RBT Application Attestation Form: Who Signs It and When
RBT attestation form: who can sign (yes/no table), worked 90- and 180-day dates, a signer checklist and the current BACB PDF link (v3/2025).
By Praxis Notes Team Editorial team
Published 13 min read
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The RBT attestation form, officially the BACB’s RBT Certification Application Attestation form, is a one-page form on which an active BCaBA, BCBA or FL-CBA at your organization confirms your age, education, background check and abuse registry check. They sign it no more than 90 days before you pay for your application (RBT Handbook, p. 3).
This page is for RBT applicants and for the BCBAs and BCaBAs asked to sign. It has a table of who can and can’t sign, the date limits worked through with an example, and a pre-signing checklist for each of you. For the whole path, see how to become an RBT; more certification guides are in Compliance & HIPAA.
What is the RBT attestation form?
The form exists because the application changed on January 2, 2025. Before that, an RBT Supervisor or RBT Requirements Coordinator logged into their own BACB account to confirm your age and background check, and you uploaded a transcript or diploma yourself. Now “a BCBA- or BCaBA-certified attestor” completes the form, and you no longer upload a diploma or name your future supervisor in the application (BACB Newsletter, October 2024, pp. 1-2). You upload the signed form with your application, along with your 40-hour training certificate and your completed Competency Assessment (Handbook, p. 5). The current form also accepts an FL-CBA as the signer.
Is there a 2026 version of the form?
No, there is no separate 2026 edition: the form the BACB links today is “Version 3/2025,” labelled “Effective January 2, 2025” (checked November 4, 2026). The BACB’s application processing updates page, headed “Updated November 4, 2026,” lists the required version as “RBT Certification Attestation Form 3/2025.” The BACB’s 2026 transition guidance says of the age, education and check requirements, “There are no changes to these requirements” (p. 1). For applicants, the 2026 changes were to the 40-hour training and the competency assessment.
Download the fillable PDF from the BACB link rather than a form-filler site, and check the version line at the bottom of the page. Search results also show a differently named form on those sites, titled “RBT Training and Competence Attestation for Alternative Pathway.” The Handbook’s document list (p. 38) names only the RBT Certification Application Attestation.
Who can sign the RBT attestation form?
The person who signs is called the Attesting Certificant, and they must meet three conditions:
- Hold an active BCaBA, BCBA (BCBA-D) or FL-CBA (form, section B).
- Be employed at the same organization as you, or have a contract with the organization that employs you (form, section B).
- Not be “related to, subordinate to, or employed by the applicant” (Handbook, p. 3).
Conditions 2 and 3 sound like they conflict, but they don’t. The signer may work with you at the same company. They may not work for you personally.
The BACB doesn’t list examples, so the table below applies those three conditions to common situations. It is our reading of the form and the Handbook.
| Person | Can sign? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| BCBA or BCaBA employed by your company | Yes | Meets all three conditions |
| BCBA contracted to your company | Yes | The form allows it; the contract “may be requested in the event of an audit” |
| FL-CBA at your organization | Yes | Listed on the form |
| The BCBA who manages you | Yes | “Subordinate to” the applicant means the signer reports to you, not the other way round |
| The BCBA who assesses your competency | Yes | Nothing on the form or in the Handbook bars one person from doing both |
| A BCBA at your company who is your parent, spouse or sibling | No | Related to the applicant |
| A BCBA who reports to you, or whom you employ (for example, you own the clinic) | No | Subordinate to, or employed by, the applicant |
| A friend, former supervisor or online course instructor at another company | No | No employment or contract tie to the organization that employs you |
| A BCBA whose certification is inactive or expired | No | The form requires an active certification |
| An RBT, lead RBT, HR manager or uncredentialed clinic director | No | Not a BCaBA, BCBA or FL-CBA. HR can confirm the checks, but a certificant signs |
Can my supervisor sign it?
Yes, your supervisor can sign if they hold an active BCaBA, BCBA or FL-CBA and meet the other two conditions, but the signer doesn’t have to be your supervisor. The BACB built the form for “the more common scenario” where the certificant who onboards you differs from the person who supervises you later (October 2024 newsletter, p. 1). The BACB’s 2025 RBT Application Update says the same: the Attesting Certificant “does not need to be the RBT Supervisor or RBT Requirements Coordinator” (p. 3). Your supervisor is added after you pass the exam, before you begin services (Handbook, p. 4).
What if you don’t have an employer yet?
You likely need an organization first, because the form asks for the “Name of organization where all parties are employed or have a contractual relationship” and offers no other route. That is our reading. The Initial Competency Assessment packet sets a similar same-organization requirement for your assessor (p. 1). If your situation doesn’t fit, ask through the BACB’s Contact Us form before you pay, because the $65 application fee is nonrefundable (Handbook, p. 6).
What does the attesting certificant confirm?
