Skip to content

Counseling CE · United States · for providers

NBCC certificate requirements for counselor CE providers

The seven things every NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) must show on a certificate of completion, the words you may and may not use for credit, the optional approval statement word for word, and the records you must keep. Checked against the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy and the NBCC certificate instruction sheets.

Short answer · checked 30 October 2026

An NBCC ACEP certificate of completion must show the ACEP’s name and contact information, the participant’s name, the program title, the program date (or the completion date for home study), the NBCC hours awarded to that participant, the ACEP number, and the name and signature of the ACEP’s authorized representative. Credit is written in hours, never as CEUs. The NBCC approval statement is optional on the certificate, but if you use it the wording is fixed. Keep program records for at least 5 years.

Required elements
7
Issue the certificate
After the program ends, never before
Keep program records
5 years
Central reporting system
None

New to CE?

How continuing education works, in one line

  1. Accreditor

    Sets the rules and approves providers.

  2. Provideryou

    Runs the course and issues the certificate.

  3. Learner

    Completes the course and keeps the certificate.

  4. Board

    Renews the licence and may audit the certificate.

ACEP
Approved Continuing Education Provider. An organization NBCC has approved to award NBCC credit for its own programs without asking NBCC about each one.
ACEP number
The number NBCC gives each ACEP in its approval letter. It must appear on every certificate and on all advertising.
NBCC hour
NBCC’s unit of credit. One NBCC hour is 60 minutes of qualifying program time. You may also call it a clock hour, credit hour, CE hour or contact hour.
CEU
Continuing education unit. A different measure used by other bodies (one CEU is usually ten hours). NBCC forbids the term on NBCC credit.
Home study
NBCC’s name for self-paced or on-demand programs: text, recorded webinars and other audio or video that the learner completes at a time of their choosing. It must end with an assessment.
Authorized representative
The person your organization has chosen to sign certificates. NBCC does not approve or register this person.
Cosponsorship
A live program you run together with another organization. NBCC must approve each cosponsorship before you advertise or award credit, and the certificate needs extra wording and a second signature.

Who this applies to

Providers under NBCC, and the learners they serve

Providers

  • Organizations with NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) status, for live programs, home study programs or both
  • Single Program Providers approved by NBCC for one live program, which carry a different approval number and statement

Learners

National Certified Counselors (NCCs), who need 100 clock hours every 5 years, and state-licensed counselors (LPCs, LMHCs, LCPCs) whose boards accept NBCC credit.

The 7 elements

What the certificate must show

Each number on the sample matches one element NBCC requires. The list says where the rule is written and which Hyperstack field fills it.

  1. 1

    ACEP name and contact information

    Your organization’s name exactly as it is written on your NBCC approval letter, placed prominently, with the contact details that will most easily let a participant or a licensing board reach you. NBCC does not list which details to use.

    Example: Cedar Ridge Counseling Institute

    In Hyperstack: set once in the templateNBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(a), p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, items 1 and 8

  2. 2

    Participant name

    The name of the counselor who earned the hours, printed on the certificate. A blank line for them to write their own name is not allowed.

    Example: Jordan M. Reyes, LPC, NCC

    In Hyperstack: [recipient_name]NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(c), p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, item 2

  3. 3

    Program title

    The title of the program. It should read the same on the advertising, the evaluation form and the certificate.

    Example: Trauma-Informed Assessment in Outpatient Counseling

    In Hyperstack: [group_title]NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(b), p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, item 3

  4. 4

    Program date

    For a live program, the date it was held. For a home study program, the date this participant completed it.

    Example: 16 October 2026

    In Hyperstack: [issue_date]NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.3(b) and I.5(b), pp. 12–13

  5. 5

    NBCC hours awarded

    The hours this participant earned, in quarter-hour steps. Write them as “clock hours”, “credit hours”, “CE hours”, “contact hours” or “continuing education hours”. Never “CEU”.

    Example: 3.0 clock hours

    In Hyperstack: [custom_clock_hours]NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.1 and I.3(d), pp. 11–12

  6. 6

    NBCC ACEP number

    Your ACEP number from the approval letter. NBCC accepts “NBCC ACEP No.” or “ACEP #”. The NBCC template puts it on the same line as the hours: “Credit Hours issued by ACEP No. ____”.

    Example: Issued by NBCC ACEP No. 7542

    In Hyperstack: set once in the templateNBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(f), p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, item 6

  7. 7

    Signature, name and title of the authorized representative

    A real or electronic signature of a person your organization has authorized. Their name is typed under the signature and their title under the name. The title must not contain “NBCC”.

