Illinois PTA license renewal is due by September 30 of every odd-numbered year, costs $60 for the two-year cycle, and requires 20 hours of continuing education filed through the IDFPR online portal. The deadline is the same for every physical therapist assistant in the state regardless of when you were first licensed.1Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit 68 1340.55 – Renewals
Deadline and Fee
The license expires September 30 in odd-numbered years. You can renew during the month leading up to that date by paying the fee and attesting that your CE is complete. The fee is set at $30 per year under the administrative code, so a standard two-year renewal runs $60.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Part 1340 – Physical Therapy Fees are delegated to IDFPR, so confirm the amount on the Department’s site before you pay.3Justia Law. Illinois Code Chapter 225 – Illinois Physical Therapy Act
Miss September 30 and the license expires automatically. You lose the right to treat patients until you complete restoration, which costs more and takes longer.
Continuing Education You Need
Twenty hours of CE per two-year cycle. At least 3 of those hours must cover ethical practice in physical therapy, including jurisprudence.4Legal Information Institute. Illinois Administrative Code tit 68 1340.61 – Continuing Education Generic ethics content often doesn’t qualify, so verify the course is written for physical therapy practice before you register.
Live Hours Versus Self-Study
Self-study is capped at 75% of your total credit, which means at least 5 hours must be live or interactive.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Section 1340.61 – Continuing Education Live includes in-person seminars and real-time webinars where you can interact with the presenter. A real-time webinar you attend from home counts as live, not self-study.
Self-study covers correspondence courses, web-based programs, and pre-recorded webinars from approved sponsors, and each must include a test you pass to earn the credit. Published quizzes based on APTA publications can supply up to 50% of your total.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Section 1340.61 – Continuing Education
Mandatory Modules
Three required courses count toward the 20 hours but have to be completed specifically:
- Sexual harassment prevention — one hour each renewal period, required of every Illinois licensee with a CE requirement.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Section 1130.400 – Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
- Implicit bias awareness — required at every renewal since January 1, 2023.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Section 1130.500 – Implicit Bias Awareness Training
- Alzheimer’s and dementia care — one hour required for healthcare professionals with direct patient interaction with adults age 26 and older, taken once every six years, with no more than one CE credit for dementia training counting per renewal cycle.
The dementia rule trips people up because the threshold is age 26, not 65. If you work with adult patients at all, it applies to you.
Approved Sponsors
Hours only count when the sponsor is on the approved list:8Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Continuing Education Fact Sheet Licensed Physical Therapist
- APTA and its components, including the Illinois Physical Therapy Association.
- FSBPT and programs approved through its ProCert system.
- Accredited colleges and universities with a physical therapy or PTA program, for post-professional coursework.
- Other entities specifically approved by IDFPR on the Board’s recommendation.
Check sponsor status before you pay. Courses from unapproved providers don’t count, no matter how good the content is.
Filing the Renewal
IDFPR runs renewals through its online portal. You’ll need your ten-digit Illinois license number, your Social Security number for identity verification, and current contact information including a working email address. The application asks you to attest that your CE is complete; you generally don’t upload certificates when you submit.
Disclose any legal status changes or discipline from other jurisdictions since your last renewal. If your name has changed, have a marriage certificate or court order ready. Pay electronically, then save the confirmation page and email receipt.
IDFPR no longer prints paper licenses or mails renewal reminders.9Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Paperless Licensing Frequently Asked Questions After processing, download your updated license from the “Get My License” page and print your own copy for your workplace. Verify the new expiration date through the IDFPR license lookup within a few business days of submitting.
If You Miss the Deadline
Letting the license expire triggers restoration, and the requirements depend on how long it’s been lapsed.
Expired Five Years or Less
File a restoration application, pay a $50 restoration fee plus all lapsed renewal fees (capped at $200 total), and submit proof of 20 CE hours completed in the two years immediately before the application.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Part 1340 – Physical Therapy If you kept your CE current, the added cost is modest.
Expired More Than Five Years
Same fees and CE, plus proof you’ve maintained competence through one of the following:2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Part 1340 – Physical Therapy
- Current active license and recent practice in another state.
- Passing the licensing exam again.
- Supervised clinical training under a licensed physical therapist: 160 contact hours if your license lapsed 5 to 10 years ago, or 320 hours if it lapsed more than 10 years ago.
Inactive Status as an Alternative
If you know you’ll be away from practice for a stretch, place the license on inactive status rather than letting it expire. You file forms with the Department and owe no fees while inactive. You can’t practice, but you also don’t accrue lapsed renewal fees.
Reactivating within five years takes the current renewal fee and 20 CE hours from the preceding two years. Beyond five years inactive, the heightened restoration requirements kick in, including the possibility of supervised clinical hours.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 68 Part 1340 – Physical Therapy
Practicing on an Expired License
Working as a PTA, offering to work as one, or holding yourself out as one without a valid license is a Class A misdemeanor on a first offense and a Class 4 felony on any later offense under the Illinois Physical Therapy Act.3Justia Law. Illinois Code Chapter 225 – Illinois Physical Therapy Act A Class A misdemeanor carries up to a year in jail; a Class 4 felony, one to three years.
The Department can also impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense after a hearing.3Justia Law. Illinois Code Chapter 225 – Illinois Physical Therapy Act The statute covers simply using the “PTA” abbreviation without a valid license, not just hands-on treatment. Renewing on time is the easiest part of the job.