A Tennessee physical therapy license renewal is due every two years on the last day of your birth month, and you can complete it online up to 90 days before that date. The fee is $55 plus a $10 state regulatory fee for physical therapists, and $45 plus $10 for physical therapist assistants. Miss the deadline and you’ll pay a $50 late fee within the first 30 days; keep practicing past that, and the Board can charge $250 for every month you worked on a lapsed license.
When Your License Expires and How to Renew
Your expiration date is tied to your birthday. The license lapses on the last day of your birth month, every two years. The online renewal portal at Tennessee.gov/health opens 90 days before that date. Click “License Renewal” and follow the prompts. Paper applications are accepted if you prefer to mail one in.1Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-02-.09 – Renewal of License
Renew early. Processing delays near the deadline can leave you in a gray zone where the license has technically expired while your application sits in a queue, and the statute is clear that once your license expires you cannot practice.2Justia. Tennessee Code 63-13-308 – License Renewal Pay online by credit card or electronic check. For paper renewals, send a check or money order payable to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Report any name or address change to the Division of Health Related Boards within 30 days.2Justia. Tennessee Code 63-13-308 – License Renewal If your name has changed since your last renewal, have the supporting legal documents ready when you submit.
What You’ll Pay
The biennial fees set by the Board:
- Physical therapist renewal: $55
- Physical therapist assistant renewal: $45
- State regulatory fee (both): $10
Your total is $65 as a PT or $55 as a PTA. The amounts apply whether you renew online or on paper.3Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.06 – Fees
Continuing Education You Must Complete
Tennessee requires 30 continuing education hours per two-year cycle for physical therapists and 20 hours for physical therapist assistants. Four of those hours must cover ethics and jurisprudence, and only the American Physical Therapy Association of Tennessee (APTATN) approves courses that satisfy the ethics requirement. Confirm APTATN approval before you register.4Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.12 – Continuing Competence
The Board does not pre-approve most other courses. You decide whether a course is relevant and qualifies. Courses provided or approved by the APTA and its academies and sections, the FSBPT, the APTATN, and accredited physical therapy educational programs all count.
Since July 2020, licensees have been required to upload proof of completed CE to CE Broker at the time of renewal. Keep completion certificates, transcripts, and syllabi for at least five years from the date you finished each course. The Board can audit your records at any point in that window, and failing to produce documentation is itself grounds for discipline, even if you actually did the coursework.4Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.12 – Continuing Competence
If You Miss the Deadline
The consequences depend on how long the license stays lapsed, and they escalate quickly.
- Expired but within 30 days: Stop practicing immediately and file a reinstatement application with all fees. A $50 late renewal fee applies to both PTs and PTAs, on top of the standard renewal and regulatory fees. The Board’s administrative director can approve reinstatement relatively quickly in this window.3Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.06 – Fees
- More than 30 days but less than six months: If you practiced during this period, the Board issues an Agreed Citation requiring $250 for each month or partial month you worked past the 30-day grace period. Your license will not be reinstated until you sign the citation and pay the fine.
- Six months or longer: The Board refers the case to the Office of Investigations and the Office of General Counsel for formal disciplinary proceedings.
Practicing physical therapy on an expired license is treated as unlicensed practice, which carries a Type A civil penalty of $500 to $1,000.5Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.15 – Disciplinary Actions The statute forbids practicing physical therapy or functioning as a PTA in Tennessee once the license has expired.2Justia. Tennessee Code 63-13-308 – License Renewal
Reinstating a Lapsed License
Reinstatement is a formal application, signed and notarized, with a detailed work history covering the entire period the license was expired. The reinstatement fee is $100 for both PTs and PTAs, added to the standard renewal fee and state regulatory fee.3Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp Rules and Regs 1150-01-.06 – Fees
The Board evaluates each application individually, looking at your disciplinary history, how long the license was lapsed, whether you practiced during the gap, and whether you kept up with continuing education. If you practiced in another state during the lapse, expect to provide verification of licensure and proof of good standing from that jurisdiction. The Board may require additional CE before approving reinstatement.
Inactive and Retired Status
If you’re pausing practice in Tennessee, inactive status is much better than letting the license lapse. You file a form with the Board and pay a biennial fee to keep the license inactive. To return to practice, you apply for relicensure and satisfy current CE requirements.2Justia. Tennessee Code 63-13-308 – License Renewal
Retirement is separate. Filing a retirement affidavit exempts you from biennial renewal. Coming back later means applying for licensure and meeting all current CE requirements as if you were a new applicant, unless the Board grants an exception for good cause.2Justia. Tennessee Code 63-13-308 – License Renewal
Compact Privileges Depend on Your Tennessee License
Tennessee belongs to the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, which lets licensed PTs and PTAs practice in other member states without a separate license in each.6Tennessee Department of Health. Physical Therapy Licensure Compact Your compact privileges expire on the same date as your Tennessee home-state license. If Tennessee lapses, every compact privilege you hold elsewhere is immediately lost.7PT Compact. FAQs
To keep compact privileges, you need to:
- Keep your Tennessee license active and unencumbered
- Have no disciplinary actions against any PT or PTA license in the past two years
- Renew Tennessee before renewing compact privileges in any remote state
Any adverse action against your Tennessee license, including administrative revocation for failure to renew, revokes all compact privileges. You would then be ineligible for compact privileges for two years after the disciplinary action is resolved.7PT Compact. FAQs For practitioners who treat patients across state lines, one missed Tennessee renewal can shut down practice in several states at once.
Medicare Revalidation and NPI Are Separate
Your state license renewal does not touch your Medicare enrollment. If you bill Medicare, you must revalidate through CMS every five years on a schedule that runs independently of your Tennessee cycle. CMS posts due dates seven months ahead and sends a notice three to four months before yours, but the deadline is yours to track even if the notice never arrives. Missing it can put a hold on your reimbursements or deactivate billing privileges, and CMS does not grant extensions.8Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Revalidations (Renewing Your Enrollment)
If your renewal includes a name change, address change, or new practice location, federal rules also require you to update your National Provider Identifier record within 30 days.9Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. National Provider Identifier (NPI) Application/Update Form An outdated NPI record causes claim denials and payment delays, so make the update at the same time you file the change with the Board.