    Example: Dana R. Okafor, PhD, LPC · Director of Continuing Education

    In Hyperstack: set once in the templateNBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(e), p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, item 7

Exact wording

The statements, word for word

NBCC has 4 wordings. Use the one that fits your approval and your activity. Copy it, do not retype it.

ACEP approval statement (optional on the certificate)

[ACEP name] has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. [ACEP number]. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. [ACEP name] is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

You do not have to put this statement on a certificate. If you do, it must be word for word as above. It is required on all advertising, promotional and informational materials for NBCC-credit programs, and on your website.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section J.4(a), p. 14; Live Event certificate instructions, Additional Tips

Cosponsored program: ACEP with another organization (required on the certificate)

[ACEP name] and [Cosponsor name] are cosponsors of this program. This cosponsorship has been approved by NBCC. [ACEP name] is an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. [ACEP number]. The ACEP solely is responsible for this program, including the awarding of NBCC credit.

Required on the certificate and on all advertising for a cosponsored program. NBCC must approve the cosponsorship first. The certificate also carries a second signature, from the cosponsor’s authorized representative.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections J.7(e)(3) and J.7(f)(7), p. 17

Cosponsored program: two ACEPs (required on the certificate)

[First ACEP name], ACEP No. [number], and [Second ACEP name], ACEP No. [number], are cosponsors of this program. The cosponsorship has been approved by NBCC. Both ACEPs are responsible for this program, including the awarding of NBCC credit.

Use this when both cosponsors hold ACEP status. Each ACEP’s authorized representative signs, and each ACEP’s contact information appears. With this statement NBCC says the ACEP names need not also appear at the top of the certificate.

Cosponsored Event by Two ACEPs certificate instructions, items 1 and 8

Single Program Provider (not an ACEP)

[Program name] has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. [Provider name] is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP[number].

For a one-off program approved by NBCC. The approval letter tells you which of two versions to use; the second adds “Sessions approved for NBCC credit are clearly identified.” after the first sentence. The certificate shows the SP number instead of an ACEP number.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.3(f) and K.3, pp. 12 and 19–20

How credit is counted

Minutes in, NBCC hours out

The unit

1 NBCC hour = 60 minutes

One NBCC hour is 60 minutes of actual, qualifying program time. Count only the actual time that qualifying content is presented. Award credit in quarter-hour (0.25) steps. On the certificate you may call the hours clock hours, credit hours, CE hours, contact hours or continuing education hours. The term CEU is not allowed.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.1 and I.4, pp. 11–12

Rounding

Quarter-hour steps. NBCC lets you round up to the nearest quarter hour; it does not make you round down.

Worked example

100 minutes ÷ 60 = 1.67, rounded up to the next quarter hour = 1.75

100 minutes → 1.75 clock hours

1 h 40 min
1.75NBCC hours

100 ÷ 60, to the nearest 0.25. Rounds up to the nearest quarter hour, as the policy allows. Home study text counts 6,000 words as one hour.

Timeline

From the last slide to the audit file

  1. Activity

    Day 0

    The counselor attends the whole live program, with attendance verified, or finishes the home study program and completes its assessment.

  2. Certificate

    After the program ends

    Issue it “in a timely manner” after the program closes. It must never be available before the end of a live program or before a home study program is completed. NBCC sets no number of days.

  3. Report

    Not required

    NBCC has no reporting system for providers. The counselor keeps the certificate and shows it to NBCC or a state board only if audited.

  4. Records

    5 years

    Keep the roster, presenter list, content description, evaluations, marketing and agenda for every NBCC-credit program for at least 5 years.

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 Counseling Institute

Jordan M. Reyes, LPC, NCC

  • 0.3 CEUs awarded
  • This program is approved by NBCC.
  • Participant: ______________________
  • Date: 1 September 2026 (course published)
  • Dana R. Okafor, NBCC Approved Provider Representative
  • Cedar Ridge CE

Passes an audit

Cedar Ridge Counseling Institute

Jordan M. Reyes, LPC, NCC

  • 3.0 clock hours issued by NBCC ACEP No. 7542
  • Cedar Ridge Counseling Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7542. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cedar Ridge Counseling Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
  • Jordan M. Reyes, LPC, NCC
  • Completed: 16 October 2026
  • Dana R. Okafor, PhD, LPC · Director of Continuing Education
  • Cedar Ridge Counseling Institute
  • 1. NBCC credit must be stated in hours. The term CEU is forbidden on NBCC credit.
  • 2. NBCC approves the provider, not the program. Only the fixed statement, or no statement, is allowed.
  • 3. The participant’s name must be printed. A blank line for them to fill in is not allowed.
  • 4. For home study the certificate carries the date this participant completed the program.
  • 5. The signer’s title must not include “NBCC”.
  • 6. The ACEP name must be written exactly as it appears on your NBCC approval letter.

