Occupational therapy CE · United States · for providers
AOTA certificate requirements for occupational therapy CE providers
The elements an AOTA Approved Provider must show on a certificate of completion, the two exact APP statements, how AOTA CEUs are counted, and the 7-year record rule. Checked against the AOTA Approved Provider Program Criteria and Guidelines.
Short answer · checked 30 October 2026
An AOTA certificate of completion must show the provider’s name and address or website, the course title, date and location, the learner’s name, the speaker’s name (if one or two), the credit awarded as both AOTA CEUs and contact hours, the name, title and signature of the provider’s AOTA CE Administrator, the APP logo, and the APP statement word for word with the PD activity approval ID. Keep each learner’s record for at least 7 years.
- Required elements
- 11
- Issue deadline
- None set
- Keep learner records
- At least 7 years
- Central reporting system
- None
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
New to CE?
How continuing education works, in one line
Accreditor
Sets the rules and approves providers.
Provideryou
Runs the course and issues the certificate.
Learner
Completes the course and keeps the certificate.
Board
Renews the licence and may audit the certificate.
- Approved Provider
- An organization or sole proprietor that AOTA has checked and allowed to assign AOTA CEUs to its own approved activities. Recognition lasts 7 years.
- AOTA CEU
- AOTA’s continuing education unit. One AOTA CEU is 10 contact hours. A 3-hour course is 0.3 AOTA CEUs.
- Contact hour
- One hour (60 minutes) of educational time. Meals, breaks and other non-educational time do not count.
- PD activity
- Professional development activity. AOTA’s name for a course, webinar, conference, podcast or self-study that carries AOTA CEUs. Each one needs its own approval and gets its own approval ID number.
- CE Administrator
- The one person the provider names to AOTA as responsible for the program. Their name, title and signature go on every certificate.
- Mergener formula
- A published formula that estimates how long a self-paced reading or online course takes, from its word count, number of test questions and difficulty. AOTA asks for it, or a similar valid formula, for independent distance learning.
Who this applies to
Providers under AOTA, and the learners they serve
Providers
- Organizations and sole proprietors recognized by AOTA as Approved Providers of professional development, who may assign AOTA CEUs to their own approved PD activities
- Approved Providers that also hold Approved Sponsor status, who may co-sponsor activities with non-approved organizations
400 approved providers (AOTA provider list, 2026) · AOTA list of approved providers
Learners
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who need continuing education for state licence renewal. 38 states accept AOTA Approved Provider activities.
The 11 elements
What the certificate must show
Each number on the sample matches one element AOTA requires. The list says where the rule is written and which Hyperstack field fills it.
- 1
Provider name and address or website
The Approved Provider that assigned the AOTA CEUs. AOTA accepts an address, a website, or both.
Example: Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation Institute · cedarridgerehab.org
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3
- 2
AOTA APP logo or imprimatur
The AOTA Approved Provider logo, used as AOTA supplies it, with no changes. AOTA requires both the logo and the APP statement on the certificate of completion unless the APP has granted an exception. It sets no rule on where they go.
Example: AOTA Approved Provider logo
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3; Applicant agreement, clause 3
- 3
Course title
The title of the PD activity, as AOTA approved it and as you advertised it.
Example: Occupation-Based Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke
In Hyperstack:
[group_title]APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3 - 4
Learner name
The name of the occupational therapy practitioner who met the completion requirements.
Example: Jordan A. Reyes, OTR/L
In Hyperstack:
[recipient_name]APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3 - 5
Course date
The date of the activity. AOTA does not say which date to show for a self-paced course; the learner record must hold both the start and completion dates.
Example: 16 October 2026
In Hyperstack:
[issue_date]APP Criteria and Guidelines, Sections 3 and 4 - 6
Course location
Where the activity took place. AOTA does not say how to show a distance-learning location; the delivery format goes in the APP statement.
Example: Online · Distance Learning—Independent
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3
- 7
Speaker name
Required when the activity has one or two speakers. With more, you may leave it off the certificate; the learner record still names every instructor and their credentials.
Example: Speaker: Priya Natarajan, OTD, OTR/L, CHT
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Sections 3 and 4
- 8
AOTA CEUs awarded
The CEUs this learner earned. AOTA says to show both the CEUs and the contact hours.
