Tracking fieldwork isn’t just busywork — your hours can be audited at any time, both parties must keep records for 7 years, and the 60/40 rule is unforgiving if you notice it late. The good news: once you know exactly what to record and build a simple monthly rhythm, it’s straightforward. Here’s the whole system.
1. What you have to track each month
Every supervisory period is one calendar month, and each month has to stand on its own. Under the 2027 standards, a month only counts if it hits these marks:
| What to track | The rule (2027) |
|---|---|
| Total hours in the month | 20–160 hours to count |
| Restricted vs unrestricted | Unrestricted at least 60% of your total fieldwork |
| Supervision % | 5% Supervised / 7.5% Concentrated of the month’s hours |
| Individual vs. group | At least half of supervision is individual |
| Observation with a client | 60 min (Supervised) / 90 min (Concentrated), cumulative |
| Monthly Verification Form | Signed by trainee & supervisor, by the end of the next month |
If you’re still under the earlier 2022 rules, two things differ: the monthly cap is 130 (not 160), and observation is one monthly contact rather than cumulative minutes. Our 2027 changes entry covers the full comparison.
2. A 5-step tracking system
Get set up before you log a single hour
Hours only count once you’ve started qualifying coursework, secured a supervisor, and signed a supervision contract. Confirm your supervisor is qualified (from 2027, an active BCBA®) and that everything sits inside your 5-year window.
Log every session with the right details
Record each entry as you go — date, times, fieldwork type, setting, supervisor, and whether the activity was restricted or unrestricted. Only behavior-analytic activities count. FieldworkABA’s hour logging captures all of this (voice-to-text included) so entries are clean the first time.
Watch the 60/40 ratio as you go — not at the end
This is the one that catches people. Because the 60/40 rule is measured on your final total and restricted hours can’t be removed, an early pile of restricted hours can force you past 2,000 to rebalance. Check your ratio monthly — our free ratio planner shows exactly how many unrestricted hours you still need, and FieldworkABA’s total-hours view tracks it live.
Close each month and sign the form
At month-end, confirm the month met its supervision percentage, observation minutes, and the 20-hour minimum, then sign the Monthly Verification Form — it has to be signed by the last day of the following month. FieldworkABA prepares the MVF from your record and collects both signatures in-app, with supervisor review attached to the month.
Store everything for 7 years
Keep your signed forms, records, and supervision contract for at least 7 years — if you’re audited, you may have to produce them within 7 business days. That’s what FieldworkABA’s record storage is for.
3. The mistakes that cost people hours
- Over-logging restricted hours early. Full-time RBTs rack up hands-on (restricted) hours fast and blow past the 40% cap — then need extra unrestricted hours to fix the ratio.
- Missing the observation minutes. Under 2027, observation is measured in minutes (60/90) and differs by pathway — a single monthly observation may not add up.
- Logging things that don’t count. Billing, paperwork, CPR training, and course assignments aren’t countable fieldwork.
- Signing the MVF late. The deadline is the end of the next calendar month — easy to miss.
- Back-filling before an audit. Recreating months of hours retroactively is exactly what audits are designed to catch. Log in real time.
4. Spreadsheet vs. a fieldwork tracker
A spreadsheet absolutely can work — plenty of people start there. The question is how much of the checking you want to do by hand.
Spreadsheet
- Free and flexible
- You build and maintain the ratio and supervision formulas
- No signing workflow — forms are separate
- Storage and backups are on you for 7 years
- Easy to make a quiet math error you notice too late
A fieldwork tracker
- The 60/40 ratio and monthly checks run automatically
- Warns you as you log, not at the finish line
- Prepares and e-signs the MVF in-app
- Keeps signed forms in audit-ready storage for 7 years
- Supports both 2022 and 2027 rules
5. What to record (and keep) for each session
The BACB® lets you use your own documentation system, but it must capture specific fields. For each independent session: date, start time, end time, fieldwork type, setting, supervisor, and the activity category (restricted or unrestricted). For each supervised contact: also the format, whether it was individual or group, and a short summary of the supervision. For each month: totals for individual and group supervision and the observation, plus the signed verification form.
Keep it all — and the supervision contract — for at least 7 years.
Official sources
Straight from the BACB®
2027 BCBA® Requirements Fieldwork: Getting It Right (BACB® blog) FAQs about supervised fieldwork (BACB®)Educational and independent — FieldworkABA is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the BACB®. Requirements can change; always confirm against the current BCBA® Handbook. See also our full Fieldwork A–Z and the 2022 vs. 2027 changes guide.