Digital

Electronic certificates and badges

Electronic certificates

The policy speaks of a “certificate or letter” and does not say it must be paper. NBCC’s certificate instructions say the signature “may be actual or electronic”, and NBCC itself issues its own NCC certificates electronically. An electronic certificate must still carry all seven elements.

Digital badges

NBCC says nothing about digital badges. A badge on its own would not meet the rule; it would need the same seven elements, including the hours, the ACEP number and the signature.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3, p. 12; Live Event certificate instructions, item 7; NCC Certification Maintenance Policy (rev. April 30, 2026), Section E.5

Records and other rules

What else NBCC checks

Keep program records for at least 5 years

For each NBCC-credit program keep the participant roster, the list of presenters or authors with their qualifications, the content description, the participant evaluations, the marketing materials, and the agenda and handouts with the learning objectives. Keep secure backup copies. NBCC can ask for them at any time, and asks for your certificate template in the Third-Year Audit. Hyperstack keeps every issued certificate, its verification page and its audit log for the life of your account and after you cancel.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections C.10 and H.1, pp. 3 and 10–11; Tips for Preparing for an ACEP Audit

Hours on the certificate must match the time attended

NBCC does not use the words “partial credit”, but the rule has the same effect: you must verify that the participant was present for the number of hours on the certificate, using an accurate, verifiable method. A counselor who leaves at the break gets a certificate for the hours they attended, in quarter-hour steps, not for the whole day.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.1 and I.2, p. 11

Never before the end

Certificates must not be available before a live program ends or before a home study program is completed. Issue them in a timely manner afterwards. NBCC sets no fixed number of days.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.3 and I.5, pp. 12–13

Home study: assessment first, completion date on the certificate

A home study program must end with a test or quiz written by someone with an advanced degree in a mental health field, and the counselor must complete it before you award credit. The certificate shows the date the participant completed the program. Credit for text is 6,000 words per hour, with a minimum of 1,500 words; for audio or video it is 60 minutes per hour, with a minimum of 15 minutes. Shorter programs earn no NBCC credit.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections I.4, I.5 and J.6(a)(3), pp. 12–13 and 15

Cosponsored programs need approval, a statement and two signatures

Cosponsorship is allowed only for a specific live program, approved by NBCC in advance; the application must reach NBCC at least 90 days before the program. The certificate then carries the Cosponsorship Approval Statement and the signatures of both the ACEP’s and the cosponsor’s authorized representatives. Materials must never say the program itself is “approved” by NBCC.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section J.7, pp. 16–18

What does not qualify

Content aimed mainly at other professions, the general public or paraprofessionals; content mainly about physical or medical health; content that treats a political or religious belief as a sign of dysfunction; and sexual orientation change efforts. Conference sessions that do not qualify must be clearly marked in your advertising, and the hours on the certificate must count only qualifying sessions the counselor attended.

NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Sections E and J.4(a), pp. 5 and 14

The signature

Any person your organization authorizes may sign; NBCC does not approve them. The signature may be a real one or an electronic image. Type the signer’s name under the signature and their title under the name, and keep “NBCC” out of the title. In Hyperstack the signature image, name and title are set once in the design.

Live Event certificate instructions, item 7; NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy, Section I.3(e), p. 12

Extra content and logos

You may add information beyond the seven elements, for example a licence number or the learning objectives, as long as it does not create confusion. The ACEP logo may appear but must not be more prominent than other logos. When you offer several approvals (NBCC, APA, ASWB and so on), NBCC asks for a table showing the hours against each approval body. If NBCC asks for a sample issued certificate, blank out the participant’s name and change nothing else.

Live Event certificate instructions, Additional Tips; Live Event With Multiple Approvals instructions, items 5, 8 and 9

Before you send

The audit checklist, to tick or print

NBCC certificate checklist0/13

How to do it in Hyperstack

Three steps to a compliant certificate

  1. 1

    Open the NBCC template

    The template has a place for every element on this page. Add your logo and your 3 fixed elements once.

