Texas Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Texas pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
After the initial renewal, a pharmacist license renews every two years and expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month. The completed application and fee must reach the board on or before that last day. A license can be renewed within 75 days of expiring; renewing after the expiration date costs one and a half times the fee for the first 90 days and twice the fee from 90 days to a year, and after a year the person must apply for a new license.
Summary
Texas pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. After the initial renewal, a pharmacist license renews every two years and expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month. The completed application and fee must reach the board on or before that last day. A license can be renewed within 75 days of expiring; renewing after the expiration date costs one and a half times the fee for the first 90 days and twice the fee from 90 days to a year, and after a year the person must apply for a new license. Texas also mandates specific subjects. Texas pharmacy laws or rules: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Human trafficking prevention training: required every renewal cycle. Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (pharmacists licensed on or after September 1, 2020, to be completed within the first year of licensure). Continuing education in disease states, drugs, and administration of immunizations or vaccinations: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations). Current Basic Cardiac Life Support for Health-Care Providers certification: required every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations). Pharmacist preceptor training: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (board certified pharmacist preceptors). The first renewal is exempt.
Texas 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 | Tied to the licensee's birth monthFirst renewal is prorated. |
| 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 | Passing the NAPLEX during the preceding license period as a Texas licensed pharmacist; Courses in an ACPE accredited professional or advanced pharmacy degree program, one credit hour for each year of the license period; Teaching such a course, once per license period; Basic CPR certification course, 1 contact hour once per license period; Initial ACLS or PALS certification course, 12 contact hours once per license period; ACLS or PALS recertification course, 4 contact hours once per license period; Attending a full public Texas State Board of Pharmacy business meeting, 3 contact hours, maximum 6 per license period; Participating in a Texas State Board of Pharmacy appointed task force, 3 contact hours; Programs or courses approved by another state board of pharmacy |
Rule 295.8 states the total both ways, as 30 contact hours and as 3.0 CEUs, and defines a CEU as 10 contact hours, so the two figures are the same requirement and hours_per_cycle is the contact hour number. The rule sets no live program minimum and no cap on home study or enduring materials: both live programs and home study count as approved programs. A newly licensed pharmacist is exempt from the general continuing education requirement during the initial license period, which runs from the date of licensure to the expiration date after the first 30 day renewal and can be 18 to 30 months long, but must still complete the controlled substance hours and the human trafficking prevention course in that period. There is no continuing education at all for the first 30 day renewal. Pharmacists not actively practicing can renew on inactive status with no hours reported, and reactivating requires 30 contact hours earned within the preceding two years, which cannot then be counted toward the next renewal. Continuing education ordered as part of a board disciplinary order is in addition to these 30 hours, not part of them. The board can grant an extension of up to one renewal period for disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances. These figures are the pharmacist requirement, not the pharmacy technician requirement.
Required CE topics for Texas pharmacists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas pharmacy laws or rulesCounts toward the 30 hours. The board states that general law, federal law, or another state's law course will not satisfy it: the course must be specific to Texas pharmacy laws or rules. | 1 contact hour | Every renewal | All licensees | 22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(A) |
| Human trafficking prevention trainingOne training course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission each renewal period. The board states this is an HHSC requirement and that it may or may not count toward the 30 hours depending on the course's accreditation, so no hour value is recorded. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | 22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(F); Tex. Occ. Code 116.002 |
| Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substancesTwo contact hours (0.2 CEU) due not later than the first anniversary of becoming licensed to practice pharmacy, so it falls in the initial license period rather than repeating each cycle. It counts toward the 30 hours. | 2 contact hours | One time | pharmacists licensed on or after September 1, 2020, to be completed within the first year of licensure | 22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(C); Tex. Health and Safety Code 481.07635 |
| Continuing education in disease states, drugs, and administration of immunizations or vaccinationsThree hours every two years, kept as documentation to maintain the authority to administer immunizations. This is an add on to the pharmacist license, not part of the base 30 hour total. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations | 22 TAC 295.15(c)(2)(B) |
| Current Basic Cardiac Life Support for Health-Care Providers certificationA certification rather than an hour count. Separately, Rule 295.8(e)(3) allows a pharmacist to claim one contact hour for completing a basic CPR course once per license period. | Not stated | Every renewal | pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations | 22 TAC 295.15(c)(2)(C) |
| Pharmacist preceptor trainingThree hours of pharmacist preceptor training from an ACPE approved provider within the pharmacist's current license renewal period to continue the certification. The training must be developed by a Texas college or school of pharmacy or approved by a committee of those schools or by the board; the Texas Consortium of Experiential Programs is the approving body. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | board certified pharmacist preceptors | 22 TAC 283.6(a)(2)(B)(ii) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 3 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Approved programs are live programs, home study, and other mediated instruction from a board approved provider, and the most common accreditation the board accepts is ACPE. Rule 295.8(e) also lists degree program courses, CPR and ACLS or PALS courses, board meetings and task forces, and programs approved by other state boards of pharmacy. Proof of an ACPE course must show the participant, the title and completion date, the provider, the contact hours or CEUs, the ACPE universal program number with a P designation, and either a dated certifying signature with the ACPE logo or the CPE Monitor logo. The rule defines CPE Monitor and the board links licensees to it, but the rule does not make CPE Monitor reporting itself mandatory. Hours are reported on the renewal application; certificates are not sent to the board unless requested, and must be kept for three years from the date they were reported. The board audits records and can require copies of all certificates for a specified license period. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Texas RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Texas pharmacists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Rule 295.8 states the total both ways, as 30 contact hours and as 3.0 CEUs, and defines a CEU as 10 contact hours, so the two figures are the same requirement and hours_per_cycle is the contact hour number. The rule sets no live program minimum and no cap on home study or enduring materials: both live programs and home study count as approved programs. A newly licensed pharmacist is exempt from the general continuing education requirement during the initial license period, which runs from the date of licensure to the expiration date after the first 30 day renewal and can be 18 to 30 months long, but must still complete the controlled substance hours and the human trafficking prevention course in that period. There is no continuing education at all for the first 30 day renewal. Pharmacists not actively practicing can renew on inactive status with no hours reported, and reactivating requires 30 contact hours earned within the preceding two years, which cannot then be counted toward the next renewal. Continuing education ordered as part of a board disciplinary order is in addition to these 30 hours, not part of them. The board can grant an extension of up to one renewal period for disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances. These figures are the pharmacist requirement, not the pharmacy technician requirement.