Example: 0.3 AOTA CEUs
In Hyperstack:
[custom_aota_ceus]APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3 - 9
Contact hours awarded
The same credit as contact hours. 1 AOTA CEU = 10 contact hours.
Example: 3 contact hours
In Hyperstack:
[custom_contact_hours]APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3 - 10
APP statement with PD activity approval ID
The AOTA statement word for word, with your organization name, the activity’s approval ID number, the delivery format, the CEUs, the educational level and the category or categories.
Example: Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation Institute is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# 08421. This Distance Learning—Independent activity is offered at 0.3 CEUs, Intermediate, OT Service Delivery. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3
- 11
CE Administrator name, title and signature
The name, title and signature of the person you named to AOTA as your APP CE Administrator. Not the speaker, unless they are the same person.
Example: Dana Whitfield, OTD, OTR/L · AOTA APP CE Administrator
In Hyperstack: set once in the templateAPP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3
Exact wording
The statements, word for word
AOTA has 2 wordings. Use the one that fits your approval and your activity. Copy it, do not retype it.
Activities that do not lead to a certification
[Name of organization] is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# [number]. This [delivery format(s)] activity is offered at [number] CEUs, [educational level, category/categories]. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
The standard statement for a course, webinar, conference or self-study. Delivery format is one of Live, Distance Learning—Interactive, Distance Learning—Independent or Blended/Hybrid. Educational level is Introductory, Intermediate or Advanced. Category is one to three of OT Service Delivery, Professional Issues and Foundational Knowledge. Use the approval ID from your approval notice, not your provider number.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3Activities that lead to a certification or other recognition
[Name of organization] is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# [number]. This [delivery format(s)] activity is offered at [number] CEUs, [educational level, category/categories]. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA or indicate AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.
Use this longer version when the activity ends in a certification, a specialty credential or any other recognition that your organization or a third party awards. The extra clause tells the learner that AOTA approved the CEUs, not the certification.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3How credit is counted
Minutes in, AOTA CEUs out
The unit
1 AOTA CEU = 600 minutes
One AOTA CEU is ten contact (clock) hours of educational time. Meals, breaks and other non-educational time do not count. An activity must be at least 1 hour long to carry AOTA CEUs. For live and interactive activities use the real run time; you may add 5 minutes per 10 test questions. For independent distance learning (a recorded webinar, an article, a self-study manual) use a valid formula such as the Mergener formula.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3Rounding
AOTA sets only the smallest step: 0.025 CEU, which is 15 minutes (0.25 contact hours). It gives no rounding direction.
Worked example
195 minutes ÷ 60 = 3.25 contact hours; 3.25 ÷ 10 = 0.325 CEUs
195 minutes → 0.325 AOTA CEUs (3.25 contact hours)
195 ÷ 600, rounded down to the nearest 0.025. Count educational minutes only. The result is in AOTA CEUs; multiply by 10 for contact hours. AOTA sets only the smallest step, 0.025 CEU (15 minutes); this calculator counts whole steps.
Timeline
From the last slide to the audit file
Activity
Approved before day 0
AOTA must approve the PD activity before you deliver it. Submit it at least 20 business days before the start date. You cannot award CEUs for an activity that ran before approval. Approval lasts 5 years.
Certificate
On completion
Issue the certificate when the learner meets the completion requirements you told them before registration. AOTA sets no deadline.
Report
Not required
AOTA has no central reporting system. Some states (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee) use CE Broker; check the state board’s rule for your learners.
Records
At least 7 years
Keep a permanent record for each learner with the eight items AOTA lists, and give the learner a copy on request.
Right and wrong
The same certificate, two ways
The lines on the left are the mistakes auditors find most. The lines on the right are the fix.
Fails an audit
Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation Institute
Jordan A. Reyes, OTR/L
- 3 contact hours
- Cedar Ridge is an AOTA Approved Provider. Course approval ID# 08421.
- AOTA Provider #3313
- This course is AOTA approved CE.
- Presented by Priya Natarajan (no signature line)
- AOTA CE · 0.3 CEUs
Passes an audit
Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation Institute
Jordan A. Reyes, OTR/L
- 0.3 AOTA CEUs (3 contact hours)
- Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation Institute is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# 08421. This Live activity is offered at 0.3 CEUs, Intermediate, OT Service Delivery. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
- PD activity approval ID# 08421
- The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
- Dana Whitfield, OTD, OTR/L, AOTA APP CE Administrator (signed)
- AOTA Approved Provider CE · 0.3 AOTA CEUs
- 1. AOTA says to show both the CEUs and the contact hours.
