Georgia PT License Renewal: CE Hours, GOALS Filing, and Deadlines

A Georgia PT license renewal is due by December 31 of each odd-numbered year, and the next deadline is December 31, 2027.¹ Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants renew the same way: complete 30 hours of continuing education (including 4 hours in Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence), log the hours in CE Broker, and submit the online application and fee through the Georgia Online Application and Licensing System (GOALS). PTs pay $65; PTAs pay $45.² Miss December 31 and you have a one-month late window; miss that and your license lapses.

When the Renewal Window Opens and Closes

The renewal window opens October 1 of the renewal year and closes December 31, giving you three months to finish everything.³ You cannot legally practice on an expired license, so the December 31 date is firm.¹ If you renewed on time in the 2025 cycle, your license runs through December 31, 2027.

A late window runs January 1 through January 31. You can still renew during that month, but at a higher fee: $90 for PTs, $55 for PTAs.² On February 1, an unrenewed license is treated as revoked by operation of law, and you have to pursue reinstatement instead.⁴

Continuing Education You Need Before You Apply

Every PT and PTA has to complete 30 clock hours of continuing competency during each two-year renewal period. At least 4 of those hours must be in Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence.⁴ You can satisfy the ethics piece either by finishing an approved course or by passing the Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence Examination. Approved courses have to come from a Georgia college or university with an accredited PT program, or from a provider that holds a current Physical Therapy Association of Georgia (PTAG) Approval Certificate.

Fall short of 30 hours and the Board will not renew your license. There is no partial credit and no extension.

What Counts Toward the 30 Hours

The Board accepts a wide range of activities, not just classroom coursework:

Courses approved by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), its affiliates, or PTAG.
Courses approved through the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (ProCert).
Programs at CAPTE-accredited physical therapy schools.
Peer review: up to 15 hours for undergoing one, up to 10 hours for conducting one (as long as peer review isn’t your primary job).
Presenting at an approved CE course, capped at 10 hours per topic; authoring a scientific poster, platform presentation, or published article at 10 hours per item, capped at 20 hours total.
Serving as a clinical instructor for an accredited PT or PTA program.
Earning or renewing an ABPTS clinical specialization: 30 hours, but only in the biennium when the certification is granted.
Self-study of professional literature, capped at 3 hours per renewal period.

Every activity has to relate to patient care in physical therapy, broadly defined to include treatment, research, documentation, education, and management. You cannot log more than 10 credit hours in a single calendar day.⁴

Tracking Hours in CE Broker

Georgia requires you to report your continuing education through CE Broker at cebroker.com. The free Basic tier is enough; the paid tiers are optional.⁵

When you report a completed activity, you have to upload supporting documentation (a certificate of completion, a transcript, or similar proof). The Board is explicit that it will not credit any course without that documentation.⁵ Hours are subject to audit, so keep clean records.

Submitting the Renewal Through GOALS

All renewals go through the Georgia Online Application and Licensing System on the Secretary of State’s website.⁶ You’ll need your license number and your GOALS login. If you have never signed in to the portal, use the “Verify Now” feature to activate your existing account.⁷

Inside the application you will enter each continuing education activity (dates, titles, sponsoring organization) and answer disclosure questions covering anything that has changed since your last renewal, including criminal convictions and discipline from other states. Answer honestly. Discrepancies between what you report and public records can prompt an investigation.

Pay the renewal fee at the end by credit card or electronic check:

PT renewal (by December 31): $65
PTA renewal (by December 31): $45
PT late renewal (January): $90
PTA late renewal (January): $55

Save your digital receipt. The public verification portal usually takes several business days to show the new expiration date.

If Your License Already Lapsed

Once February 1 passes without a renewal, you can no longer practice and have to go through reinstatement. The requirements step up sharply the longer you have been out:

Practiced within the last two years: submit a reinstatement application, pay a $100 reinstatement fee, and show you have met the continuing competency requirements.
No practice within two years but practiced within five: pay a $150 reinstatement fee, show continuing competency, complete 480 hours of supervised practice under a Georgia-licensed PT within three months, and pass the Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence Examination.
No practice within five years: pay a $150 reinstatement fee, complete 1,000 hours of supervised practice under a Georgia-licensed PT over six months to a year, and pass both the full licensing examination and the Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence Examination.

The supervised-practice tiers are what make reinstatement expensive in time. At the five-year mark, you are essentially re-entering the profession.⁴²

Going Inactive Instead of Letting the License Lapse

If you are stepping away from Georgia practice for a while, request inactive status rather than skipping renewal. On inactive status you owe no biennial fee and no continuing education, but you cannot practice at all in Georgia.⁸

Reactivation requirements mirror the reinstatement tiers, so the longer you stay inactive, the more supervised hours and exams you face when you return. The Board can waive the supervision and CE requirements if you hold a current license in good standing in another state or work as a PT or PTA for the federal government.⁸ One limit: if your license is under any disciplinary sanction, you cannot transfer to inactive status until the sanctions are resolved.

1
Georgia Secretary of State. How to Guide: Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant
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Georgia Secretary of State. Fee Schedule – Physical Therapy
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Georgia Secretary of State. Navigating the Physical Therapy Licensure Renewal Process
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Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia Rules 490-4 – Renewal: Continuing Competence Requirements-Disciplinary Sanctions
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Georgia Secretary of State. Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy Continuing Education
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Georgia Secretary of State. GOALS – Georgia Online Application Licensing System
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Georgia Secretary of State. Professional Licensing Portal
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Fastcase. Georgia Rule 490-4-.04 Inactive License