Table of contents
BCBA applicants whose complete application is received on or after January 1, 2027 follow an updated set of supervised fieldwork requirements. The hour totals and the 60% unrestricted rule do not change. What changes is how supervision and observation are measured. Everything below comes from the BACB’s 2027 requirements, the BCBA Handbook, and the transition guidance, linked at the bottom.
2022 vs. 2027 at a glance
| Requirement | 2022 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Hours to qualify | 2,000 Supervised / 1,500 Concentrated | Same |
| Unrestricted activities | At least 60% of total hours | Same |
| Hours per month | 20 to 130 | 20 to 160 |
| Supervision | 5% Supervised / 10% Concentrated | 5% Supervised / 7.5% Concentrated |
| Contacts with supervisor | 4 a month Supervised / 6 Concentrated | Not required |
| Observation with a client | One observation a month | 60 minutes a month Supervised / 90 Concentrated, cumulative |
| Individual supervision | At least 50% of supervised hours | Same |
| Who may supervise | An active BCBA who meets the supervisor qualifications | Same |
| Monthly verification forms | 2022 monthly forms | 2027 monthly forms |
Sources: the BCBA Handbook and the BACB’s transition guidance. Highlighted values are the ones that change.
What stays the same, what changes
Stays the same
- 2,000 / 1,500 total hours
- The 60/40 unrestricted rule, measured over your total fieldwork
- The 20-hour monthly minimum
- At least 50% of supervision must be individual
- The five-year window and seven-year record retention
- A signed supervision contract and work with multiple clients
- Supervisors must be active BCBAs
Changes in 2027
- Monthly cap rises from 130 to 160 hours
- Concentrated supervision drops from 10% to 7.5%
- Monthly contact counts are removed
- Observation becomes cumulative minutes (60 / 90), not one event
- New 2027 monthly verification forms
- Pathway 2 coursework requirements change
- Eligibility Pathways 3 and 4 end
One change that is often listed as a 2027 change actually happened earlier. Licensed psychologists and non-certified Verified Course Sequence instructors could supervise fieldwork only before January 1, 2026. Since then, the current requirements and the 2027 requirements both require an active BCBA.
Do my current hours carry over?
Hours you have already accrued still count as hours, but the requirements in place when your complete application is received govern your fieldwork. The place this bites is observation. Under the 2022 requirements it is one observation a month, while under the 2027 requirements it is a minutes target that differs by fieldwork type. A month that met the 2022 observation rule may not add up to the 2027 minutes.
The practical move: if your fieldwork spans the transition, decide with your supervisor which requirements will apply when you plan to apply, and check that each month meets that set, especially observation minutes. See which requirements will apply to you, moving qualifying months onto 2027 forms, and what counts toward your 60 minutes.
The dates that matter
The supervisor routes for licensed psychologists and non-certified Verified Course Sequence instructors end.
To be reviewed under the 2022 requirements, your complete application, including payment and all required documents, must be received by this date.
The fieldwork changes above take effect, along with the new Pathway 2 coursework requirements. Eligibility Pathways 3 and 4 are discontinued.
The BACB’s 2027 requirements document points to “the 2032 removal of pathway 2 for BCBA certification,” which would leave the accredited-degree Pathway 1 as the only route. It does not change fieldwork.
How FieldworkABA helps
FieldworkABA is a BCBA fieldwork tracker that handles both sets of requirements. Under Fieldwork Profile, you choose when you plan to apply: Before January 1, 2027 or On or After January 1, 2027. FieldworkABA then checks every month against that set, and the Met Requirements tab on Total hours lists the months that qualify. Switch the setting to see how the same months measure up under the other set.
Common questions
Do the 2027 changes reduce the number of fieldwork hours?
Are monthly supervisor contacts still required in 2027?
Can my current supervisor still supervise me in 2027?
Do my 2022 fieldwork hours count toward the 2027 requirements?
Track the 2022 or 2027 requirements automatically
Log your hours once. FieldworkABA checks every month against the requirements that apply to you, and you can switch between the 2022 and 2027 sets to compare.
Start Free Applying near the cutoff?Sources
- 2027 BCBA Requirements, BACB.
- Guidance for Meeting the BCBA Requirements During the 2027 Transition, BACB, updated 01/2026.
- 2027 BCBA and BCaBA Requirements: What You Need to Know, BACB, July 2026.
- BCBA Handbook, BACB, updated 06/2026.