- How often does a Texas RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Texas renew every two years. After the initial renewal, a pharmacist license renews every two years and expires on the last day of the licensee's birth month. The completed application and fee must reach the board on or before that last day. A license can be renewed within 75 days of expiring; renewing after the expiration date costs one and a half times the fee for the first 90 days and twice the fee from 90 days to a year, and after a year the person must apply for a new license.
- What specific CE topics are required for Texas pharmacists?
- Texas pharmacy laws or rules: 1 contact hour every renewal cycle. Human trafficking prevention training: required every renewal cycle. Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (pharmacists licensed on or after September 1, 2020, to be completed within the first year of licensure). Continuing education in disease states, drugs, and administration of immunizations or vaccinations: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations). Current Basic Cardiac Life Support for Health-Care Providers certification: required every renewal cycle (pharmacists who administer immunizations or vaccinations). Pharmacist preceptor training: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (board certified pharmacist preceptors). Citations: texas pharmacy laws or rules (22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(A)), human trafficking prevention training (22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(F); Tex. Occ. Code 116.002), approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances (22 TAC 295.8(d)(1)(C); Tex. Health and Safety Code 481.07635), continuing education in disease states, drugs, and administration of immunizations or vaccinations (22 TAC 295.15(c)(2)(B)), Current Basic Cardiac Life Support for Health-Care Providers certification (22 TAC 295.15(c)(2)(C)), and pharmacist preceptor training (22 TAC 283.6(a)(2)(B)(ii)).
- Do Texas 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 3 years. Approved programs are live programs, home study, and other mediated instruction from a board approved provider, and the most common accreditation the board accepts is ACPE. Rule 295.8(e) also lists degree program courses, CPR and ACLS or PALS courses, board meetings and task forces, and programs approved by other state boards of pharmacy. Proof of an ACPE course must show the participant, the title and completion date, the provider, the contact hours or CEUs, the ACPE universal program number with a P designation, and either a dated certifying signature with the ACPE logo or the CPE Monitor logo. The rule defines CPE Monitor and the board links licensees to it, but the rule does not make CPE Monitor reporting itself mandatory. Hours are reported on the renewal application; certificates are not sent to the board unless requested, and must be kept for three years from the date they were reported. The board audits records and can require copies of all certificates for a specified license period.
- Is the first Texas RPh/PharmD renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Texas 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.
- Continuing Education, Pharmacists, Texas State Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Pharmacist Renewal, Texas State Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- New Pharmacist FAQ, Texas State Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Continuing Education, Preceptors, Texas State Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 295.8, Continuing Education RequirementsThird-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 295.7, Renewal of License to Practice PharmacyThird-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 295.15, Administration of Immunizations or Vaccinations by a PharmacistThird-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 283.6, Preceptor Requirements and Ratio of Preceptors to Pharmacist-InternsThird-party summary, accessed September 10, 2026
The 30 hour total, the one Texas law hour, the two controlled substance hours, the human trafficking course, the three year retention, and the audit are all stated on the board's own continuing education page, and the two year cycle ending on the last day of the birth month is stated on the board's pharmacist renewal and new pharmacist pages. The Texas Secretary of State moved the Texas Administrative Code off texreg.sos.state.tx.us to an Appian portal and statutes.capitol.texas.gov now renders through JavaScript, so neither returned rule or statute text to an automated client; the full rule text was read on Cornell LII and is cited as third_party_summary. One wrinkle: the board cites the human trafficking requirement as 295.8(d)(1)(F) and the controlled substance requirement as 295.8(d)(1)(C), while the Cornell mirror still letters them (D) and (B), which means Cornell is a revision behind on the subparagraph lettering. The substance matches, and the board's own lettering is used in the citations here. The board also publishes a Pharmacist Special Certification CE Requirements summary only as a PDF, which was not opened, so the add on requirements recorded here (immunization, preceptor) come from the rule text rather than that summary, and sterile compounding and drug therapy management certification requirements were not verified and are not recorded.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.