BCaBA Fieldwork Requirements 2027 vs. the BCBA Path
By the Ripley Fieldwork Tracker team · Published September 4, 2026 · Reviewed September 2, 2026 · 5 min read
BCaBA fieldwork is not a smaller version of BCBA fieldwork. Under the 2027 requirements, you need 1,300 supervised hours or 800 concentrated hours, a bachelor's degree rather than a master's, and your unrestricted-activity floor is 40% instead of 60%. The concentrated supervision percentage is 10%, not the 7.5% BCBAs get, and the concentrated multiplier is 1.3 rather than 1.33.
If you're tracking BCaBA hours using guidance written for BCBAs, several of those numbers are wrong for you. Here's the actual comparison.
How many fieldwork hours does a BCaBA need?
1,300 supervised hours, or 800 concentrated.
Both pathways to BCaBA certification, the accredited-degree route and the behavior-analytic coursework route, carry the same fieldwork requirement. You can accrue hours under supervised fieldwork, concentrated supervised fieldwork, or a combination of both. The monthly range is the same as the BCBA path: at least 20 hours and no more than 160 in a supervisory period.
What are the differences from the BCBA requirements?
Five numbers change. The unrestricted floor is the one that matters most day to day.
| Requirement | BCaBA (2027) | BCBA (2027) |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | Bachelor's or higher | Master's or higher |
| Supervised fieldwork hours | 1,300 | 2,000 |
| Concentrated fieldwork hours | 800 | 1,500 |
| Supervision, supervised fieldwork | 5% of hours | 5% of hours |
| Supervision, concentrated | 10% of hours | 7.5% of hours |
| Unrestricted activities | At least 40% of total | At least 60% of total |
| Concentrated multiplier | About 1.3 | About 1.33 |
| Observation per period | 60 min supervised / 90 min concentrated | 60 min supervised / 90 min concentrated |
| Individual supervision | At least 50% | At least 50% |
| Monthly hours | 20 to 160 | 20 to 160 |
The 40% unrestricted floor is the practical headline. A BCaBA candidate can spend up to 60% of total fieldwork on restricted activities, where a BCBA candidate is capped at 40%. If you're working as an RBT while accruing BCaBA hours, that extra room is meaningful, because direct therapy delivery is restricted work.
Note also that concentrated fieldwork asks for more supervision of BCaBA candidates than of BCBA candidates, at 10% versus 7.5%. It's the one place where the assistant-level pathway carries the higher bar.
What coursework and exam apply?
270 instructional hours on the coursework pathway, and the BCaBA exam.
On Pathway 2, the behavior-analytic coursework route, BCaBA candidates complete 270 instructional hours across foundations, methods, behavior assessment and intervention, organizational behavior management, and ethics. The BCBA equivalent is 315 hours. The coursework must be completed at the undergraduate level at the qualifying institution, within 10 years of the application year, with a passing grade in each course. The exam is based on the BCaBA Test Content Outline, 6th edition, which is in effect as of January 1, 2025.
What happens after certification?
You need a supervisor permanently, or your certification goes inactive.
This is the structural difference between the credentials, and it catches new BCaBAs off guard. A BCaBA must practice under the supervision of a qualified BCBA. Any BCaBA without a qualified supervisor on record with the BACB is considered inactive and may not practice or use the certification, including supervising RBTs, delivering the RBT 40-hour training, or completing RBT competency assessments.
Ongoing supervision after certification runs on its own rules: at least 5% of your behavior-analytic service hours supervised, contact at least once a month, and an observation with a client once a quarter. Group supervision is allowed with no more than 10 supervisees, and unlike fieldwork, there's no cap on how much of your supervision can be group-based.
Can I track BCaBA fieldwork in a BCBA tracker?
Often yes, but check which thresholds the tool enforces.
Most fieldwork trackers, including Ripley, were built around the BCBA requirement. The mechanics carry over cleanly: log hours by month, tag as restricted or unrestricted, record individual or group supervision, note observations, and generate the monthly form. What doesn't carry over automatically are the thresholds, because your hour total is 1,300 rather than 2,000, your unrestricted floor is 40% rather than 60%, and your concentrated multiplier is 1.3.
The Ripley Fieldwork Tracker is free and used by BCaBA candidates. Ripley is clear that its requirement calculations are built for the BCBA pathway and can't be adjusted. So the logging, the monthly summaries, and the verification forms work for you; the progress percentages are keyed to BCBA totals. Track your hours there and hold your own target numbers, or check Ripley's FAQ for the current state of BCaBA support before you rely on a progress bar.
FAQ
How many hours do I need for BCaBA certification? 1,300 supervised fieldwork hours, or 800 concentrated, or a qualifying combination of both.
Is the unrestricted requirement really lower than the BCBA's? Yes. At least 40% of your total fieldwork must be unrestricted, compared with 60% for BCBA candidates.
Why is the concentration of supervision higher for BCaBAs? The 2027 standards set a 10% concentration requirement for BCaBA candidates and 7.5% for BCBA candidates. Plan the higher percentage into concentrated months.
Do I need a supervisor after I'm certified? Yes. A BCaBA without a qualified supervisor on record is inactive and cannot practice or use the certification.
Which verification forms do I use? The 2027 Monthly and Final Fieldwork Verification Forms, in the individual-supervisor or multiple-supervisors-at-one-organization version that matches your setup.
Ripley is independent and is not affiliated with the BACB. Always verify requirements against current BACB documents.
Sources
- BACB: 2027 BCaBA Requirements
- BACB: 2027 BCBA Requirements
- BACB: BCaBA Handbook
- BACB: Documenting Fieldwork: Helpful Answers to Your FAQs
- BACB: BCBA Handbook
Ripley Fieldwork Tracker is a comprehensive, free online platform designed to simplify the process of tracking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) fieldwork hours for aspiring Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and their supervisors. With features like real-time progress dashboards, BACB-compliant verification forms, and support for multiple supervisors, Ripley simplifies the certification process with secure, cloud-based tools.