New Jersey Physical Therapist Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
New Jersey physical therapist assistants must complete 30 credit hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs).
All physical therapist assistant licenses expire every two years on January 31 of an even-numbered year, regardless of the date of initial licensure, on the same schedule as physical therapist licenses. The biennial period runs February 1 through January 31.
Summary
New Jersey physical therapist assistants must complete 30 credit hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs). All physical therapist assistant licenses expire every two years on January 31 of an even-numbered year, regardless of the date of initial licensure, on the same schedule as physical therapist licenses. The biennial period runs February 1 through January 31. New Jersey also mandates specific subjects. Jurisprudence and professional ethics: 4 credit hours every renewal cycle. No more than 10 credit hours may be self-study or online.
New Jersey Physical Therapist Assistant 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, 01/31 each cycleFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 credit hours |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 10 credit hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Post-graduate course in a Doctor of Physical Therapy program (15 credits per course credit); Preparing and presenting a board-approved course (2 credits per hour of new presentation, 1 credit per hour when repeated, maximum 10 credits); Educational or scientific article published in a professional refereed journal (3 credits per article); CPR course or recertification (2 credits); Hands-on instrumentation demonstrations with didactic lectures (one-half credit per hour); Courses in physical therapy practice management (1 credit per hour) |
The board's Continuing Education page quotes N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(a): each applicant for biennial license renewal as a licensed physical therapist and as a licensed physical therapist assistant shall complete during the preceding biennial period a minimum of 30 credits of continuing education, which shall include four credits of jurisprudence and professional ethics. The physical therapist assistant requirement is identical to the physical therapist requirement, and the board's FAQ restates it for both credentials. New Jersey counts credits rather than contact hours. A maximum of 10 of the 30 credits may come from distance learning, meaning videotape, audiotape, computer media, internet, journal, or correspondence courses that end with an examination; live webinars are treated as contact courses, not distance learning. First-renewal treatment depends on when the license was issued: a licensee licensed in the first year of the biennium, February 1 of an even year through January 31 of the following odd year, completes 15 of the 30 credits, and a licensee licensed in the second year is exempt for that period under N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(b).
Required CE topics for New Jersey physical therapist assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurisprudence and professional ethicsFour of the 30 credits each biennial period. The jurisprudence portion must be a 1.5-credit Jurisprudence Assessment Module from a sponsor listed on the board's website; no other jurisprudence course satisfies it, though other approved jurisprudence courses count toward the remaining 26 credits. The ethics portion is any ethics course, live or distance learning, of 2.5 credits or more. A licensee renewing for the first time who already completed a Jurisprudence Assessment Module for licensure does not repeat it but still completes the 2.5-credit professional ethics course. | 4 credit hours | Every renewal | All licensees | N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(a) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Documentation is not sent to the board unless the licensee receives an official continuing education audit letter, and an audited licensee has 14 days from receipt to submit the documents. N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.4(a) requires licensees to retain continuing education documentation for at least four years following the license renewal. The board publishes approved continuing education course lists by biennial period and also accepts courses sponsored by the national APTA and the New Jersey chapter of the APTA; a course that was not pre-approved may still be credited if the board accepts it at audit. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a New Jersey PTA need to renew?
- New Jersey physical therapist assistants must complete 30 credit hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs). The board's Continuing Education page quotes N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(a): each applicant for biennial license renewal as a licensed physical therapist and as a licensed physical therapist assistant shall complete during the preceding biennial period a minimum of 30 credits of continuing education, which shall include four credits of jurisprudence and professional ethics. The physical therapist assistant requirement is identical to the physical therapist requirement, and the board's FAQ restates it for both credentials. New Jersey counts credits rather than contact hours. A maximum of 10 of the 30 credits may come from distance learning, meaning videotape, audiotape, computer media, internet, journal, or correspondence courses that end with an examination; live webinars are treated as contact courses, not distance learning. First-renewal treatment depends on when the license was issued: a licensee licensed in the first year of the biennium, February 1 of an even year through January 31 of the following odd year, completes 15 of the 30 credits, and a licensee licensed in the second year is exempt for that period under N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(b).
- How often does a New Jersey PTA license need to be renewed?
- Physical Therapist Assistant licenses in New Jersey renew every two years. All physical therapist assistant licenses expire every two years on January 31 of an even-numbered year, regardless of the date of initial licensure, on the same schedule as physical therapist licenses. The biennial period runs February 1 through January 31.
- What specific CE topics are required for New Jersey physical therapist assistants?
- Jurisprudence and professional ethics: 4 credit hours every renewal cycle. Citations: jurisprudence and professional ethics (N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(a)).
- Do New Jersey physical therapist assistants 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. Documentation is not sent to the board unless the licensee receives an official continuing education audit letter, and an audited licensee has 14 days from receipt to submit the documents. N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.4(a) requires licensees to retain continuing education documentation for at least four years following the license renewal. The board publishes approved continuing education course lists by biennial period and also accepts courses sponsored by the national APTA and the New Jersey chapter of the APTA; a course that was not pre-approved may still be credited if the board accepts it at audit.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education, New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions, New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Verified rather than assumed: the board's Continuing Education page quotes N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.2(a) naming licensed physical therapists and licensed physical therapist assistants in the same sentence at 30 credits including four of jurisprudence and professional ethics, and the FAQ answers the same question with both credentials named. The FAQ also states that all physical therapy and physical therapist assistant licenses expire every two years on January 31 of an even-numbered year, the 10-credit distance-learning cap, the first-year and second-year proration rules, the four-year retention under N.J.A.C. 13:39A-9.4(a), and the 14-day audit response window. New Jersey licenses rather than certifies physical therapist assistants and the fee schedule lists a separate physical therapist assistant license fee. The Division of Consumer Affairs site sits behind a bot wall that returns block pages to every automated client, so both pages were opened and read in a browser; they are recorded in data/licensure/link-verified-exceptions.json. exempt_first_renewal is null because the answer depends on which year of the biennium the license was issued and both cases are described in the notes. Carryover is not addressed on the pages read.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Division of Consumer Affairs) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.