    • ACEP name and contact information
    • NBCC ACEP number
    • Signature, name and title of the authorized representative
  2. 2

    Map your columns

    Upload a spreadsheet or connect your LMS. Each column fills one element for every learner.

    • [recipient_name]
    • [group_title]
    • [issue_date]
    • [custom_clock_hours]
  3. 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 5 years and beyond

Free template

An NBCC-ready certificate, with all 7 elements in place

Set your provider details once. Names, dates and NBCC hours fill in for every learner. Each certificate gets a verification page and QR code.

Use the NBCC template

Related pages

Other rules your learners may ask about

Social work

ASWB ACE certificate requirements

An ASWB ACE certificate of credit must show the course title, the course date, the delivery format, the physical location for in-person courses, the participant’s name, the licence number where the state asks for it, the amount of CE credit shown prominently, the provider’s name, the printed name, signature and title of the provider’s designated authority, and the full ACE approval statement ending with the number of credits and the credit type. Issue it within 30 days of completion. Keep records for at least 7 years.

Read

Psychology

APA certificate requirements

An APA-approved sponsor must give each participant documentation that shows the APA approval statement word for word, the name and date of the activity, the number of CE credits earned, and a signature or other verification from the sponsoring organization. One CE credit is one hour of instruction, and credit is given only for full attendance. Keep proof of the credit you awarded for at least three years.

Read

Nursing

Florida boards / CE Broker certificate requirements

Florida’s Board of Nursing rule requires an “authenticated individual Certificate of Attendance” for every participant but does not list its contents. Build it from the data you must report to CE Broker within 30 days: your provider number, the course title and number, the nurse’s name and licence number, the completion date and the contact hours earned, signed by your provider. Keep offering records for 4 years.

Read

All accreditors

CE certificate requirements, side by side

Every accreditor on one table: unit, elements, deadlines, records and reporting.

Open the hub

FAQ

NBCC certificates, answered

Start issuing for freeBook a demo

No. NBCC’s certificate instructions say you are not required to use it on certificates of completion. If you choose to, it must be the exact statement from Policy Section J.4(a). The statement is required on your advertising, your promotional materials and your website.

Sources

Read from National Board for Certified Counselors 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

  1. 2026-10-30Page written from the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy and the NBCC ACEP certificate instruction sheets.
  2. 2026-10-30Fact check: removed the list of non-counting time (breaks, meals) and the “website, email and phone are enough” line, which the policy does not say; home study needs the assessment completed, not passed; H.1 evaluation retention is on pp. 10–11.
  1. 1NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy (board approved November 8, 2014; current edition on nbcc.org)Records (Section C.10, p. 3), evaluations (H.1, pp. 10–11), credit and certificates (I.1–I.5, pp. 11–13), approval statement (J.4, p. 14), home study (J.6, p. 15), cosponsorship (J.7, pp. 16–18), audit (J.8, p. 18), single program statements (K.3, pp. 19–20).
  2. 2Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Live EventItems 1–8 and Additional Tips.
  3. 3Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Home Study (On-demand) ProgramItems 1–8 and Additional Tips.
  4. 4Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Cosponsored EventItems 1–9, cosponsorship statement.
  5. 5Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Cosponsored Event Sponsored by Two ACEPsItems 1–8, two-ACEP statement.
  6. 6Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Live Event Program With Multiple ApprovalsItems 5, 8 and 9 on the approvals table.
  7. 7Tips for Designing an ACEP Certificate of Completion for a Home Study Program With Multiple ApprovalsItems 4, 5 and 9.
  8. 8Tips for Preparing for an ACEP Audit (May 2022)List of materials the audit asks for, including the certificate template.
  9. 9Self-Audit for ACEPs (May 2022)Checklist with policy references I.3, I.5, J.4.
  10. 10NBCC: CE Provider ApplicantsFees, delivery formats, no expiry while status is maintained, Third-Year Audit.
  11. 11NCC Certification Maintenance Policy (revised April 30, 2026)100 hours per 5-year cycle, 1 hour = 60 minutes (Section C.1), counselor keeps certificates 5 years (D.2.a), NBCC issues certificates electronically (E.5).
  12. 12NBCC ACEP directory

Your next cohort deserves better than a PDF

Set up in minutes, send your first credentials today, and only pay once you grow past 20 recipients a year.

Start issuing for freeBook a demo
Or open a live sample credential