- 2. The statement must appear in full: format, CEUs, level, category and the endorsement sentence.
- 3. The statement needs the approval ID of this activity, which AOTA assigns after it approves the activity, not your provider number.
- 4. AOTA approves the provider and the activity’s CEUs. It does not endorse the content, and the certificate must say so.
- 5. The certificate must carry the name, title and signature of the CE Administrator you named to AOTA.
- 6. The applicant agreement bans the terms “AOTA CE” and “AOTA continuing education”. Allowed terms include “AOTA approved CE” and “AOTA Approved Provider CE”.
Digital
Electronic certificates and badges
Electronic certificates
AOTA speaks of “certificates or letters of completion” and does not say whether they are paper or electronic. It lists what they must show, not how they are sent. A digital certificate that carries all the elements meets the rule. AOTA does allow a contracted service to hold the permanent records, with the provider still responsible for them.
Digital badges
AOTA says nothing about digital badges. A badge on its own does not replace the certificate; it must carry the same elements, including both credit figures, the APP statement and the CE Administrator’s signature.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Sections 3 and 4
Records and other rules
What else AOTA checks
Keep each learner’s record for at least 7 years
AOTA calls it a permanent record. It must hold the provider name and address, the learner’s name and contact details, the activity title, the type of activity, the start and completion dates, the AOTA CEUs awarded, the instructors’ names and credentials, and any assessment scores. You need a written policy on keeping and releasing records, and you must check a learner’s identity before you send a replacement. Hyperstack keeps every certificate, its verification page and its audit log for the life of your account and after cancellation.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 4Approval first, then the certificate
Every PD activity needs its own AOTA approval before you deliver it, submitted at least 20 business days before the start. You cannot award AOTA CEUs for a past activity. Approval lasts 5 years, then you re-apply. The approval ID AOTA gives you must be on the marketing and on the certificate.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, General information; New CE Administrator Training, slide 4Only who completes earns the CEUs
Tell learners the completion requirements before they register, and tell them that only learners who meet them earn AOTA CEUs. If attendance is a requirement, record it with sign-in and sign-out sheets or another tracking method. Do not issue a certificate to anyone who did not meet the requirements.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3Partial credit
If you award partial credit to learners who do not finish the whole activity, you must have a system to track, calculate and award the variable credit. The certificate then shows the CEUs and contact hours that learner earned, not the full amount on offer.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3Conferences and multi-session events
A conference needs overarching learning outcomes for the whole event and outcomes for each session. AOTA sets no separate certificate rule for conferences. Give one certificate with the CEUs the learner earned across the sessions they completed, using your partial credit system, and the approval ID AOTA gave the event.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Sections 10 and 13Self-paced and distance learning
AOTA has four delivery formats: Live, Distance Learning—Interactive, Distance Learning—Independent and Blended/Hybrid. The format goes in the APP statement. For an independent activity, the credit must come from a valid formula such as the Mergener formula, and the length must match the credit claimed.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Sections 3 and 15Co-sponsorship needs Approved Sponsor status
An Approved Provider may not use its status to put AOTA CEUs on an activity developed or offered by a non-approved organization. Working together on planning, organization, development, distribution, branding or implementation counts as co-sponsorship. Only a provider that AOTA has also recognized as an Approved Sponsor may do this. A company that only pays for the activity is not a co-sponsor.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 1; Applicant agreement, clause 4State units and CE Broker
If you also award other units to meet a state rule, add a conversion formula or explanation so the AOTA CEUs can be worked out. AOTA’s state list names 38 states that accept AOTA Approved Provider activities (its 2025 training deck counts 40); seven of them (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee) point providers to CE Broker, and Michigan and Wisconsin have their own self-study rules.
APP Criteria and Guidelines, Section 3; States that currently recognize AOTA Approved ProvidersBefore you send
The audit checklist, to tick or print
AOTA certificate checklist0/12
How to do it in Hyperstack
Three steps to a compliant certificate
- 1
Open the AOTA template
The template has a place for every element on this page. Add your logo and your 6 fixed elements once.
