Your RBT asks, “Does this training count toward my PDUs?” One supervisor says yes. Another says, “I think so.” Someone sends a link. Three months later, nobody can find the paperwork.

Okay. We need a plan. Because “I think it counts” is doing a lot of work here.

Your RBTs are already managing sessions, changing schedules, cancellations, and everything life throws at them. A PDU policy should make their next step clear. What can they take? Who pays? When can they complete it? Where does the paperwork go? Put those answers in one place.

Learn today. Use tomorrow. That is the energy we want behind this policy. Give your team something they can bring into the work.

Start with the current RBT PDU requirements

After becoming newly certified or recertifying in 2026, RBTs must earn 12 PDUs during each two-year recertification cycle. Qualifying options include behavior-analytic university coursework, employer in-service training, and RBT professional-development events from ACE Providers. The earning period begins after that 2026 certification or recertification—not before it. See the BACB’s current overview.

Your company’s calendar will not match every employee’s certification cycle. Record each RBT’s actual cycle dates when they join your team. A January-to-December training plan can support the process, but it does not replace those individual deadlines.

1. Spell out what counts—and what does not

Give staff a course-approval process before they spend money or block off time. A course title with “ABA” in it is not enough. Confirm the event is intended for RBT PDUs and comes with the required documentation.

The BACB identifies company-policy reviews, client-specific training, ongoing supervision, CPR, software training, and repeating the 40-hour RBT training as nonqualifying activities. BCBA and BCaBA CE events do not earn RBT PDUs either. These activities may still be necessary; track them separately from qualifying professional development.

For example, reviewing one client’s token-board protocol belongs in that client’s training process. A structured learning event about implementing and troubleshooting token economies may qualify when it meets the applicable event requirements.

Policy idea: Name one approval contact and give employees a simple request process: course link, topic, provider, expected PDUs, cost, and proposed completion date.

2. Decide what your company can realistically provide

Let’s be real: your BCBAs already have treatment plans, supervision, caregiver meetings, and a calendar that keeps filling itself. Before promising a whole internal training library, decide what your team actually has the capacity to create and maintain:

  • Company-organized in-service events: Schedule qualifying learning around skills your team needs.
  • External RBT PDU courses: Purchase access or reimburse approved courses so staff have choices.
  • A blended plan: Combine team learning with individual course selections.

If you offer in-service PDUs, use the BACB’s in-service requirements. A trainer needs active BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D certification and must be an employee or invited guest. Events need learning objectives, structured instruction, and full participation. Award 0.5 PDUs per 25 instructional minutes or 1 per 50; do not round up.

External events can offer flexibility, including qualifying online formats. Verify the provider’s RBT PDU offering and documentation rather than assuming any recorded webinar counts. Review the ACE RBT PD requirements when selecting events.

Why sourcing PDUs from an outside provider may work better for your team

Your company does not have to build every learning experience from scratch. Sometimes purchasing access to a strong RBT PDU library is the practical move—for your clinicians and your technicians.

  • Your BCBAs get some prep time back. Building a useful course takes more than opening a slide deck. An outside provider can handle course development while your clinicians focus on helping staff apply what they learn.
  • RBTs get a fresh way to learn. Different examples and teaching styles can make a familiar concept finally click. Everybody does not connect with the same delivery.
  • Your team gets choices. One technician may need stronger data-collection skills. Another may want to work on confidentiality or reinforcement. A library lets you guide learning around those needs.
  • Learning can fit more schedules. Self-paced options can help staff who work across locations or cannot all attend one meeting. Put approved learning time on the calendar so access turns into completion.
  • You can plan a shared foundation. Assign a course to the team, then use a supervisor-led follow-up to connect it to your workplace.

Choose the provider carefully. Look for clear RBT-level objectives, current content, meaningful participation, and the required PDU records. Buying a subscription does not automatically make every activity eligible.

