Illinois Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Illinois pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (State Board of Pharmacy).
A registered pharmacist license expires on March 31 of each even numbered year, so renewal is every two years on a common date rather than on the licensee's birthday. The license can be renewed during the 60 days before that expiration date. Failure to receive a renewal form from the Division is not an excuse for failing to renew, and practising on an expired license is unlicensed activity.
Summary
Illinois pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (State Board of Pharmacy). A registered pharmacist license expires on March 31 of each even numbered year, so renewal is every two years on a common date rather than on the licensee's birthday. The license can be renewed during the 60 days before that expiration date. Failure to receive a renewal form from the Division is not an excuse for failing to renew, and practising on an expired license is unlicensed activity. Illinois also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacy law: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Implicit bias awareness training: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Sexual harassment prevention training: required every renewal cycle. Immunization related continuing pharmacy education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who vaccinate patients 7 years of age and older for COVID-19 or influenza under 225 ILCS 85/3(d)(15)). The first renewal is exempt.
Illinois Pharmacist renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 03/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Undergraduate coursework completed for college credit after a first professional degree in pharmacy, counted at 15 CE hours per semester hour and 10 CE hours per quarter hour |
68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.100(a)(1) requires 30 hours of continuing education during the 24 months preceding the license expiration date, which matches the two year renewal cycle, so no separate continuing education window is recorded. 1330.100(a)(2) exempts the first renewal after original licensure. Of the 30 hours, 225 ILCS 85/12(b) requires that two hours be in the subject of pharmacy law, and 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7 requires one hour of implicit bias awareness training that the statute expressly allows to count toward the minimum hours, so both sit inside the 30 rather than on top of it. The rule states no live or in person minimum and no cap on home study or online delivery, and sets no carryover provision; what it does say, at 1330.100(d), is that the same hours cannot be used for more than one renewal period. Courses may be completed outside Illinois. These figures are the pharmacist requirement. Certified pharmacy technicians are a separate credential with their own lower requirement, 20 hours per 24 months under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.230, which was read and deliberately not used here.
Required CE topics for Illinois pharmacists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy lawThe Pharmacy Practice Act requires that two of the 30 hours be in the subject of pharmacy law and that the continuing education be approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The administrative rule, 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.100, does not repeat the law hours, so the Act is the source. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | 225 ILCS 85/12(b) |
| Implicit bias awareness trainingApplies to every health care professional licensed under the Pharmacy Practice Act who has continuing education requirements, at least one hour per renewal period, and the hour may be counted toward the 30. On and after July 1, 2026, a pharmacist who reports to the Department that they provide maternal health care services must take an implicit bias hour that includes maternal health risk factors for childbearing individuals in marginalized racial or ethnic groups. Implicit bias training used to satisfy another state licensure, accreditation, certification or institutional requirement may count toward this hour. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All licensees | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7 |
| Sexual harassment prevention trainingThe Department requires every licensee to complete sexual harassment prevention training at a minimum before renewing. The statute sets no number of hours, so hours is null. The training does not have to come from a continuing education provider: it may be provided by the licensee's employer, by the Illinois Department of Human Rights, or by a continuing education provider authorised under an Act the Department administers. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5 |
| Immunization related continuing pharmacy educationThis is an add on to the base 30 hours for pharmacists exercising this vaccination authority, not part of it: a minimum of 2 hours of immunization related continuing pharmacy education approved by the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education during each state licensing period. The same paragraph also requires the pharmacist to hold a current certificate in basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to have completed an ACPE accredited course of training. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | Pharmacists who vaccinate patients 7 years of age and older for COVID-19 or influenza under 225 ILCS 85/3(d)(15) | 225 ILCS 85/3(d)(15)(E) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education credit must be based on courses offered by providers approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and 225 ILCS 85/12(b) repeats that the education must be ACPE approved. Each renewal applicant certifies full compliance on the renewal application rather than filing certificates, and the Division may require additional evidence in the context of its random audit under Section 12 of the Act, so the licensee is responsible for retaining or producing certificates of attendance or completion. No retention period in years is stated in the rule. The Department's pharmacy page points licensees to the NABP Pharmacy Continuing Education Tracking Program (CPE Monitor), but neither the Act nor the rule read here makes CPE Monitor reporting a condition of renewal. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Illinois RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Illinois pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (State Board of Pharmacy). 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.100(a)(1) requires 30 hours of continuing education during the 24 months preceding the license expiration date, which matches the two year renewal cycle, so no separate continuing education window is recorded. 1330.100(a)(2) exempts the first renewal after original licensure. Of the 30 hours, 225 ILCS 85/12(b) requires that two hours be in the subject of pharmacy law, and 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7 requires one hour of implicit bias awareness training that the statute expressly allows to count toward the minimum hours, so both sit inside the 30 rather than on top of it. The rule states no live or in person minimum and no cap on home study or online delivery, and sets no carryover provision; what it does say, at 1330.100(d), is that the same hours cannot be used for more than one renewal period. Courses may be completed outside Illinois. These figures are the pharmacist requirement. Certified pharmacy technicians are a separate credential with their own lower requirement, 20 hours per 24 months under 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.230, which was read and deliberately not used here.
