RBT job description: duties, requirements and a template

Key takeaways

• The BACB defines an RBT as a paraprofessional who delivers behavior-analytic services under the close, ongoing supervision of an RBT Supervisor or RBT Requirements Coordinator.
• The RBT Handbook names three example duties: preference assessments, discrete-trial teaching and session notes. The supervisor assigns the rest.
• The RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.) lists 43 tasks in 6 content areas. Behavior Acquisition carries the most exam questions, 19 of the 75 scored.
• RBTs need supervision for at least 5% of their service hours each calendar month, with at least two real-time, face-to-face contacts.
• To certify, you must be at least 18, have a high school-level education, pass background and abuse-registry checks, finish 40 hours of training and a competency assessment, and pass the exam.
• Current RBT listings on Special Needs Jobs show an employer median of $22.50/hr across 1,100 listings from 32 employers, checked October 27, 2026.

What does an RBT do day to day?

Most of an RBT's day is client sessions, usually one client at a time. A BCBA or BCaBA writes the treatment plan, and the RBT runs it: teaching programs, data on each target, and the behavior plan when problem behavior happens. After each session, the RBT enters data and writes a session note.

The work happens in clinics, homes, schools and community settings. The setting changes your schedule and drive time more than your tasks. An RBT does not design assessments or treatment plans, change a program without the supervisor, or practice on their own. Our RBT overview covers what the credential means.

The full list of 43 tasks is on our RBT task list guide.

What goes in an RBT job description?

A useful RBT job description answers the questions a candidate asks before applying. Most strong postings include these parts:

• The job title and credential: RBT required, or behavior technician with paid training to certify
• The setting and service area: clinic, in-home, school or a mix, and how far you may drive
• The schedule: days, hours and any guaranteed weekly hours
• Pay and how it is counted: the hourly rate, paid drive time, paid documentation time and cancellation pay
• Duties, written from the task list areas above
• Requirements, split into BACB requirements and the employer's own
• Supervision and training: who supervises you, how often, and what training the employer pays for
• Benefits and growth: paid time off, health coverage, and support for BCBA fieldwork if offered

Pay terms decide what a job is worth. Read how guaranteed hours and cancellation pay change your weekly income, and use the ABA job offer checklist before you accept.

What requirements do ABA employers list for RBTs?

Every RBT job starts with the BACB's certification requirements. Employers then add their own.

Employers can add their own requirements, such as a driver's license and car insurance for in-home work, CPR training, or after-school availability. Read each posting for its own list. Our RBT certification guide walks through the BACB steps in order, and the competency assessment guide explains that step.

Which skills should an RBT job description name?

Name skills a hiring manager can check in an interview or a first observation:

• Following a written program exactly, the same way every session
• Taking accurate data while running a program
• Staying calm and following the plan during problem behavior
• Taking feedback from a supervisor and changing your next session
• Clear, objective session notes
• Talking with parents and teachers without giving clinical advice outside your role
• Showing up on time and giving notice for schedule changes

Interviewers test these directly. Practice with our RBT interview questions.

What pay should an RBT job description show?

Current RBT listings on Special Needs Jobs show an employer median of $22.50/hr. The middle half of employers posts $21.38/hr–$24.00/hr. That covers 1,100 listings from 32 employers, and each employer counts once. Behavior technician listings, which often hire before certification, show a median of $22.25/hr across 1,101 listings from 23 employers. We recalculate these figures from live listings each time the page loads, and these numbers were checked October 27, 2026.

A clear posting states the hourly rate, whether drive time between clients is paid, whether documentation time is paid, and what happens when a client cancels. Compare state pay on our RBT and behavior technician salary guide.

RBT job description template you can copy

Replace every bracket with your own facts. Delete any line you can't back up.

Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)
[Employer name] · [City, State] · [Clinic / in-home / school]
Pay: $[__] to $[__] per hour · Drive time between clients: [paid / not paid]
Schedule: [days and hours] · Guaranteed hours: [__] per week

About the role
You will deliver one-to-one ABA sessions with [children / teens / adults], following treatment plans written by your BCBA supervisor.

What you will do
- Run skill-building programs as written, including discrete-trial and naturalistic teaching
- Follow each client's behavior plan, including crisis procedures you are trained on
- Collect session data and enter it the same day
- Write objective session notes after every session
- Tell your supervisor about changes in a client's health, schedule or progress
- Protect client privacy and follow the RBT Ethics Code

What you need
- Active RBT certification, or willingness to finish our paid 40-hour training and certify within [__] days
- High school diploma or equivalent, and age 18 or older
- A passed criminal background check and abuse-registry check
- [A valid driver's license and reliable transportation, for in-home roles]

Supervision and training
- BCBA supervision for at least 5% of your service hours each month
- [Paid training hours, CEUs, tuition support or BCBA fieldwork support]

Employers can post an RBT job on Special Needs Jobs for free.

How is a behavior technician job description different?

The duties are mostly the same. The difference is the credential. RBT is a BACB certification, while behavior technician is a job title. Many employers hire behavior technicians before they certify, pay for the 40-hour training, and run the competency assessment in-house. A behavior technician posting should state the training timeline and when the employer expects you to certify.

You can't call yourself an RBT until the BACB certifies you. Some people search for a “registered behavioral therapist”, but the BACB credential is registered behavior technician, and it is not a therapist license. Find employers that train new hires on our ABA jobs with paid training page or start with free RBT training options.

How do you turn the job description into résumé bullets?

Rewrite each duty as something you did, with the setting and the client group. “Ran discrete-trial and naturalistic teaching programs for [number] clients ages [range] in a clinic” tells a hiring manager more than “implemented ABA programs.” Use your own numbers, and leave out anything you can't confirm. Our ABA therapist job description for a résumé has more examples.

When you're ready, search RBT jobs if you're certified, or behavior technician jobs if you want an employer to train you. If you're thinking about the next step up, compare BCBA vs. RBT roles.