during your cycle.
  3. Read the certificant attestation you’ll be agreeing to.
  4. Fill in the renewal application in MyNBCOT: background details, character questions, your renewal units, practice questions, then the signed attestation.
  5. Pay the fee.

Within three weeks of processing, NBCOT emails how to get your updated digital certificate, badge and wallet card. If nothing arrives, email recert@nbcot.org with your full name and certification number.

The 36 units of continuing education →

NBCOT renewal fees

ItemFee
Online renewal$65
Paper renewal$75
Late fee, after March 31 of your renewal year$25
Reinstatement within 3 years of expiring$125
Reinstatement more than 3 years after expiring$175
Returned check$35
Credit card challenge$35

All renewal fees are nonrefundable, and the late fee is added automatically if you apply after your date. A paper application adds about two weeks to processing.

If your certification lapsed within three years

  1. Earn at least 30 units in the last three years from the professional development categories.
  2. Take NBCOT’s General Practice Self-Assessment and save its score report.
  3. Complete 6 competency assessment units (CAUs) in Navigator.
  4. Apply for reinstatement in MyNBCOT.

If it lapsed more than three years ago

  1. Earn at least 12 units from categories 18, 19 or 21 of the activities chart, and 12 more from any professional development category.
  2. Upload proof to CE Broker.
  3. Complete 12 CAUs in Navigator.
  4. Apply for reinstatement in MyNBCOT.

Either way, NBCOT reviews a complete application within 20 business days, and the application stays open for four months.

From November 1, 2027, anyone whose certification has lapsed for nine years or more (three or more cycles) will have to submit an application with a fee, pass a background check, and pass the current entry-level NBCOT exam. NBCOT’s reinstatement page gives that fee as $540; its 2026 Renewal Handbook gives $515.

NBCOT: Lapsed Certification ↗

Retiring, deployment and special circumstances

While you’re still active you can ask NBCOT to change your status to Retired in Good Standing from the Services & Resources tab in MyNBCOT. Active-duty military personnel on long deployments, and anyone whose personal or medical circumstances got in the way of earning units, should email recert@nbcot.org, the second group before March 31 of the renewal year.

What each certification status allows →
Sources: NBCOT and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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