How to track your BCBA fieldwork hours

Tracking BCBA fieldwork is not just busywork. Your hours can be audited at any time, you and your supervisor must keep records for at least 7 years, and the 60/40 rule is hard to fix if you notice it late. Once you know exactly what to record and build a simple monthly rhythm, it is straightforward. Here is 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 requirements, a month only counts if it meets these marks:

If you will apply under the 2022 requirements, four things differ: the monthly cap is 130 hours, each month needs 4 supervisor contacts (6 for Concentrated), Concentrated supervision is 10%, and observation is one observation a month rather than minutes. The 2022 vs. 2027 comparison covers the rest.

2. A 5-step tracking system

Step 1: Get set up before you log a single hour

Hours only count once you have secured a qualified supervisor, signed a supervision contract, and started qualifying coursework. Your supervisor must be an active BCBA who meets the supervisor qualifications, and all of your fieldwork has to fall inside a five-year window.

Step 2: Log every session with the right details

Record each entry as you go: date, start and end time, fieldwork type, supervisor, and whether the activity was restricted or unrestricted. Only behavior-analytic activities tied to a client count. FieldworkABA’s hour logging captures these details, with voice-to-text available for your notes.

Step 3: Watch the 60/40 ratio as you go, not at the end

This is the one that catches people. The 60/40 rule is measured over your total fieldwork, and the Handbook describes no way to remove hours later to fix it. Every restricted hour you count needs 1.5 unrestricted hours alongside it, so an early pile of restricted hours can push you well past 2,000 hours. Check your ratio monthly. The free ratio planner shows how many unrestricted hours you still need, and FieldworkABA’s Total hours view tracks it as you log. More in the 60% unrestricted rule.

Step 4: 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 form from your record and collects both signatures in the app, with supervisor review attached to the month.

Step 5: Store everything for 7 years

Keep your signed forms, records, and supervision contract for at least 7 years. If you are audited, the BACB asks for documents within a set time frame, typically 14 days, and documents that arrive late are not considered. That is what FieldworkABA’s record storage is for.

3. The mistakes that cost people hours

• Over-logging restricted hours early. Full-time RBTs build up hands-on (restricted) hours fast and pass the 40% cap, then need extra unrestricted hours to fix the ratio.
• Missing the observation minutes. Under 2027, observation is measured in minutes (60 or 90 a month), so a single short observation may not be enough.
• Logging things that do not count. Billing, non-behavior-analytic paperwork, CPR training, podcasts, and course assignments are not countable fieldwork.
• Signing the monthly form late. The deadline is the last day of the following month, and the Handbook is clear that a form signed late means no hours are eligible for that month.
• Logging the same time twice. Two entries that cover the same clock time, such as a session and the supervision inside it, count those minutes twice. Log the supervised part as part of the session instead.
• Rebuilding records later. Records reconstructed from memory months afterwards are hard to support in an audit. Log in real time.

4. Spreadsheet vs. a fieldwork tracker

A spreadsheet can work, and plenty of people start there. The question is how much of the checking you want to do by hand.

5. What to record, and keep, for each session

The BACB lets you use your own documentation system, but the BCBA Handbook lists what it must capture:

• For each session: date, start time, end time, fieldwork type, supervisor name, and activity category (restricted or unrestricted).
• For each supervision contact: the same, plus whether it was individual or group and a short summary of the supervision.
• For each observation: the same fields as a session, plus the setting name.
• By the end of each month: the totals for individual and group supervision and the total duration of observations, plus the signed monthly form.

Keep all of it, along with the supervision contract, for at least 7 years.

How FieldworkABA helps

FieldworkABA is a BCBA fieldwork tracker built around this monthly rhythm. You log each session once, with restricted and unrestricted time kept apart, and each month shows whether it meets the requirements that apply to you before you sign the form.

Common questions

Sources

• BCBA Handbook, BACB, updated 06/2026.
• 2027 BCBA Requirements, BACB.
• Documenting Fieldwork: Helpful Answers to Your FAQs, BACB blog, updated April 2026.
• Commonly Asked Questions About BACB Supervised Fieldwork Requirements, BACB.