Indiana Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 22 Hours Every 2 Years
Requirements Overview
Under 842 IAC Article 1, Rule 7, the Indiana Board of Physical Therapy sets a biennial continuing competency requirement of 22 hours for both PTs and PTAs, with 2 of those hours dedicated specifically to ethics and Indiana jurisprudence. Shorter license periods owe a prorated total: 12 hours if the period runs 12-23 months, or none if it's under 12 months.
Hours split into two categories: at least 10 hours must be Category I (organized courses, workshops, seminars, home study, for-credit coursework), while no more than 10 hours may come from Category II activities like publishing, presenting, or teaching, each with its own per-biennium cap.
All 22 hours must fall within the current renewal period — the rule explicitly bars carrying hours over to the next cycle. Licensees self-certify at renewal but must keep proof of completion for 3 years in case of an audit.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics and Indiana Jurisprudence | 2 | Every renewal | 2 of the 22 required hours each biennium must specifically be an ethics and Indiana jurisprudence course relating to the practice of physical therapy; the same 2-hour requirement also applies, unreduced, to the prorated 12-hour variant for licenses valid 12-23 months. |
Renewal Pathways
How You Can Complete Your CE
Indiana CE Rules & Limits
Details specific to Indiana that generic CE guides tend to miss:
- Category I / Category II structure: at least 10 of the 22 hours per biennium must be Category I (formally organized courses, workshops, seminars, symposia, home study/computer/audio/video programs from committee-approved organizations, or approved 'for credit' courses; minimum 1 contact hour each). No more than 10 hours may be Category II. Academic-credit conversion for Category I: 1 semester hour = 15 contact hours; 1 quarter hour = 10 contact hours; 1 trimester hour = 12.5 contact hours. (842 IAC 1-7-3(b); 842 IAC 1-7-4(a)-(b)).
- Category II activities and per-biennium caps (842 IAC 1-7-4(c)): professional research/writing (10 hrs each refereed article, 3 hrs nonrefereed article/abstract/book review, 8 hrs textbook chapter, 5 hrs poster/platform presentation -- max 10 hrs/biennium); adjunct teaching at an accredited PT/PTA program (2 hrs credit per academic credit hour taught, first time only, max 10 hrs); presenting at an approved workshop/course/seminar/symposium (2 contact hrs per 1 hr presented, first event, max 10 hrs); supervising PT/PTA students in full-time clinical internships/residencies (1 hr per 40 hrs supervision, max 10 hrs); in-house/in-service seminars (1 hr per hr of in-service, max 4 hrs); professional-organization participation as officer/delegate/committee member (1 hr per 6 months service, max 6 hrs); ABPTS clinical specialization certification/recertification (max 10 hrs, credited only in the certification year); APTA PTA Certificate of Advanced Proficiency (max 5 hrs, certification year only); INAPTA state/district meeting attendance (1 hr per meeting, max 4 hrs); other committee-approved scholarly/educational activities.
- License-period proration (842 IAC 1-7-1(d)): a license valid under 12 months requires 0 CE hours to renew; a license valid 12-23 months requires 12 hours (still including the 2-hour ethics/Indiana jurisprudence course); the full 22-hour requirement applies only to a full 2-year (24-month) period. This is a proration mechanic tied to actual license-period length, not a reinstatement/lapse provision.
- Documentation and audits: licensees must certify completion at renewal, retain verification of completed activities for 3 years after the last renewal date, and present proof on request (842 IAC 1-7-2). Compliance audits and noncompliance actions are conducted per IC 25-1-4 (842 IAC 1-7-1(e)).
- Regulatory history: PT/PTA continuing-competency rules were originally adopted under the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana (844 IAC 6-8, filed Jan 30, 2013, effective Feb 27, 2013) and were transferred verbatim in substance to the newly created Indiana Board of Physical Therapy (842 IAC 1-7) by P.L.160-2019, SECTION 31, effective July 1, 2019. No change to the 22-hour/2-year requirement occurred in that transfer.
- Committee vs. Board terminology: 842 IAC 1-1-1 defines 'Committee' as the Indiana Physical Therapy Committee and 'Board' as (per bracketed rule-drafting note) the Indiana Board of Physical Therapy; official rule-filing citations after the 2019 transfer consistently attribute the rule to the 'Indiana Board of Physical Therapy,' while the public PLA website labels the page informally as 'Physical Therapy Board.'
Provider Requirements
The Board pre-approves a fixed list of sponsoring organizations without further application: American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), APTA Indiana Chapter (INAPTA), Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), U.S. Department of Education, Council on Postsecondary Education, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, Joint Commission on Health Care Organizations, federal/state/local government agencies, affiliated entities of the above, and accredited colleges/teaching institutions. For any other sponsor, the committee will approve an activity if it contributes directly to professional competency, relates directly to PT practice/management/education, and is conducted by individuals with demonstrated subject-matter expertise. Licensees self-certify completion at renewal and must retain proof (brochure/agenda plus certificate of completion or signed attendance record) for 3 years, producible on request or during an audit.
Tips for Indiana PTs
- Book your 2-hour ethics and Indiana jurisprudence course early in the cycle rather than the last renewal period — it's a fixed, non-negotiable part of the 22-hour total and courses fill up around renewal deadlines.
- Cap your Category II activities (publishing, presenting, teaching, supervising students, professional-org service, etc.) at 10 hours per biennium — anything beyond that cap won't count toward your 22-hour requirement, so plan for at least 10 hours of Category I coursework regardless of how active you are in Category II work.
- Don't bank extra hours hoping to apply them next cycle — Indiana's rule explicitly disallows carry-over, so hours completed beyond 22 in one renewal period are lost once the next period begins.
- Save your course brochure, agenda, or syllabus along with your certificate of completion or signed attendance record for each activity, and hold onto it for at least 3 years — the Board can request proof at any time and conducts compliance audits.
- If your license period is unusually short (a new license issued partway through a cycle), check whether you fall into the 12-23 month prorated tier (12 hours) or the under-12-month tier (0 hours) before assuming you owe the full 22 hours.
Sources
Each figure on this page is taken directly from the Indiana Board of Physical Therapy's official rules and continuing-education sources and recorded with the exact source excerpt. Last verified Jul 2026. Read how we compile and verify this data.