An Alabama PT license renewal is due every year by October 1, and the process runs entirely through the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy’s online portal: complete your continuing education, upload your certificates, attest that you have met the requirements, and pay the renewal fee of $130 for a Physical Therapist or $93 for a Physical Therapist Assistant.1Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Fee Schedule Miss that date and you have a short window to fix it cheaply. Miss the window and the costs climb fast.
When Your License Expires
The compliance period runs October 1 through September 30. Every PT and PTA license expires on October 1 unless renewed before that date.2Cornell Law. Alabama Admin Code r 700-X-2-.10 – Renewal of License
If October 1 passes and you have not renewed, you still have through October 31 to renew online at the standard fee, but only if you have not treated any patients during the lapse.1Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Fee Schedule After November 1, the price and paperwork change.
Continuing Education You Need Before Renewing
You must complete at least ten contact hours of CE during each compliance period, where one contact hour equals 50 minutes of actual engagement.2Cornell Law. Alabama Admin Code r 700-X-2-.10 – Renewal of License PTs who treat patients under direct access authority without a physician referral need twelve hours instead of ten.3Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education
Two of those hours must cover Alabama physical therapy jurisprudence, including the Practice Act and the Administrative Code, at your first renewal and then every renewal year ending in 0 or 5 (2025, 2030, 2035, and so on).3Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy offers a Jurisprudence Assessment Module designed to satisfy it.4Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Alabama Jurisprudence Assessment Module
The Board does not pre-approve courses or providers, so choosing coursework that genuinely relates to your practice is on you.3Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education There is no cap on hours earned through traditional online or distance learning, but non-traditional activities cannot exceed 40 percent of your annual requirement. If you complete more than ten hours in a period, up to ten excess hours carry forward to the next period only.2Cornell Law. Alabama Admin Code r 700-X-2-.10 – Renewal of License
First Renewal After Graduation or Endorsement
Recent graduates renewing for the first time within one year of completing a CAPTE-accredited program only need the two hours of Alabama jurisprudence CE; the rest is waived for that first renewal. Licensees who came into Alabama by endorsement from another state do not get that break and must complete the full ten hours, including the two jurisprudence hours, at their first renewal.3Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education
Submitting the Renewal
Renewals go through the Board’s online portal. Log into your licensee profile, upload your CE certificates, complete the legal attestation that you have met all requirements, and pay the fee.5Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. License Renewal The current annual fees are $130 for a PT and $93 for a PTA, paid online inside the portal.1Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Fee Schedule Once payment clears, your status updates to active for the new compliance period and you can print an updated license card from your profile.
Keep Your Documentation for Audits
Each CE certificate you upload must clearly show the date of completion, the total contact hours, the course objectives, and the target audience or prerequisite experience level.3Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education Keep copies of everything for at least five years. The Board can request your records at any time, and you must either provide copies or grant access to whatever online tracking system you use.2Cornell Law. Alabama Admin Code r 700-X-2-.10 – Renewal of License
If an audit finds a course unacceptable, you have 60 days to make up the shortfall. Missing that deadline triggers disciplinary action.6Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Continuing Education General Guidelines Save anything that documents the instructor’s qualifications and the course content, not just the completion certificate.
What It Costs If You Miss October 31
Reinstatement after November 1 costs considerably more and requires extra documentation:
- Physical Therapist: $230 expired renewal fee plus a $50 restoration fee, for $280 total
- Physical Therapist Assistant: $193 expired renewal fee plus a $50 restoration fee, for $243 total
On top of the higher fee, you must complete ten CE hours for every year the license has been expired and upload a current government-issued photo ID along with proof of legal presence in the United States.5Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. License Renewal
Expired More Than Five Years
If your license has been lapsed for more than five years and you have not held an active license in any U.S. state during that time, reinstatement is off the table. You must re-take the National Physical Therapy Examination and apply for original licensure as a new applicant.5Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. License Renewal
Practicing on a Lapsed License
Alabama law prohibits anyone from practicing or holding themselves out as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant without proper licensure.7Justia. Alabama Code 34-24-210 – Required Each violation carries a fine between $100 and $500, imprisonment between 30 and 90 days, or both. The same penalties apply to anyone who knowingly makes a false statement on a license application or in response to a Board inquiry.8Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 34-24-196 – Penalties
There is also a practical consequence beyond the statutory penalty: the Board’s October grace period is only available if you did not practice while lapsed. Treating patients during the lapse pushes you straight into the more expensive reinstatement track and additional Board involvement.1Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. Fee Schedule
PT Compact Privileges Expire With Your License
Alabama is a member of the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact.9Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy Compact Members If Alabama is your home state, you select which other compact states you want privileges in at the time of renewal, and every compact privilege expires on the same date as your Alabama license.10Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. PT Compact Letting your Alabama license lapse takes those privileges down with it.
Deducting Renewal and CE Costs
If you are self-employed or run your own practice, your renewal fee, CE tuition, and related expenses like books and supplies are deductible as ordinary business expenses on Schedule C.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Schedule C (Form 1040) CE costs qualify as work-related education expenses because they maintain or improve skills needed in your current work and the law requires them to keep your license. Transportation and travel for in-person seminars can also qualify.12Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 513, Work-Related Education Expenses
W-2 employees have fewer options. Federal law currently limits the work-related education deduction to self-employed individuals, Armed Forces reservists, qualified performing artists, fee-basis state or local government officials, and individuals with impairment-related education expenses.12Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 513, Work-Related Education Expenses If your employer does not reimburse your renewal fee or CE costs, no federal law requires them to.