How to Become a Substitute Teacher in Arizona: Certificates and Pay

To become a substitute teacher in Arizona, you need a Substitute, PreK-12 Certificate from the Arizona Department of Education. The core requirements are a bachelor’s degree in any subject, a valid IVP fingerprint clearance card, and a $60 application fee. If you don’t have a four-year degree, an Emergency Substitute Certificate lets you qualify with a high school diploma or GED, but only when a school superintendent requests it for their district. Plan on roughly $127 in state fees and several weeks of paperwork before your first classroom day.

The Standard Substitute Certificate

The Substitute, PreK-12 Certificate authorizes you to cover any absent teacher in any Arizona public or charter school, preschool through twelfth grade. It is valid for six years and renewable.¹

You need three things:

A bachelor’s degree in any field, from a college or university accredited by a recognized regional or national agency.¹
A valid Identity Verified Prints (IVP) fingerprint clearance card. Arizona law under A.R.S. § 15-106 requires it for everyone who teaches in a district or charter school. The card is good for six years and costs $67 for non-volunteers, plus vendor and processing fees that vary by location.²³
A $60 non-refundable certification fee, paid by credit or debit card at application.¹

Once you have the certificate, you can substitute anywhere in the state, though you’re capped at 120 days of teaching in the same school per school year.⁴

No Degree? The Emergency Substitute Certificate

Arizona created the Emergency Substitute Certificate for candidates without a bachelor’s degree. A high school diploma, GED, or associate degree is enough on the education side. The condition is that a school superintendent has to request the certificate for you, verifying an emergency staffing need in their district or charter school.⁵

The restrictions matter. You can only work in the district whose superintendent requested the certificate. You’re capped at 120 days per school year in the same school, and you can’t hold a contract teaching position.⁵ A superintendent can seek an exemption from the 120-day cap if the position was advertised statewide at a minimum of three sites, including at least one college or university, and no qualified candidate was found. That exemption cannot be granted to the same person more than three times.⁴

The fee is the same $60, payable by Visa or MasterCard online, or by check or money order if you apply by mail.⁵

Fingerprints and Transcripts

Two documents drive the timeline: your IVP fingerprint card and your official transcripts. Both take longer than the application itself, so start them first.

IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card

Apply through the Arizona Department of Public Safety. You submit an application and visit an approved fingerprinting location, where a technician captures your prints digitally. The prints are checked against Arizona criminal history records and the FBI’s national database, and DPS may retain them for ongoing comparison. The base fee is $67, with additional vendor fees for electronic fingerprinting depending on location.³

The card can take several weeks to arrive. Your certification application won’t be approved without it, so this is the first thing to start. The IVP card is valid for six years.³

Official Transcripts

The Arizona Department of Education only accepts transcripts sent directly by your college or university. You cannot download your own copy and forward it. Electronic transcripts must come from the institution or through Parchment to certification@azed.gov. Paper transcripts must arrive in a sealed envelope mailed by the school to the Certification Unit at PO Box 6490, Phoenix, AZ 85005-6490.⁶

If your degree is from outside the United States, you need a course-by-course evaluation from a foreign credential evaluation agency approved by the Department. The agency has to send the evaluation directly to the certification office.¹

Submitting Your Application

Applications go through Arizona’s online educator certification portal at mycert.azed.gov. You create an account, upload documents, and pay the $60 fee.¹ Paper applications can be mailed to the same Phoenix PO Box used for transcripts, with a check or money order, but online submissions move faster.

Processing generally takes two to six weeks depending on volume. Incomplete files get set aside until missing documents arrive, which can add weeks or months. Before you submit the application itself, check the portal to confirm your transcripts and fingerprint card are already showing as received. Submitting before those are in only delays things.

Getting Hired by a District

The state certificate makes you legally eligible. It does not hand you a job. Each district and charter school runs its own hiring process, and most add local requirements: a district application, their own background check, and often an interview focused on classroom management. Most require a paid orientation covering emergency procedures, attendance systems, and behavioral expectations before your first assignment.

Some Arizona districts use third-party staffing agencies to manage their substitute pool instead of hiring directly. If you go through an agency, the agency handles scheduling and payroll, but you still need the state certificate before any placement. Agencies can simplify working across multiple districts because you deal with one employer, though the daily rate may differ from what a district pays its direct hires.

What You Can Expect to Earn

Daily pay for substitutes in Arizona typically runs between $100 and $150, varying by district, grade level, and whether the assignment is short-term or long-term. Long-term placements often pay more because they require more preparation and continuity. Rural districts sometimes offer higher rates where substitutes are hard to find.

Benefits eligibility depends on hours. The Arizona State Retirement System uses a “20/20” rule: you qualify for ASRS membership if you work at least 20 hours per week for at least 20 weeks in a fiscal year (July 1 through June 30), and substitutes who hit that threshold must be enrolled.⁷ Health insurance through the state benefits program requires being regularly scheduled for at least 20 hours per week for 90 days or more, or averaging 30 hours per week over a 12-month measurement period for seasonal or temporary employees.⁸ Most day-to-day substitutes won’t hit those thresholds, but consistent work with a single district can put you in range, so it’s worth asking.

Renewing Your Certificate

The certificate lasts six years and renewal isn’t automatic. Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-619 requires 15 hours of continuing education per year of the certificate term, which totals 90 hours across six years. You can distribute those hours unevenly as long as you meet the total by renewal. The education must relate to Arizona academic or professional educator standards, or count toward another Arizona certificate or endorsement.⁹

The renewal fee is $20 per certificate.¹⁰ If you let your certificate lapse for more than two years but fewer than ten, you can still renew if you’re in good standing and hold a valid fingerprint clearance card, and the continuing education requirement is waived entirely in that situation.⁹ Someone who lets the certificate expire for a couple of years faces fewer requirements to renew than someone who renews on schedule.

1
Arizona Department of Education. Substitute, PreK-12
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 15-106 – Identity Verified Fingerprints
3
Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Clearance Card
4
Arizona State Board of Education. Emergency Substitute Certificate Requirements
5
Arizona Department of Education. Emergency Substitute Certificate
6
Arizona Department of Education. Submitting Documents
7
Arizona State Retirement System. Employer Manual
8
Benefit Services Division. Eligibility
9
Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R7-2-619 – Renewal Requirements
10
Arizona Department of Education. Educator Certification – Renew Your Certification