Nebraska Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Nebraska pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit).
Pharmacist licenses renew every two years. Every pharmacist license issued by the Department expires on January 1 of each even-numbered year and must be renewed by that date. The renewal fee is $178. A license may be placed on inactive status at any time instead of being renewed as active. Pharmacy technician registrations expire on January 1 of each odd-numbered year, so technician and pharmacist cycles are offset by a year.
Summary
Nebraska pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit). Pharmacist licenses renew every two years. Every pharmacist license issued by the Department expires on January 1 of each even-numbered year and must be renewed by that date. The renewal fee is $178. A license may be placed on inactive status at any time instead of being renewed as active. Pharmacy technician registrations expire on January 1 of each odd-numbered year, so technician and pharmacist cycles are offset by a year.
Nebraska 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, 01/01 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 | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Certification in a specialty through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, obtained or maintained during the renewal period, satisfies continuing competency in place of the 30 hours; Certification through the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators (NCBDE), obtained or maintained during the renewal period, satisfies continuing competency in place of the 30 hours |
The board states the requirement in hours, not CEUs: 30 continuing education hours from an approved provider during the 24 months before the license renewal date. That window matches the biennial renewal cycle. The regulation states no live or interactive minimum, no home study or online cap and no carryover provision. Instead of continuing education hours, either a Board of Pharmacy Specialties specialty certification or a National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators certification obtained or maintained during the renewal period satisfies continuing competency. There is no automatic first renewal exemption. Under the Uniform Credentialing Act the department may waive continuing competency requirements in whole or in part on documentation of circumstances beyond the licensee's control, and being first credentialed within the credentialing period immediately preceding the renewal date is one of the listed circumstances, so a first renewal waiver has to be requested rather than assumed. These figures are the pharmacist requirement; pharmacy technicians are registered separately under the same chapter on a different cycle and are not covered by this record.
Required CE topics for Nebraska pharmacists
The Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit) pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Hours must come from a provider the Board of Pharmacy has approved: the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the Nebraska Council on Continuing Pharmaceutical Education, Category 1 continuing education approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), or another provider that demonstrates the same quality standards as the ACPE Criteria for Quality and is approved by the Board of Pharmacy. The department instructs licensees not to send continuing education certificates in unless they are requested. Documentation of all continuing education completed for the renewal is kept for at least four years. The department or the board may biennially select a random sample of renewal applications for audit, licensees selected are notified by mail and must produce documentation, and a credential whose holder fails to comply with the audit expires thirty days after notice and an opportunity for a hearing. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Nebraska RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Nebraska pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit). The board states the requirement in hours, not CEUs: 30 continuing education hours from an approved provider during the 24 months before the license renewal date. That window matches the biennial renewal cycle. The regulation states no live or interactive minimum, no home study or online cap and no carryover provision. Instead of continuing education hours, either a Board of Pharmacy Specialties specialty certification or a National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators certification obtained or maintained during the renewal period satisfies continuing competency. There is no automatic first renewal exemption. Under the Uniform Credentialing Act the department may waive continuing competency requirements in whole or in part on documentation of circumstances beyond the licensee's control, and being first credentialed within the credentialing period immediately preceding the renewal date is one of the listed circumstances, so a first renewal waiver has to be requested rather than assumed. These figures are the pharmacist requirement; pharmacy technicians are registered separately under the same chapter on a different cycle and are not covered by this record.
- How often does a Nebraska RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Nebraska renew every two years. Pharmacist licenses renew every two years. Every pharmacist license issued by the Department expires on January 1 of each even-numbered year and must be renewed by that date. The renewal fee is $178. A license may be placed on inactive status at any time instead of being renewed as active. Pharmacy technician registrations expire on January 1 of each odd-numbered year, so technician and pharmacist cycles are offset by a year.
- Does Nebraska require specific CE topics for pharmacists?
- The Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit) does not list mandated subject areas for RPh/PharmD renewal on the pages we verified; the 30 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Nebraska pharmacists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 4 years. Hours must come from a provider the Board of Pharmacy has approved: the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the Nebraska Council on Continuing Pharmaceutical Education, Category 1 continuing education approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), or another provider that demonstrates the same quality standards as the ACPE Criteria for Quality and is approved by the Board of Pharmacy. The department instructs licensees not to send continuing education certificates in unless they are requested. Documentation of all continuing education completed for the renewal is kept for at least four years. The department or the board may biennially select a random sample of renewal applications for audit, licensees selected are notified by mail and must produce documentation, and a credential whose holder fails to comply with the audit expires thirty days after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
Sources
Last verified September 11, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Pharmacist, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure UnitState board page, accessed September 11, 2026
- 172 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 128 section 005, Continuing Competency (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 11, 2026
- 172 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 128 section 004, Renewal, Waiver of Continuing Education, and Inactive Status (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 11, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145, Continuing competency requirements, board, dutiesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-146, Continuing competency requirements, compliance, waiver, auditsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 11, 2026
The 30 hour total, the 24 month window, the January 1 even-year expiration, the four year retention, the random audit and the approved provider list all appear on the department's own pharmacist page, which is the official host, and the regulation text was confirmed on the Cornell LII mirror of 172 NAC 128 because Nebraska publishes that chapter only as a PDF. The PDF that was not opened is http://govdocs.nebraska.gov/epubs/H8310/R172.0128-2020.pdf. Nebraska's own rules site, rules.nebraska.gov, is a JavaScript application that serves the chapters as PDFs, and regulations.justia.com returned a Cloudflare challenge to every automated client. The board mandates no continuing education subjects for pharmacists, so mandatory_topics is empty. Worth flagging for cross-checking: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145(6) requires at least three hours of opioid prescribing continuing education biennially, but it lists nurse midwives, dentists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, podiatrists and veterinarians who prescribe controlled substances, and does not list pharmacists, so it is not carried into this record. Neither the regulation nor the department page mentions NABP CPE Monitor, so no CPE Monitor requirement is recorded. NAPLEX and MPJE appear as entry examinations for initial licensure and reciprocity and are not recorded as continuing education.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy (Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.