RBT Fees to Change in 2026 Here’s the Latest Update You Shouldn’t Miss

If you plan to work as a technician in the area of Applied Behavior Analysis, you must know of the Registered Behavior Technician exam. This test is run by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Each year, new kids and grown ups join this line of work. In 2024, more than 180,000 Registered Behavior Technicians were registered per the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) data and the number of individuals certified as RBTs reached 218,757. That is huge! This shows how fast this field is on the rise.

Now a key note: the fee for Registered Behavior Technician is set to change in 2026. Many ask, why now? The fee plan was last set a few years back, and cost for test and renewals do go up with time. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board made a note in 2024 that fee will shift in 2026 to meet rise in administration and system work.

In this post, we will look at the fee change, what it means, why it was done, and how you can prepare.

What is Registered Behavior Technician

RBT® is short for Registered Behavior Technician. It is the base level role in Applied Behavior Analysis care. Registered Behavior Technicians help kids and grown ups who need aid in skill, talk, or life work.

To be a Registered Behavior Technician you must:

Be age 18 or more.
Have a high school or same.
Pass a background check.
Do 40 hours training.
Pass the Registered Behavior Technician competency test.
Pass the Registered Behavior Technician exam.

Old Fee

As of 2024 the Registered Behavior Technician certification application fee was $50, and $45 for renewal each year. The exam appointment cost was $45 per try. These rates were in use for some time.

New Fee in 2026

Per Behavior Analyst Certification Board news, from January 2026:

Certification application fee will be $65.
Exam appointment will stay $45 per try.
Renewal fee will rise to $55 per year.

This is not a huge jump, but still a rise.

Why the Fee Rise

Fee rise is not to make it hard but to keep the system run well. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board says the main cause is:

More Registered Behavior Technician applications (in 2016, there were less than 25,000 Registered Behavior Technicians, now more than 180,000).
More cost for test development.
More work for staff and checking.
Need for new technology and safe systems.

Stats on Registered Behavior Technician

By end of 2023, there were over 170,000 Registered Behavior Technicians registered.
In 2024, that rose past 180,000.
The pass rate for the exam is near 73-77% on first try.

These statistics show how big the field is and why fee rise was set.

How Will This Hit You

If you plan to take the test in 2026, you pay the new fee. If you take it in 2025, the old fee will hold. For many, a $15 jump may not seem big, but if you plan to take more than one try, it adds up.

For organizations that train lots of Registered Behavior Technicians, this will be a cost to plan for.

Plan Tips

Take test soon – If you are ready, take the test in 2025 and save.
Plan fund – Keep some cash for fee rise.
Pass on first try – Since each try has cost, prepare well. Use mock test, flashcards, and past questions.
Stay up – Check the Behavior Analyst Certification Board site for more news on fee and rule and our platform as well.

Views from Field

Many in the field say fee rise is fair. $45 exam appointment was low versus other professional exams. For example, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst exam is minimum $300 that is total per try. Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam is $245 as well. When we see that, the Registered Behavior Technician exam at $45 is still low.

Long Run

Fee rise may sound bad, but it can help in long run. More fund can mean:

Better exam test.
Fast application work.
More safe data keep.
More aid for Registered Behavior Technicians.

This can help make the role more strong.

Key Note

Old fee: $50 certification application, $45 exam appointment, $45 renewal.
New fee (2026): $65 certification application, $45 exam appointment, $55 renewal.
Rise is set for January 2026.
More than 180,000 Registered Behavior Technicians in 2024, a huge rise.

End

So, the Registered Behavior Technician fee is set to rise in 2026. The jump is not huge but still worth note. If you plan to take the exam soon, you can save with old fee. If not, at least now you know what to plan for.

This fee move shows that the field is not just big but also in need of more fund to grow. The good news is that the Registered Behavior Technician path is still one of the most low cost ways to start a professional line in Applied Behavior Analysis.