Getting an Illinois Behavior Analyst License

Illinois is one of the newest licensing states. The Behavior Analyst Licensing Act (225 ILCS 6) created two licenses, the Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) and the Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (LABA), and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) began issuing them on January 15, 2025. IDFPR said it would not begin enforcement against unlicensed practice until April 21, 2025. That grace period is over: practicing applied behavior analysis in Illinois now requires a license or an exemption under Section 20 of the Act.

Which documents does IDFPR want from a BCBA?

IDFPR's Qualifications for Licensure guide for the LBA (form 152, revised January 2025) lays out a short file:

• Education and exam. You submit either evidence of current, active BCBA certification, or official transcripts or Certification of Education forms showing an approved education under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1376.15 together with proof that you passed the BCBA exam. Most applicants use the first option.
• Fingerprints. Results are checked against Illinois State Police and FBI databases (225 ILCS 6/30(d)). Details below, because this is where Illinois files stall.
• Certification of Licensure. If you are licensed in another state, you must also provide certification of that license.
• The fee. The application fee for an LBA is $400 and for an LABA is $100 (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1376.65). Fees are not refundable.

Applications are made in CORE, the online system IDFPR launched on October 30, 2024. An application stays active for three years from the date IDFPR receives it. If it is not complete by then, the Act says it is denied, the fee is forfeited, and you reapply under the rules then in effect.

Why do Illinois fingerprints trip people up?

Because the rules are specific and out-of-state applicants cannot simply mail a card. The qualifications guide says:

• Illinois residents schedule with an approved Illinois fingerprint vendor or agency.
• Applicants outside Illinois may be printed by a local police department or similar agency, "HOWEVER, the fingerprint results MUST then be forwarded to an approved Illinois Fingerprint Vendor or Agency with 'Card Scan' capability for processing." You do not mail, scan or email prints to IDFPR.
• The ORI/purpose code for both behavior analyst licenses is IL922015Z.
• Fingerprints "must be not more than 60 days old at the time the application is submitted."

The 60-day window is the trap. If you are printed early and then wait for a transcript or a verification, the prints can age out before you submit. Schedule the fingerprints last, once everything else is ready. Our post on fingerprints and background checks compares Illinois with other states.

How does endorsement work in Illinois?

Section 40 of the Act lets IDFPR license someone "licensed under the laws of another jurisdiction if the requirements for licensure in that jurisdiction are, on the date of licensure, substantially equivalent." The rule at 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1376.40 asks endorsement applicants to be at least 18 and to provide:

1. A certification from the jurisdiction of original licensure and of current licensure stating the issue date and status of the license and whether any discipline has been taken or is pending.
2. Proof of education (official transcript and diploma, or transcript and certification of graduation) and certification that you passed an examination the same as or similar to the Illinois exam.
3. The fingerprint-based background check described above.
4. The fee.

There is a shortcut for long-licensed applicants. Someone licensed in another U.S. jurisdiction "for 10 consecutive years without discipline is not required to submit proof of completion of the education, professional experience, and supervision" (225 ILCS 6/40; 1376.40(c)). In practice, IDFPR's guide also accepts evidence of current BCBA certification in place of transcripts.

The Certification of Licensure is the other bottleneck. IDFPR describes it as information the other board "CERTIFIES" to be true as of a specific date, and offers form CT for requesting it. If the other board posts certification online, you may print and upload it. If it only sends directly to IDFPR, you upload proof that you ordered it. Our guide to license verifications for behavior analysts covers how boards differ.

Are assistant behavior analysts licensed in Illinois?

The LABA follows the same structure under Section 35 of the Act, with a bachelor's-level education, BCaBA certification for most applicants, the same fingerprint process and a $100 application fee. The supervision rule is in the statute: a licensed assistant "shall not engage in the practice of applied behavior analysis unless supervised by a licensed clinical psychologist or licensed behavior analyst" (225 ILCS 6/20(a-5)). See which states license assistant behavior analysts.

Who is exempt from the Illinois license?

Section 20(c) lists the exemptions. The ones ABA agencies rely on most are:

• An individual "implementing a behavior analytic treatment plan under the extended authority, direction, and supervision of a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst." This is how RBTs work in Illinois; there is no state technician credential.
• Students in a defined program, and unlicensed people pursuing supervised field experience, under a licensed behavior analyst or licensed psychologist.
• Clinical psychologists, social workers, counselors, speech-language pathologists and several other licensed professionals acting within their own training and ethics, as long as they do not use the behavior analyst titles.
• School employees holding a learning behavior specialist or school support personnel endorsement, within that endorsement and in a school setting.

The Act has no visiting-practice window for out-of-state behavior analysts. If you serve Illinois clients, plan on an Illinois license.

When do Illinois licenses expire, and what CE is due?

Every license issued under the Act expires on October 31 of each odd-numbered year (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1376.45), so the next deadline is October 31, 2027. You may renew in the 60 days before expiration. The first period may be shorter than two years, and no CE is required for your first renewal.

After that, beginning with the 2027 renewal period, licensed behavior analysts must complete 30 hours of approved CE in the 24 months before renewal, and assistants 20 hours (1376.50). BACB-approved CE providers count as approved sponsors. Licensees who live and practice in other states must still meet the Illinois CE requirement, and online CE must come from an approved provider. Renewal costs $300 for an LBA and $75 for an LABA. Practicing on an expired license is treated as unlicensed practice. See CE requirements across states.

Why does the Act's sunset date matter?

The Illinois General Assembly's text of 225 ILCS 6, as captured in July 2026, marks the Act's sections as "scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028." A sunset date means the legislature has to act to continue the program, and we have seen nothing saying it intends to let the Act lapse. Watch for an extension bill in the 2027 session; until then the license is required, so it is not a reason to delay applying.

What does the January 15, 2027 deadline mean for agencies?

Section 150 of the Act says that beginning 24 months after licensing started, no business organization may provide behavior analysis services "unless every member, partner, shareholder, director, officer, holder of any other ownership interest, agent, and employee who renders applied behavior analysis services holds a currently valid license." IDFPR's notice states that by or before January 15, 2027, anyone who is not licensed under the Act and who owns a business providing ABA services "must divest from the business." The same section requires a business whose stated purpose includes behavior analysis to be organized under the Professional Service Corporation Act or the Professional Limited Liability Company Act. Our post on the January 2027 ownership deadline goes through it in detail.

How can we help with an Illinois license?

We prepare, organize and track the file; you review, sign and submit it in CORE. The BACB has warned that letting another person or entity complete a licensure application on your behalf "may be a violation of state law," so we do not take your CORE login, and we can sit with you on a call while you submit.

For a BCBA licensed elsewhere, our License by Endorsement service is $599 per state; a first license is $749 under our Full State License Application; an LABA is $399. We request each Certification of Licensure, time the fingerprints inside the 60-day window, and prepare every answer for your review. For agencies, the Illinois ABA Agency Ownership Audit ($499 one-time) maps every owner and clinician against Section 150 before January 15, 2027. IDFPR and fingerprint vendor fees are separate. The Illinois state page has the summary.