Free RBT training: which courses count, and what you still pay.

Which free RBT courses meet the 2026 requirement?

Three free 40-hour courses say on their own pages that they are designed to meet the BACB's 2026 training requirement. They come from Autism Partnership Foundation (APF), Soar Autism Center and Jigsaw. A fourth provider that shows up for this search, The AppleTree Connection, gives away a guide rather than the full course. Every provider fact below comes from that provider's own page, checked October 24, 2026.

APF's free RBT training page still says the course is "based on the 2nd edition task list." Its RBT FAQ says its "newly recorded RBT 2.0 training meets all of the BACBs new 2026 requirements and covers the 3rd edition RBT Test Content Outline." The two pages say different things, so ask APF to confirm that your certificate will carry the BACB's 2026 statement before you start. The course lets you complete about 8 hours per day. If you do not finish within 180 days, you must restart with a new account and a new email address.

Soar Autism Center's free training page describes a free 40-hour video course focused on the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). The page says the course is "designed to meet the 2026 training eligibility requirement for RBT certification" and that it is helpful but not required if you want to apply at Soar. Part of the same page invites people to sign up to hear when the program goes live, so check that enrollment is open.

Jigsaw's Registered Behavior Technician 3.0 course page says the 40-hour course is free to complete and designed to meet the 2026 requirements. The certificate is a separate purchase, covered in the next section.

The FAQ on The AppleTree Connection's free RBT page says you receive a downloadable guide and resources. That can help you study, but it is not the 40-hour training the BACB requires.

For a paid comparison, Florida Tech's RBT Essentials: 40-Hour Training (2026 Edition) costs $90 and says it meets the BACB's 2026 (3rd edition) training requirements. The table below puts all five options side by side.

Is the RBT training certificate free too?

Not always, because the certificate you upload with your BACB application costs $69 at Jigsaw. Jigsaw's course is free to complete, but its page says the BACB-compliant course-completion certificate requires buying the RBT Certification Pack for $69.

APF sends a digital certificate by email and does not issue a physical one. Soar's page says learners earn a certificate of completion. If a provider's page does not state what the certificate costs, ask before you put 40 hours into the course.

Whatever you pay, the certificate must include this exact statement: "This training program is designed to meet the 2026 training eligibility requirement for RBT certification. The training is offered independent of the BACB." The BACB does not issue certificates of completion, so the document from your training provider is the one you submit.

What does the BACB require from any 40-hour RBT course?

The BACB requires every 40-hour course, free or paid, to follow its "RBT 2026 40-Hour Training Requirements and Curriculum Outline" and to take no less than 5 days and no more than 180 days to complete. Start and end dates both count. You cannot finish in fewer than 5 days, and you do not have to finish in exactly 5 days either.

The training may come from an employer, a university or an online program. Under the BACB's 2026 guidance, the person responsible for the training must be a BCBA or BCaBA who has completed the 8-hour supervision training. The RBT Handbook (updated June 2026) also says the training provider may not be related to you, subordinate to you, or employed by you.

The handbook tells you to check with the instructor that the course was designed to meet the 2026 requirements. If you finished a course earlier, it still has to meet all current requirements. The BACB does not provide 40-hour training and does not recommend training programs. None of these rules mention price.

What happens after you finish the 40 hours?

After the 40 hours, you complete the RBT Initial Competency Assessment, pass background checks, get an attestation signed, apply to the BACB and take the exam.

The competency assessment is a separate step where you demonstrate the tasks on the RBT Initial Competency Assessment with a qualified assessor. The assessor must be a BACB certificant who has completed the 8-hour supervision training, and may not be related to you, subordinate to you, or employed by you. You must complete it no more than 90 days before you submit your application. The online courses we checked do not include it. APF and Florida Tech say so on their pages, and APF tells learners to go to an employer or a BCBA supervisor. Our RBT competency assessment guide explains this step in more detail.

You also need a criminal background check and an abuse registry check, both done no more than 180 days before you pay for your RBT application. An Attesting Certificant confirms these and signs an attestation form no more than 90 days before you pay. The BACB does not require fingerprinting, but your state or employer may. To apply, you must be at least 18 and have at least a high school education or the equivalent.

Then you pay the $65 BACB certification application fee, upload your training certificate, and book the exam with Pearson VUE for $45 per attempt. The exam follows the RBT Test Content Outline (3rd edition), in effect since January 1, 2026. Our RBT exam guide covers the format. The table below lists every cost on the path.

The price of the competency assessment varies by assessor, so ask what they charge, if anything, before you book.

Can an employer pay for your RBT training instead?

Yes, the BACB allows the 40-hour training to be offered by an employer, and some ABA employers say in their job ads that they provide paid training. Right now, 879 behavior technician and RBT openings on our board state paid training. You can browse them in our list of entry-level ABA jobs with paid training.

This route can cover more than the course. APF tells learners to get the competency assessment through an employer or a BCBA supervisor, so starting with an employer may connect you with a qualified assessor. If a posting says paid training, ask what that means for you. Are your training hours paid? Does the company cover the $65 application and the $45 exam fee? Who will do your competency assessment?

You can also take a free online course first and bring the certificate to interviews. Policies on outside training vary by employer, so ask whether they accept your course. Our RBT interview questions page and ABA job offer checklist can help you ask these questions clearly. When you are ready to apply, start with current behavior technician jobs.

How do you check that a free RBT course is legitimate?

A free course counts toward RBT certification if it meets the BACB's 2026 rules, and you can check that yourself before you enroll. Use this list, built from the BACB's own requirements.

• The course says it follows the BACB's "RBT 2026 40-Hour Training Requirements and Curriculum Outline."
• The instructor confirms the course was designed to meet the 2026 requirements, as the RBT Handbook advises.
• A BCBA or BCaBA who has completed the 8-hour supervision training is responsible for the training.
• The trainer is not related to you, does not report to you, and is not your employee.
• The course takes at least 5 days, and you can finish it within 180 days.
• The certificate includes the exact BACB statement quoted above.
• You know whether the certificate costs anything before you start.

Be wary of any course that claims the BACB recommends it, because the BACB does not recommend training programs.