By signing, the attesting certificant confirms four facts about you and accepts one responsibility:
| Item on the form | What it says | What the signer fills in |
|---|---|---|
| Age | You are “at least 18 years of age” | Nothing beyond the signature |
| Education | “at least a high-school level education or equivalent” | Nothing beyond the signature |
| Criminal background check | You passed one “comparable to those required of home health aides, child care professionals, and/or teachers in the community” you will serve | The date, or the continuous monitoring option |
| Abuse registry check | You cleared one comparable to the same standard | The date, or “Unavailable” |
| Accuracy | Falsified or inaccurate information “constitutes a violation of the BACB’s ethics requirements” | Printed name, signature and date |
The form doesn’t cover your 40-hour training or competency assessment, which you upload separately. Fingerprinting is not required by the BACB, though it may vary by state and organization (Handbook, p. 3).
The signer doesn’t have to run the checks personally. If HR confirmed that you cleared both, the attestor may complete the form on two conditions: they are familiar with the organization’s vetting policies and processes, and they can provide documentation to support the attestation if the BACB audits it (form, Overview).
What if your organization uses continuous monitoring?
Continuous monitoring is an option only for the criminal background check, and the two BACB documents word it differently. The form asks for the date of the “initial background check.” The Handbook says “the date of the most recent result may be entered on the form, even if it falls outside the 180-day requirement” (p. 3). Our reading: tick the continuous monitoring option, enter the date the form’s field asks for, and keep the most recent result with the supporting documents. The abuse registry line has no continuous monitoring option.
How long is a signed attestation form valid?
A signed attestation form is good for 90 days: the attesting certificant must sign “no more than 90 days before paying for the RBT certification application” (Handbook, p. 3), and the BACB’s application update FAQ says “Forms older than 90 days will not be accepted” (p. 3). It isn’t the only clock on your application, and the others are easy to confuse with it:
| Clock | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Attestation form signature | No more than 90 days before paying | Handbook, p. 3; form |
| Criminal background check | No more than 180 days before paying, unless continuous monitoring | Handbook, p. 3; the form says within 180 days of submitting |
| Abuse registry check | No more than 180 days before paying | Handbook, p. 3; the form says within 180 days of submitting |
| Initial Competency Assessment | After the 40-hour training, no more than 90 days before submitting | Handbook, p. 3; packet, p. 2 |
| The application itself | Active for 90 days; after that you reapply and pay again | Handbook, p. 5 |
The BACB’s wording isn’t uniform. The Handbook counts the form from paying, the form’s check fields count from submitting, the Handbook’s own how-to-demonstrate column gives the signer’s confirmation 180 days before submitting, the update FAQ pairs “submitting an application and payment,” and the BACB’s application tips (updated June 29, 2026) say “within 90 days of applying.” Our reading: submit and pay online on the same day, and the difference disappears. Mailing a check, which the Handbook allows (p. 6), opens a gap between the two dates.
Fictional example: how a nine-day delay breaks the form
Dana (fictional) plans to pay on March 1, 2027. Counting back, her checks can’t be dated before September 2, 2026, and her form and competency assessment can’t be dated before December 1, 2026. Then her payment slips to March 10.
| Step | Date | Age on March 1 | Age on March 10 | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background and registry checks | Sept. 5, 2026 | 177 days | 186 days: too old | 180 |
| Attestation form signed | Jan. 20, 2027 | 40 days | 49 days | 90 |
| Competency assessment completed | Feb. 10, 2027 | 19 days | 28 days | 90 |
The form itself is still inside its 90 days, but the checks it reports have aged out. Our reading: Dana needs new checks and a newly dated and signed form. The 180-day clock can run out first when the checks were done at hiring and the rest of the application came later, so look at the check dates before anyone signs.
The Handbook says both the start and end dates count for the 40-hour training (p. 3), but it doesn’t say how to count these limits. Leave a few days of margin rather than paying on day 90 or day 180.
What if your state has no abuse registry?
If your state or province has no abuse registry, or the information is unavailable to organizations like yours, the signer indicates “Unavailable” on the form (Handbook, p. 3). The form states the same rule. Neither document lists which states qualify, so our reading is that the signer makes that call and should keep a note of what they found.
Don’t leave the line blank. The form says “All fields of this form must be completed. Incomplete forms will be denied.” The “Unavailable” option appears only on the abuse registry line, so the criminal background check still needs a date.
What should you check before the form is signed?
Go through both lists together before the signature goes on. We built them from the form’s fields and the Handbook’s rules.
Applicant:
- I created my own BACB portal account, and I have my BACB ID for the signer (Handbook, p. 4; form, section A).
- My legal name on the form matches the name in my BACB portal account (Handbook, p. 5).
- My signer meets all three conditions above.
- I know the day I will pay, and I have counted back 90 and 180 days from it.
- My 40-hour certificate and competency assessment will be ready within the form’s 90 days.
- The final file is a PDF or JPEG, the formats the application accepts (Handbook, p. 5).
- I saved a copy for myself (Handbook, p. 36).
Attesting certificant:
- My BCaBA, BCBA (BCBA-D) or FL-CBA is active.
- I am employed by, or contracted with, the organization that employs the applicant, and I can produce the contract if asked.
