License Renewal Cycle Preparation
Get renewal ready: July 31, 2026, is approaching. Update your email, expect fees, and complete 150 CME hours, including mandates, before renewing. Stay alert, prepared, and compliant to avoid last-minute stress.
Referenced Link:
How to update your profile with IDFPR
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Transcript:
We’re coming up to our next renewal cycle. In fact, that deadline is going to be July 31, 2026. Now, we have not been notified that the state has already sent out the renewal email, but we know we’re coming into that timeframe when it is most likely coming out pretty soon. So you want to be aware. You want to be ready and watching for that. If you have not updated your email with the state, make sure you get that done. We’ll drop a link down below here to make sure that you have access to how to update your email information with the state, so you can get that done soon. Make sure that that is accurate. Now, another thing, last renewal cycle, they waived fees, and the renewal fees, there will not be a waiving of those renewal fees in this renewal cycle. So you want to make sure that you know when you go to do your renewal that you are going to have to pay the renewal fee.
Additionally, you have to have your CME hours complete at the time of your renewal. Why? Because on your renewal, they ask you, “Have you completed all of your requirements?” And you have to be able to indicate yes, so you can’t renew and then finish up your hours by the end of the period. Make sure that you have your hours at the time you do the renewal. Now, what are those hours? It’s 60 category one or formal hours. It’s up to a maximum of 90 category two hours or informal for a total of 150 hours. Now, among those formal hours, five of them are mandated hours, and so you want to make sure you get all of those mandates done as well, including the new cultural competency hour that’s required for this renewal cycle.
What else? Let’s see, you can’t get a jump start on your next renewal. So let’s say the state sends out over the next couple of weeks, they send out the renewal. You have all of your hours. You finalize your renewal, you finalize your hours. All of those things are done. You can’t turn around and then start your hours for the next renewal cycle. You can’t do that until August one, so you can’t get a jumpstart. August one is when those hours begin to accumulate. So you need to wait until that timeframe.
Now, if you, let’s say, move back to Illinois, you are going to have to complete your hours for this renewal cycle. That does not count as your very first renewal ever with Illinois, just because you came back, or the or if you are reinstating your license, or something along those lines, you’re going to have to get your hours. The fastest way to know this is to look at your renewal. And if your renewal date says July 31, 2026, then you’re going to need to get your hours if you’re coming back into Illinois or if you’re reinstating your license, so you’ll see your renewal expiration date on your current license, and that’ll help you make sure that everything isn’t lined up. So again, we haven’t been notified that the state has already sent out the renewal notices, at least at the time of this recording, but you just need to be prepared that these are the things that are coming up, and hopefully, this video answers all of your questions. We’ll catch you next week.
