South Carolina Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
South Carolina pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation).
A pharmacist license expires every year on April 30. The renewal application, fees, and the continuing education certification must reach the board before April 1 if mailed, otherwise a fifty dollar penalty is assessed. A license not renewed before May 1 is lapsed, and practicing on a lapsed license is practicing without a license.
Summary
South Carolina pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). A pharmacist license expires every year on April 30. The renewal application, fees, and the continuing education certification must reach the board before April 1 if mailed, otherwise a fifty dollar penalty is assessed. A license not renewed before May 1 is lapsed, and practicing on a lapsed license is practicing without a license. South Carolina also mandates specific subjects. Approved procedures for monitoring controlled substances in Schedules II, III, and IV: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Drug therapy or patient management: 7.5 contact hours every renewal cycle. Administration of vaccinations: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer vaccinations). Hormonal contraceptives, Pharmacy Access Protocol: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (pharmacists who dispense self administered or administer injectable hormonal contraceptives under the Pharmacy Access Protocol). Excess hours carry over to the next cycle and the first renewal is exempt.
South Carolina 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 | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 04/30 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 15 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B) requires each licensed pharmacist to complete fifteen hours each license year, and both the statute and the board's continuing education page state the same total as 1.5 CEUs, so the hour figure and the CEU figure describe one requirement rather than two. Hours must be ACPE accredited continuing pharmacy education or Category I continuing medical education, or a mix of the two. At least fifty percent of the total, that is 7.5 hours, must be in drug therapy or patient management. Excess hours carry forward for credit in the next license year only, and the statute sets no numeric cap on the amount carried, so carryover_max_hours is left null. Pharmacists newly licensed by examination or by license transfer are exempt from continuing education for the first renewal period. The board may also exempt a pharmacist enrolled in an approved pharmacy postgraduate degree program on application with a current transcript. South Carolina had a minimum in person continuing education requirement, but 2021 Act No. 48 Section 2 deleted it from 40-43-130(B), so there is now no live hour minimum and no cap on home study. These figures are the pharmacist requirement: pharmacy technicians need ten hours a year under 40-43-130(G) and that number was not used here.
Required CE topics for South Carolina pharmacists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approved procedures for monitoring controlled substances in Schedules II, III, and IVCounts toward the fifteen hour annual total. The board's continuing education page states it as at least one hour of ACPE continuing education. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All licensees | S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B) |
| Drug therapy or patient managementStated as at least fifty percent of the total number of hours required, which the board's continuing education page renders as 7.5 hours of the fifteen. | 7.5 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B) |
| Administration of vaccinationsNo less than one hour each license year regarding administration of vaccinations, taken as part of the current continuing education requirement rather than in addition to it. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | pharmacists who administer vaccinations | S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-190(B)(5) |
| Hormonal contraceptives, Pharmacy Access ProtocolThe board's FAQ states that to maintain eligibility a pharmacist must complete at least one hour of continuing education per year approved by the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Pharmacy, ACPE or CME Category 1 accredited, and that this hour is included in the total of fifteen hours annually and not in addition to it. Pharmacists dispensing contraceptives only against patient specific prescriptions in the normal course of practice do not need it. The hour figure comes from the joint protocol described on the board site, not from Chapter 43 itself. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | pharmacists who dispense self administered or administer injectable hormonal contraceptives under the Pharmacy Access Protocol | S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-240 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Courses must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or be Category I continuing medical education. A statement certifying completion is submitted as part of the annual renewal application and no active renewal issues without it. The board audits the continuing education credits of ten percent of active pharmacists, randomly selected. Licensees must hold an NABP e-Profile ID for the NABP CPE Monitor service, which the board uses to conduct those audits. The statute and board pages read here do not state a record retention period for certificates. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a South Carolina RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- South Carolina pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B) requires each licensed pharmacist to complete fifteen hours each license year, and both the statute and the board's continuing education page state the same total as 1.5 CEUs, so the hour figure and the CEU figure describe one requirement rather than two. Hours must be ACPE accredited continuing pharmacy education or Category I continuing medical education, or a mix of the two. At least fifty percent of the total, that is 7.5 hours, must be in drug therapy or patient management. Excess hours carry forward for credit in the next license year only, and the statute sets no numeric cap on the amount carried, so carryover_max_hours is left null. Pharmacists newly licensed by examination or by license transfer are exempt from continuing education for the first renewal period. The board may also exempt a pharmacist enrolled in an approved pharmacy postgraduate degree program on application with a current transcript. South Carolina had a minimum in person continuing education requirement, but 2021 Act No. 48 Section 2 deleted it from 40-43-130(B), so there is now no live hour minimum and no cap on home study. These figures are the pharmacist requirement: pharmacy technicians need ten hours a year under 40-43-130(G) and that number was not used here.
- How often does a South Carolina RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in South Carolina renew every year. A pharmacist license expires every year on April 30. The renewal application, fees, and the continuing education certification must reach the board before April 1 if mailed, otherwise a fifty dollar penalty is assessed. A license not renewed before May 1 is lapsed, and practicing on a lapsed license is practicing without a license.
- What specific CE topics are required for South Carolina pharmacists?
- Approved procedures for monitoring controlled substances in Schedules II, III, and IV: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Drug therapy or patient management: 7.5 contact hours every renewal cycle. Administration of vaccinations: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer vaccinations). Hormonal contraceptives, Pharmacy Access Protocol: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle (pharmacists who dispense self administered or administer injectable hormonal contraceptives under the Pharmacy Access Protocol). Citations: approved procedures for monitoring controlled substances in Schedules II, III, and IV (S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B)), drug therapy or patient management (S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-130(B)), administration of vaccinations (S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-190(B)(5)), and hormonal contraceptives, Pharmacy Access Protocol (S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-240).
- Do South Carolina 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. Courses must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or be Category I continuing medical education. A statement certifying completion is submitted as part of the annual renewal application and no active renewal issues without it. The board audits the continuing education credits of ten percent of active pharmacists, randomly selected. Licensees must hold an NABP e-Profile ID for the NABP CPE Monitor service, which the board uses to conduct those audits. The statute and board pages read here do not state a record retention period for certificates.
- Is the first South Carolina RPh/PharmD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. South Carolina does not require continuing education for a RPh/PharmD's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40 Chapter 43, South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act (Sections 40-43-110, 40-43-130, 40-43-190, 40-43-240)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Continuing Education, South Carolina Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions, South Carolina Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Renewals, South Carolina Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
Annual April 30 expiration, the April 1 mailing deadline, the May 1 lapse, the fifteen hour annual total, the fifty percent drug therapy or patient management split, the one controlled substance hour, carryover of one year, the first renewal exemption, and the ten percent random audit were all read in S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-110 and 40-43-130 on the state legislature site and repeated on the board's own continuing education page. The immunization hour is 40-43-190(B)(5). The one hour contraceptive requirement for pharmacists working under the Pharmacy Access Protocol appears on the board's FAQ rather than in Chapter 43: the statute at 40-43-240 leaves education requirements to the joint Board of Medical Examiners and Board of Pharmacy protocol. A separate figure of thirty hours appears on the board FAQ, but it belongs to reactivating an inactive license, which under 40-43-110(C) is the fifteen hour renewal requirement plus an additional fifteen hours; it is not the annual renewal total and was not recorded as such. No record retention period for certificates was found in the statute or on the board pages. The board's topic key controlled_substances and the keys pharmacotherapy, immunization, and contraception are used here; contraception is not in the canonical list in the brief and is a new short snake_case key.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy (South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.