- I am not related to, subordinate to or employed by the applicant.
- I can support the age and education confirmations, or HR confirmed the checks and I know how the organization vets applicants.
- The background check is comparable to the community standard, and its date is within 180 days of the planned application, or the organization uses continuous monitoring.
- The abuse registry date is within 180 days, or “Unavailable” applies and I know why.
- Every field is complete: applicant’s legal name and BACB ID, my legal name, certification type and number, organization, employed or contracted, printed name, signature and date.
- My signature follows the BACB’s policy: electronic signatures are accepted, and any changes on a handwritten form are initialed (Handbook, p. 36).
- I have somewhere to keep the form and supporting documents for at least 7 years.
What happens if the BACB audits your attestation?
In an audit, the attesting certificant “may be required to provide documentation to support their attestation” (Handbook, p. 3), and a contracted signer may be asked for the contract (form, section B). The form says to keep “a copy of this completed form and the supporting documentation for at least 7 years.” It doesn’t name who keeps them. Our reading: the signer should keep the full set, and you should keep your own copy of the form.
The Handbook’s audit process graphic covers supervision (p. 21 points to it), and we found no published step-by-step process for attestation audits as of November 4, 2026. The consequences are stated, though:
- False information: the BACB can bar someone from the exam or invalidate a certification if they submitted “falsified, forged, or untrue information” (Handbook, p. 36). The Handbook’s examples include an application with false or misleading information.
- The signer: the form treats falsified or inaccurate information as a violation of BACB ethics requirements.
- No response: if someone doesn’t respond or comply with a BACB request, the BACB may take summary action such as suspension (Handbook, p. 37).
Is this the same as the competency or renewal attestation?
No, the application attestation form is a separate document from the attestation statement inside each competency assessment, and it isn’t part of renewal.
| Document | Who signs | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBT Certification Application Attestation | Attesting Certificant: active BCaBA, BCBA (BCBA-D) or FL-CBA | No more than 90 days before paying | Age, education and both checks |
| Initial Competency Assessment final attestation | Responsible assessor: BCaBA or BCBA who completed the 8-hour supervision training | After the 40-hour training, no more than 90 days before submitting | That you performed each task competently |
| Recertification Competency Assessment | Responsible assessor | Recertifying through December 31, 2026 | Your ongoing task performance |
| State Medicaid attestation (for example, New Mexico) | The practitioner and an agency official | When providing ABA under that state’s Medicaid program | State provider requirements |
An “RBT competency attestation form” most likely means the signed statement at the end of the assessment packet, where “the responsible assessor will sign and date the final attestation” (packet, p. 2). The renewal guide covers recertification. The Handbook’s recertification steps ask for the competency assessment and don’t list the attestation form (p. 28).
If you must apply again as a new applicant, you do need the attestation form, because “All documents must be submitted for each new application” (Handbook, p. 5).
Why do state Medicaid attestations share the name?
State Medicaid attestations share the word because “attestation” just means a signed statement, and some state programs use their own for providers. New Mexico’s MAD 878 (issued October 16, 2024), for example, has an already certified RBT or BCAT attest to state requirements, including a New Mexico criminal background registry check and at least four hours of autism training for RBTs. It doesn’t replace the BACB form, and the BACB form doesn’t replace it.
What if your attestation form is denied?
If the BACB doesn’t approve your application, you get feedback by email and as Action Items in your BACB portal account, and you resolve the next steps there (Handbook, p. 6). You have 90 days from submitting to meet the requirements. After that, you submit a new application and pay another $65 processing fee. An appeal, if you believe the rejection was an error, is due within 30 days of the determination (p. 6).
A new application needs all its documents again. Our reading: a form signed for the first application can only be reused if its signature is still within 90 days of the new payment and its check dates are still within 180. The BACB asks you to allow two weeks for processing (p. 6), so build that into your plan.
What to do next
Once the form is signed, finish the competency assessment if it isn’t done yet, then upload the form, assessment and 40-hour certificate together and pay. After approval, you schedule the exam (what to expect on RBT exam day). The same honesty the form asks of your signer is part of the RBT Ethics Code, covered in core ethical principles for RBTs. You can start studying now with the free RBT practice test on Praxis Learn.
Sources
Last checked on November 4, 2026.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. RBT Certification Application Attestation form. Version 3/2025, effective January 2, 2025.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Registered Behavior Technician Handbook. Updated 10/2026.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet. Version 01/2026, effective January 1, 2026.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Guidance for Meeting RBT Requirements During the 2026 Transition. Updated 08/2025.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. BACB Newsletter, October 2024.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. 2025 RBT Application Update: Overview and Resources. Updated 08/2025.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Application Processing Updates. Updated November 4, 2026.
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board. 5 Must-Know RBT Application Tips. Updated June 29, 2026.
- New Mexico Health Care Authority. MAD 878, RBT or BCAT Attestation. Issued October 16, 2024.
Reviewed by the Praxis Notes team on 2026-11-04.