- How often does a Illinois RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Illinois renew every two years. A registered pharmacist license expires on March 31 of each even numbered year, so renewal is every two years on a common date rather than on the licensee's birthday. The license can be renewed during the 60 days before that expiration date. Failure to receive a renewal form from the Division is not an excuse for failing to renew, and practising on an expired license is unlicensed activity.
- What specific CE topics are required for Illinois pharmacists?
- Pharmacy law: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Implicit bias awareness training: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Sexual harassment prevention training: required every renewal cycle. Immunization related continuing pharmacy education: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who vaccinate patients 7 years of age and older for COVID-19 or influenza under 225 ILCS 85/3(d)(15)). Citations: pharmacy law (225 ILCS 85/12(b)), implicit bias awareness training (20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7), sexual harassment prevention training (20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5), and immunization related continuing pharmacy education (225 ILCS 85/3(d)(15)(E)).
- Do Illinois pharmacists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Continuing education credit must be based on courses offered by providers approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and 225 ILCS 85/12(b) repeats that the education must be ACPE approved. Each renewal applicant certifies full compliance on the renewal application rather than filing certificates, and the Division may require additional evidence in the context of its random audit under Section 12 of the Act, so the licensee is responsible for retaining or producing certificates of attendance or completion. No retention period in years is stated in the rule. The Department's pharmacy page points licensees to the NABP Pharmacy Continuing Education Tracking Program (CPE Monitor), but neither the Act nor the rule read here makes CPE Monitor reporting a condition of renewal.
- Is the first Illinois RPh/PharmD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Illinois does not require continuing education for a RPh/PharmD's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 11, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1330, Pharmacy Practice Act, including Section 1330.80 Renewals and Section 1330.100 Continuing EducationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 225 ILCS 85/12, Pharmacy Practice Act, Expiration of license; renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 225 ILCS 85/3, Pharmacy Practice Act, Definitions, including pharmacist vaccination conditionsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.7, Implicit bias awareness trainingStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 20 ILCS 2105/2105-15.5, Continuing education; sexual harassment prevention trainingStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365, Continuing education; Alzheimer's disease and other dementiasStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- Pharmacy, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional RegulationState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- State Board of Pharmacy, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional RegulationState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
The 30 hours, the 24 month window, the first renewal exemption, ACPE provider approval, the certification at renewal and the random audit were read in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.100, and the March 31 even numbered year expiration and the 60 day renewal window in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1330.80, both on the General Assembly's own administrative code site. The two hour pharmacy law requirement was read in 225 ILCS 85/12(b): it appears in the Act and not in the rule, so a reader working only from Part 1330 would miss it. sexual_harassment_prevention and immunization are not canonical topic keys in the brief's list and are recorded as short snake_case keys. The Alzheimer's and other dementias continuing education requirement at 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365 was checked and deliberately not recorded: its definition of health care professional lists twelve Acts and does not include the Pharmacy Practice Act, so it does not reach pharmacists, unlike the implicit bias section which names the Pharmacy Practice Act expressly. No hour retention period, no live or interactive minimum, no home study cap and no carryover rule appear in the rule text read, so those fields are null. ilga.gov refused the HTML fetch tool used here with a TLS certificate error and was read instead with an ordinary browser user agent over HTTPS; the same URLs render normally in a browser.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (State Board of Pharmacy) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.