RBT jobs: how to become a registered behavior technician

A registered behavior technician (RBT) is a paraprofessional who helps deliver applied behavior analysis (ABA) services, working under the close supervision of a behavior analyst. The credential comes from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), a nonprofit that the BACB says it established in 1998 to certify behavior analysts. The BACB, not the federal government, publishes the requirements, and states add their own.

This page uses the BACB's RBT Handbook, updated June 2026. The BACB says new versions are published quarterly as needed, so check the current handbook before you apply.

What an RBT does

The BACB says RBTs assist in delivering behavior-analytic services and practice under the direction and close supervision of an RBT Supervisor and/or an RBT Requirements Coordinator, who are responsible for all work RBTs perform. The handbook says RBTs may perform activities that behavior technicians typically perform, as determined by their supervisors, such as conducting preference assessments, implementing discrete-trial teaching procedures and writing session notes.

The BACB says RBT certification was designed for settings where a BCBA or BCaBA is already providing behavior-analytic services. It says applying is most likely to happen after you are employed by the organization where you will work. In practice, that means you usually find the job first and certify second. See BCBA for the supervising credential.

On who receives ABA, the BACB's page on behavior analysis lists autism and other developmental disabilities as a popular practice area. Medicaid.gov's Autism Services page lists CMS guidance for states on autism services, including an August 2026 ABA toolkit. Carevo did not summarize that guidance, and coverage differs by state.

Requirements to become an RBT

The BACB handbook lists these eligibility requirements, all to be met before you apply:

• Age. At least 18 years old when you submit the application.
• Education. At least a high school-level education or the equivalent.
• Criminal background check. Completed and passed no more than 180 days before paying for the application. The BACB says the check must be comparable to those required for home health aides, child care professionals and teachers in the community where you will provide services.
• Abuse registry check. The same timing and comparability rule applies. The BACB says fingerprinting is not required by the BACB, but may be required by your state or organization.
• 40-hour training. It must meet the BACB's 2026 requirements and be done in no less than 5 days and no more than 180 days. The BACB does not provide it.
• Initial Competency Assessment. Done after the 40-hour training and no more than 90 days before you apply. An assessor who is not related to, subordinate to or employed by you completes it.

After you apply and receive an approved determination, you take the RBT examination. The handbook says it has 75 scored and 10 unscored questions, covers 43 tasks in 6 content areas and gives candidates 90 minutes. The content areas are data collection and graphing, behavior assessment, behavior acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation and reporting, and ethics. Before you begin services, you must be added as a supervisee by an RBT Supervisor or RBT Requirements Coordinator.

Ongoing supervision and renewal

RBTs must keep receiving supervision. Under the handbook, you must obtain ongoing supervision for a minimum of 5% of the hours you spend providing behavior-analytic services each calendar month. Supervision must include at least two face-to-face, real-time contacts per month, and your supervisor must observe you providing services in at least one of them.

On renewal, the BACB's overview says certificants recertify annually through 2026. For recertification after January 1, 2027, it says every two years with 12 hours of professional development. Check the handbook for the exact dates that apply to you.

States add their own rules. The BACB's page on behavior analysis says additional training or professional credentials may be necessary in some jurisdictions. Carevo does not summarize state rules. Ask your state Medicaid agency, your employer and your state's behavior analyst board, if it has one.

Where RBTs work

The BACB does not state where RBTs work. Because certification is designed for organizations where a BCBA or BCaBA is already providing services, RBT jobs are generally with ABA providers. Browse ABA therapy providers in your state to see who operates near you.

RBT pay

Carevo has not found a BLS wage estimate specific to RBTs, so this page gives no pay figure. Pay depends on the employer, state and funder. Ask each employer for the hourly rate, whether supervision time and travel are paid, and who pays for the 40-hour training and the exam fees.

How to find RBT jobs

ABA agencies and clinics hire RBTs. Contact providers on the ABA therapy page and ask whether they hire technicians who have not yet completed the 40-hour training, whether they provide or pay for it and who your supervisor would be. For related care jobs, see direct support professional and caregiver jobs.

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Carevo is a connection platform. It is not an employer, it does not place workers and it does not guarantee work. Registration for caregivers is not open yet. If you want to hear when it is, email [email protected].