And please—let the learning be interesting. At Outside the Box Trainings, we use real-life situations and pop culture to help the lesson stick. Think Netflix & Data Collection: Binge-Worthy Data Collection That Actually Works. Familiar examples, practical skills, and something your RBT can actually use when they get back to work.

Browse the OTB RBT PDU library to see the courses, or explore OTB training for ABA agencies to plan access for your team. Your supervisors still guide clinical application. We can help with the learning that supports it.

3. Put time and money in the policy

“We encourage professional development.” Love that. Now tell the team when they can do it and who is paying for it.

Decide whether your company purchases courses, offers a yearly allowance, or approves reimbursement. Explain how staff request learning time, how coverage is arranged, and who handles training-time pay questions. Have your HR or payroll team confirm how required training time is handled under applicable employment rules.

“Do it when a client cancels” is not much of a plan. Cancellations are unpredictable. Build scheduled learning opportunities, with a backup plan for employees who cannot attend because of coverage or an approved absence.

4. Build a manageable rhythm

Want a simple starting point? Try a company target of six qualifying PDUs per year, spread across the employee’s cycle. That is a planning choice—not a separate BACB annual requirement. Adjust it when someone joins mid-cycle or already has eligible PDUs.

For example, plan three qualifying two-PDU learning opportunities across a year. Give staff advance notice, course options where possible, and a short check-in after each one. Your policy should explain what happens when someone misses an event and how they can find an approved alternative.

Choose topics from patterns you actually see: inconsistent data collection, difficulty following through with reinforcement, caregiver communication, or ethical decision-making. Use training to build transferable skills; individual treatment-plan changes still belong with the supervising clinician.

5. Make the paperwork easy to find

Assign responsibility for collecting documentation and checking the tracker. Keep one employee-accessible folder or training record rather than certificates scattered across email threads.

In-service events use the BACB In-Service Event form. The trainer or designated contact provides it within 45 days, and event records must be retained for three years. External ACE events use the ACE Event form. RBTs upload their completed documentation to their BACB accounts.

Your internal tracker can include the employee’s name, certification-cycle dates, event title and date, provider, PDUs earned, documentation location, and remaining balance. A tracker helps your team stay organized; it does not replace the required BACB documentation.

6. Follow the learning into the workplace

After a course, ask: “What is one thing you can use in your next session?” Then give staff a chance to practice it with feedback.

That could be a short role-play, a data-collection practice activity, or a conversation about when to ask a supervisor for help. Keep examples free of identifying client information. Follow-up is your opportunity to support skill use; it is not automatically another PDU event.

A completion record tells you someone finished. Your follow-up helps you see what they took with them. Ask questions, make space for practice, and reinforce staff for using what they learned.

A starter policy outline your company can adapt

This is a suggested company framework. Fill in your own deadlines, budget, contacts, and processes before adopting it.

  • Purpose: Support RBT certification maintenance and practical skill development.
  • Cycle review: Record each employee’s certification dates and existing eligible PDUs at onboarding.
  • Approval: Submit outside-course requests to [designated contact] before registration or reimbursement.
  • Company support: Provide [course access or budget], [scheduling process], and [training-time pay policy].
  • Documentation: Submit required completion records to [location] within [company deadline]. RBTs also maintain and upload their BACB records.
  • Check-ins: Review progress [quarterly or another schedule] and arrange alternatives for missed training.
  • Learning follow-through: Identify one practical takeaway and discuss appropriate application with the supervisor.
  • Policy review: Assign [owner] to review BACB updates and revise the policy when requirements change.

Build a policy your team can actually use

Keep it clear. Make the learning accessible. Put the records somewhere people can find them. Then ask your RBTs what would make the process easier. If the plan only works for someone with unlimited time and a perfect schedule, go back and fix the plan.

Outside the Box Trainings builds professional development around real situations, practical skills, and examples that stick. Learn today. Use tomorrow. Explore our RBT PDU library or see training options for ABA agencies as you plan your team’s learning.

Requirements checked September 30, 2026. Company planning examples are OTB suggestions; use the current BACB documents linked above to verify PDU eligibility and event requirements.