RBT Supervision Requirements in 2026: The BACB 5% Rule Explained

Under BACB rules, an RBT must be supervised for at least 5% of the hours they spend providing behavior-analytic services each calendar month. Supervision must include at least two face-to-face, real-time contacts a month, at least one of them individual, and the supervisor must observe the RBT with a client in at least one contact. Since January 1, 2026, every RBT Supervisor must be a BCBA or BCaBA.

Those rules come from the BACB RBT Handbook (version updated 06/2026), which is the document to check if anything here changes. This guide restates the requirements, works through the math, and covers the documentation supervisors and RBTs need to keep.

To calculate the hours for a whole caseload, use the free BCBA supervision calculator, which applies the 5% minimum per RBT.

The handbook says the RBT "must obtain ongoing supervision for a minimum of 5% of the hours you spend providing behavior-analytic services each calendar month." The base is the RBT's total service hours for that month, counted at each organization where they work.

Two details catch organizations out. First, an RBT who works at two organizations must meet the requirements at each one independently; the handbook gives the example that 3% at one organization and 2% at another does not add up to 5%. Second, the 5% is a floor. Many payers set their own case supervision expectations for the BCBA, which are separate from the BACB rule and vary by plan.

The handbook sets the structure of supervision as well as the amount:

• At least two face-to-face, real-time contacts per month. Phone calls and email do not count.
• At least one observation. The supervisor must observe the RBT providing services in at least one of the monthly contacts. In-person observation is preferred, but web cameras or video conferencing are allowed where the law permits.
• At least one individual contact. One of the two contacts must be individual (no other RBTs or trainees present). The other may be a small-group meeting.
• Small groups are 2 to 10 RBTs. The group may not exceed 10 RBTs regardless of how many supervisors attend.

The handbook also notes that video monitoring on its own, without real-time interaction or feedback, may not count as supervision, and that ongoing supervision and professional development are separate requirements: one event cannot count for both.

Only BACB certificants. The BACB September 2023 newsletter announced the end of the noncertified RBT Supervisor role: "Effective January 1, 2026, RBT Supervisors must hold BCBA or BCaBA certification." Before that date, some licensed professionals in other behavioral health fields could supervise RBTs under an RBT Requirements Coordinator. The current handbook lists the qualifications as:

• RBT Supervisor: BCBA or BCaBA certified.
• RBT Requirements Coordinator: BCBA certified.

Before supervising, both roles must complete training based on the BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0), commonly called the 8-hour supervision training, and upload it to their BACB account. The supervisor must also have enough client-specific knowledge to direct the RBT's work, which in practice means working for the same organization or having a contract covering the client.

The BACB's guidance for the 2026 RBT transition covers the other changes that took effect on January 1, 2026:

• New applicants complete a 40-hour training aligned with the RBT 2026 curriculum, taught by active BCBAs or BCaBAs who have completed the 8-hour supervision training.
• An updated RBT Initial Competency Assessment follows the training.
• From 2026, recertification moves to a 2-year cycle with 12 PDUs; each RBT's 2-year window starts at their 2026 recertification.
• The supervision requirement itself did not change: a minimum of 5% of monthly service hours, with two face-to-face contacts, at least one of them individual.

The BACB lists further dated changes on its Recent and Upcoming Changes page.

Both the RBT and the supervisor (or Requirements Coordinator) must keep documentation showing the requirements were met, including:

• Days and times the RBT provided behavior-analytic services
• Dates and duration of supervision
• Format of each supervision contact (individual or group)
• Dates of direct observations with a client
• Names of the supervisors who provided supervision
• Proof of the supervisor's relationship to the client
• Additional records, such as session notes, if records conflict

Records must be kept for at least 7 years, even after the supervisory relationship ends. A short supervision note after each contact makes this easy. It should record the date, start and end time, format, whether an observation took place, the feedback given and the skills targeted. Our clinical supervision note template shows one structure, and the guide to writing ABA session notes covers the RBT's own session notes.

The supervision calculator does this arithmetic across several RBTs at once.