How to Track BCBA Fieldwork Hours Without a Spreadsheet Meltdown (Including the 2027 Changes)
By LaKeysha Cobbs-Hayes, MA, BCBA · Last reviewed 2026-10-14 · 9 min read
Fieldwork hours only count if you can prove them. Losing hours rarely comes from not doing the work. It comes from a missed signature, a month that fell below the supervision percentage, or a spreadsheet that doesn't match the forms. A simple monthly routine prevents almost all of it. And if you plan to apply in 2027 or later, the rules are changing.
The current requirements
According to the BCBA Handbook:
| Requirement | Supervised Fieldwork | Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork |
|---|---|---|
| Total hours | 2,000 | 1,500 |
| Hours per month | 20 to 130 | 20 to 130 |
| Supervision per month | 5% of hours | 10% of hours |
Other requirements:
- At least 60% of your total hours must be unrestricted activities. This is measured across all your hours, not each month.
- At least 50% of supervised hours each month must be individual. Group supervision can't be more than half.
- Your supervisor must observe you with a client each month.
- All fieldwork must be completed within 5 consecutive years.
Restricted vs. unrestricted: The BACB's fieldwork FAQ describes restricted activities as delivering therapeutic and instructional procedures directly to clients, like running programs as an RBT. Unrestricted activities are the work a behavior analyst does: assessing, designing programs, analyzing data, training others, and developing systems. If most of your hours are direct services, you may be short on unrestricted hours without realizing it.
What changes on January 1, 2027
The BACB's 2027 transition guidance lists these fieldwork changes:
| Requirement | 2022 rules (current) | 2027 rules |
|---|---|---|
| Supervised: total hours | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Supervised: supervision | 5% | 5% |
| Supervised: client observation | One per month | 60 minutes per month |
| Concentrated: total hours | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| Concentrated: supervision | 10% | 7.5% |
| Concentrated: client observation | One per month | 90 minutes per month |
| Maximum hours per month | 130 | 160 |
The biggest practical change: observations are now measured in minutes, not just counted. One short observation won't be enough under the 2027 rules.
What the transition means for you
- Your fieldwork must meet the requirements in place when you submit your application, not when you earned the hours.
- If you're not sure whether you'll apply before or after January 1, 2027, the BACB recommends completing both the 2022 and 2027 Monthly Fieldwork Verification Forms (M-FVFs) each month.
- Concentrated hours earned at 10% supervision under the current rules can count under the 2027 rules. Hours earned at 7.5% under the 2027 rules can't count as concentrated under the current rules.
- If you earn more than 130 hours in a month under the 2027 rules but end up applying under the current rules, you'll have to reduce those months to 130.
- Start recording the duration of every client observation now, even if you're applying under the current rules.
Pathways are changing too. Starting in 2027, only two pathways to BCBA certification will be available, and Pathways 3 and 4 will no longer be accepted for applications submitted after December 31, 2026.
Your monthly routine
Every week
- Log your hours within a few days. Record the date, start and end time, setting, supervisor, and whether each activity was restricted or unrestricted.
- Log every supervision contact: date, duration, individual or group, and what you covered.
- Log every client observation and its length in minutes.
At the end of each month
- Total your hours. Confirm you're between 20 and the monthly maximum.
- Check your supervision percentage. Divide supervised hours by total hours. Are you at 5% (or 10% for concentrated)?
- Check individual vs. group. Group supervision should be no more than half.
- Confirm the observation happened, and note how long it lasted.
- Meet with your supervisor to review. The BACB's documentation FAQ says your supervisor should review all your hours before signing.
- Sign the M-FVF. It must be signed by the last day of the following month. Don't wait. Sign it as soon as the month closes.
Every quarter
- Check your unrestricted percentage across all your hours so far. If you're below 60%, talk to your supervisor about adding unrestricted activities now, not right before you apply.
Mistakes that cost trainees hours
Not signing forms on time. A late M-FVF can mean losing an entire month.
Falling short on supervision in a busy month. If you work extra hours, your supervision has to increase too. Ten extra hours of fieldwork means half an hour more of supervision at 5%.
Keeping records only on a work computer. The BACB's fieldwork tip sheet warns against storing your forms somewhere you could lose access, like an employer's computer. If you change jobs, your records need to go with you.
Throwing records away too early. You and your supervisor must keep fieldwork records for at least seven years. M-FVFs aren't submitted with your application, but the BACB can ask for them in an audit.
Final form totals that don't match. The tip sheet notes that the hours on your Final Fieldwork Verification Form can't be more than the total of your monthly forms.
Treating unrestricted hours as an afterthought. Discovering that you're 200 unrestricted hours short at hour 1,900 is a hard way to learn this lesson.
Keep going with The ABA Playbook
Tracking fieldwork shouldn't take a spreadsheet and a prayer.
- Track it. Use the ABA Playbook Fieldwork Tracker to log hours, supervision, and observations, and see your percentages update automatically.
- Watch. Subscribe to The ABA Playbook on YouTube for walkthroughs of fieldwork requirements and the 2027 changes.
- Get support. Join The ABA Playbook community on Skool. It's free, and it's a place to ask fieldwork questions, find study partners, and connect with BCBAs who've been through it.
References
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Documenting fieldwork: Helpful answers to your FAQs.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. FAQs about BACB supervised fieldwork requirements.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Fieldwork checklist and tip sheet.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2026). BCBA Handbook.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2026). Guidance for meeting the BCBA requirements during the 2027 transition.
About the author
LaKeysha Cobbs-Hayes, MA, BCBA, is the founder of Key Essentials to Behavior Management and Strategic Behavior Consultants. She trains RBTs, supervisors, and clinic leaders and builds practical tools for the people doing the work.
Last reviewed October 14, 2026. Requirements change; always confirm current requirements with the BACB and your supervisor. The ABA Playbook is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.