- Provider name and address or website
- AOTA APP logo or imprimatur
- Course location
- Speaker name
- APP statement with PD activity approval ID
- CE Administrator name, title and signature
- 2
Map your columns
Upload a spreadsheet or connect your LMS. Each column fills one element for every learner.
- [group_title]
- [recipient_name]
- [issue_date]
- [custom_aota_ceus]
- [custom_contact_hours]
- 3
Issue and keep the record
Every learner gets an email, a verification page and a QR code. The record stays for as long as the rules need it.
- Verification page
- QR code
- Audit log
- Kept 7 years and beyond
Free template
An AOTA-ready certificate, with all 11 elements in place
Set your provider details once. Names, dates and AOTA CEUs fill in for every learner. Each certificate gets a verification page and QR code.
FAQ
AOTA certificates, answered
One AOTA CEU is ten contact hours. Count the educational minutes only, divide by 60 for contact hours, then divide by 10 for CEUs. A 3-hour course is 0.3 CEUs. The smallest step is 0.025 CEU, which is 15 minutes, and an activity must be at least one hour long.
Both. AOTA says to use both AOTA CEUs and contact hours for the credit awarded. Most state boards count contact hours, so the learner needs that figure too.
AOTA assigns it when it approves the activity. Each activity has its own number, and the approval lasts 5 years. The number must appear on the marketing and on the certificate. It is not the same as your provider number.
AOTA does not say paper or electronic. It only lists what a certificate or letter of completion must show. A digital certificate with every element, including the APP logo and the CE Administrator’s signature, meets the rule.
The person you named to AOTA as your APP CE Administrator, with their name and title. If your CE Administrator changes, tell AOTA within 30 days and update the signature on the design.
Only learners who meet your completion requirements earn AOTA CEUs. If your policy allows partial credit, you need a system that tracks and calculates it, and the certificate shows the credit they earned, for example 0.4 CEUs (4 contact hours). If not, they get no certificate.
No. AOTA has no central reporting system. Some states ask providers to report to CE Broker, for example Florida. Check the rule of the state board that licenses each learner.
At least 7 years, as a permanent record for each learner with the provider details, the learner’s name and contact details, the activity title and type, the start and completion dates, the CEUs, the instructors and any assessment scores. The learner can ask for a copy at any time.
Sources
Read from American Occupational Therapy Association Approved Provider Program documents on 30 October 2026. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Your accreditation manual and your licensing board have the final word. Something out of date? Tell us.
Changes to this page
- 2026-10-30Page written from the AOTA Approved Provider Program Criteria and Guidelines and the CE Administrator training deck.
- 2026-10-30Fact check against Sections 3, 4 and 15 of the Criteria and Guidelines and the training deck. Rounding now says AOTA sets only the smallest step; logo placement, self-paced date and distance-learning location no longer read as AOTA rules; unsourced note on older statement wording removed; 38 vs 40 states noted.
- 1AOTA Approved Provider Program Criteria and Guidelines (web page, read 2026)General information (7-year recognition, 5-year activity approval, 20 business days), Applicant agreement (marks and marketing terms), Section 1 (co-sponsorship), Section 3 (CEU calculation, partial credit, completion, certificate elements, the two APP statements), Section 4 (7-year records and their contents), Section 10 (publication elements), Section 11 (categories), Section 13 (conference outcomes), Section 15 (delivery formats).
- 2AOTA APP: New CE Administrator Training (slide deck, 2024–2025)Slide 4: approval ID must be on marketing materials and certificates of completion; slide 3: 40 states as of 8/1/2025; slide 9: 17 criteria.
- 3AOTA: States that currently recognize AOTA Approved Providers38 states listed, with the CE Broker and self-study footnotes.
- 4AOTA: Approved Provider Program CategoriesThe three categories and their sub-areas.
- 5AOTA: Approved Providers list (PDF, 2026)400 providers counted on 2026-10-30.
- 6AOTA: Guidelines for the PD Activity Application (2020)AOTA document, copy hosted by a provider. Five-year approval, educational level verbs, Section 4 publication elements.
- 7AOTA: Recognition application webinar, Sections 3 and 4 (2020)Provider maintains records for 7 years and can give learners their records on request.
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