BACB Monthly Verification Form 2027: Every Field Explained
By the Ripley Fieldwork Tracker team · Published September 2, 2026 · 4 min read
The Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form (M-FVF) is the BACB document that turns a month of work into countable hours. It records your total hours, the restricted/unrestricted split, the supervision percentage, the observation, and the individual-versus-group breakdown for one supervisory period, and your supervisor signs to attest it's all accurate. Missing, incomplete, or unsigned M-FVFs are the number-one fieldwork audit failure, which is why this one form deserves its own walkthrough.
Complete it correctly every month and an audit is a non-event. Get sloppy and a month of real work disappears.
What is the M-FVF and why does it matter?
It's the monthly attestation that your hours and supervision met the standard.
Fieldwork hours don't count just because you worked them; they count because they're documented on a signed verification form. The M-FVF is that document, completed once per supervisory period (typically monthly). The BACB is explicit that incomplete forms cause the month's hours to be lost, so this isn't paperwork you can be casual about. It's the difference between "I did 130 hours" and "I have 130 verified, defensible hours."
What fields are on the Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form?
Your hours, the activity split, the supervision details, and both parties' attestation.
Every version of the form captures the same core data. Here's what each field is really checking.
| Field | What it records | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Trainee & supervisor info | Names, credentials, BACB IDs | Supervisor not actually qualified/active |
| Supervisory period | The month being verified | Wrong month or overlapping periods |
| Total hours | Hours accrued that month | Logging over the cap; under the 20-hour floor |
| Restricted vs. unrestricted | The 60/40 activity split | Miscategorizing direct therapy as unrestricted |
| Supervision percentage | Supervised hours ÷ total | Falls below 5% (standard) / 7.5% (concentrated, 2027) |
| Observation | Real-time client observation | Under 60 min standard / 90 min concentrated |
| Individual vs. group | The 50% individual minimum | All-group month |
| Signatures & date | Trainee and supervisor attestation | Unsigned, or signed past the deadline |
When does the M-FVF have to be signed?
By the last day of the calendar month after the supervision month.
A March form must be signed by the end of April. This deadline is one of the most overlooked fields on the whole form: the work can be perfect, but a signature dated two months late creates a defect. Both you and your supervisor must keep copies for at least seven years, so storing the signed PDF somewhere durable is part of completing it, not an afterthought.
What are the most common M-FVF mistakes that cost hours?
Incompleteness, late signatures, and numbers that don't meet the minimums.
- Leaving a field blank. The BACB discards hours for incomplete forms. Every field, every month.
- Signing late or not at all. Past the end-of-next-month deadline, the month is exposed.
- A supervision percentage that comes up short. Below 5% standard or 7.5% concentrated (2027) and the month may not count.
- Missing the observation. No qualifying real-time observation of the required duration means an incomplete month.
- Miscategorizing activities. Counting restricted therapy as unrestricted to flatter the 60/40 split is exactly what an audit unwinds.
Four of those five are clerical, not clinical, which is the frustrating part. People lose real hours to a blank box or a missed signature, not to bad work.
How do I make sure my M-FVF is always complete and on time?
Generate it from your logged hours instead of filling it in from memory.
The reliable fix is to never transcribe an M-FVF by hand at month's end. When the form is built directly from the hours and supervision you logged as you went, the totals, percentages, and splits are already correct and internally consistent; there's nothing to mistype and no field to forget. The Ripley Fieldwork Tracker produces a BACB-compliant verification form populated from your monthly entries, flags a month whose supervision percentage falls short before you send it for signature, and gives your supervisor a clean form to sign on time. The form stops being the scary part of fieldwork and becomes a download.
FAQ
What happens if my M-FVF is incomplete? The BACB can disallow that month's hours entirely. Complete every field before submitting.
Who signs the M-FVF? Your qualifying supervisor (the responsible supervisor, if multiple at one organization), attesting the month is accurate. You sign as well.
When is it due? By the last day of the calendar month following the supervision month.
How long do I keep it? At least seven years; both you and your supervisor retain copies.
Is there more than one version of the form? Yes. The BACB publishes separate versions for an individual supervisor and for multiple supervisors at one organization, plus updated 2027 versions. Use the one matching your setup and standard.
Ripley is independent and is not affiliated with the BACB. Always verify requirements against current BACB documents.
Sources
- BACB: Documenting Fieldwork: Helpful Answers to Your FAQs
- BACB: 2027 Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form (Individual Supervisor)
- BACB: FAQs About Supervised Fieldwork Requirements
- 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.