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How to maintain your RRT credential (NBRC CMP)

Last verified: · Trust editorial

NBRC credentials like RRT and CRT are valid for five years. Maintain them through the Credential Maintenance Program: 30 CE hours (reducible to zero via quarterly assessments), retaking your highest exam, or earning a new NBRC credential. The CMP fee is $125 per cycle, billed $25 annually.

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How to maintain your RRT credential (NBRC CMP)

National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) · gettrustapp.com/renew/national/rrt-respiratory-therapist
NBRC credentials like RRT and CRT are valid for five years. Maintain them through the Credential Maintenance Program: 30 CE hours (reducible to zero via quarterly assessments), retaking your highest exam, or earning a new NBRC credential. The CMP fee is $125 per cycle, billed $25 annually.
At a glance
Cycle
5 years from the end of the month your credential was issued
Options
CE (up to 30 hrs) · retake your highest exam · earn a new NBRC credential
Fee
$125/cycle, billed $25/year (CE route only; exam routes pay the exam fee)
Grandfathered
Credentials earned before July 1, 2002 are exempt (lifetime)
Steps
  1. Check your expiration and CMP status
    Log into the NBRC Practitioner Portal. The CMP fee is $25 per year — unpaid years must be caught up before renewal.
  2. Pick your route
    CE (up to 30 hrs, less with quarterly assessments), retake the exam for your highest credential, or earn a new NBRC credential.
  3. Take the quarterly assessments to shrink CE
    Green zone scores drop your CE requirement to zero; yellow to 15; red or non-participation keeps you at 30.
  4. Submit CE anytime in the last 6 months
    CE applies from 6 months before expiration. Accepted CE: state-licensing-board-approved courses and AARC CRCE credits.
  5. Complete renewal before the end of your expiration month
    Save the confirmation to Trust alongside your state RT license.
Trust · Reviewed July 2026 · Verify current requirements at the board's official portal before renewing.
At a glance
Cycle
5 years from the end of the month your credential was issued
Options
CE (up to 30 hrs) · retake your highest exam · earn a new NBRC credential
Fee
$125/cycle, billed $25/year (CE route only; exam routes pay the exam fee)
Grandfathered
Credentials earned before July 1, 2002 are exempt (lifetime)

Requirements

NBRC gives you three routes, and one shortcut that makes the CE route much lighter.

Option 1 — CE + quarterly assessments (the smart default). Take NBRC's optional quarterly online assessments and your CE requirement scales with performance: Green zone = 0 CE hours. Yellow = 15. Red or non-participation = 30. A working RT who does well on the quarterlies can maintain the credential with zero CE. Accepted CE: state-licensing-board-approved courses and AARC CRCE credits.

Option 2 — Retake the exam for the highest credential you hold, in the final year of the cycle. Passing resets all your NBRC credentials for a fresh 5 years.

Option 3 — Earn a new NBRC credential (ACCS, NPS, SDS…) — automatically extends everything you hold 5 years and syncs the expiration dates. Career-advancers renew as a side effect.

Critical context: the NBRC credential is not your license. All 50 states now license RTs (Alaska became the 50th in June 2026; implementation pending), and state licenses carry separate CE. Two clocks.

How to renew, step by step

  1. 01
    Check your expiration and CMP status
    Log into the NBRC Practitioner Portal. The CMP fee is $25 per year — unpaid years must be caught up before renewal.
  2. 02
    Pick your route
    CE (up to 30 hrs, less with quarterly assessments), retake the exam for your highest credential, or earn a new NBRC credential.
  3. 03
    Take the quarterly assessments to shrink CE
    Green zone scores drop your CE requirement to zero; yellow to 15; red or non-participation keeps you at 30.
  4. 04
    Submit CE anytime in the last 6 months
    CE applies from 6 months before expiration. Accepted CE: state-licensing-board-approved courses and AARC CRCE credits.
  5. 05
    Complete renewal before the end of your expiration month
    Save the confirmation to Trust alongside your state RT license.

If you're late

Expired = stop using the credential immediately. The designations are trademarked; use after expiration violates NBRC ethics policy — and in most states, an expired NBRC credential jeopardizes the state license that requires it.

6-month grace: reinstate with CE earned during the original term (post-expiration CE does not count) plus a $250 reinstatement fee. Already-paid annual fees are void.

Past 6 months: re-apply and retest under current admission policies — every expired credential's exam, individually.

Frequently asked questions

Can I really renew with zero CE hours?
Yes — score in the green zone on NBRC's optional quarterly assessments and no CE is required. Red zone or skipping them keeps you at the full 30.
Is the CMP fee quarterly?
No — $25 per year, $125 per 5-year cycle. Quarterly refers to the assessments, not the billing.
Does earning my ACCS renew my RRT?
Yes — earning a new NBRC credential extends every credential you hold by 5 years and syncs their expiration dates.
My credential is from before 2002 — do I have to do this?
No. Credentials issued before July 1, 2002 are lifetime (except AE-C holders).
Is my NBRC credential my license?
No. All 50 states now license RTs separately, each with its own renewal and CE. Two clocks.

Last verified against National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) sources:

Sources — retrieved July 2026

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