Home / New Mexico CE requirements
Speech-language pathology CE requirements in New Mexico: what SLPs need to renew
New Mexico needs 20 hours every two years, in your field, earned inside the renewal period. The board keeps no provider list, so ask it before you count a course. Our summary of 16.26.5 NMAC is below.
These are the speech-language pathology CE New Mexico rules for renewing your license, from the Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing Practices Board and other official state sources. Below are free courses you can use.
Last checked Nov 8, 2026.
Find courses by need
Twenty-eight states have their own page so far. For the rest, the picker takes you to all courses. Check with your state board before you count a course.
Details
This page is our summary of New Mexico's rules. Text in quotation marks is the exact wording of 16.26.5 NMAC (the version effective July 15, 2025) or 16.26.4 NMAC (the renewal rule version we read).
The hours are in 16.26.5.9 NMAC. "The board requires 20 hours of continuing education every two years." You can spread them over the two years or earn them all in one year. They "must be in the field of licensure, or in a related field if justified to the board office." ASHA counts 0.1 CEU as 1 hour, so 2.0 ASHA CEUs equal 20 hours of ASHA time. Whether a course counts is the board's call: "The board shall be the final authority on acceptance of any educational activity submitted by a licensee to meet the continuing education requirement."
Earn the hours inside your renewal period. 16.26.5.11 NMAC says "Continuing education taken prior to the renewal period will not be accepted." Extra hours do not carry over: "Beginning January 30, 2009 the board will no longer allow carry over hours."
The renewal rule we read, 16.26.4.8 NMAC, says licensees "shall apply for license renewal biennially on or before January 30 of the renewal year." That is the 2020 text on srca.nm.gov, and we have not confirmed it is the latest. 16.26.5.2 NMAC still says "annually renew," so ask the board for your renewal date and the years your period covers.
What the rule says about providers. 16.26.5.10 NMAC says "The board or board office will approve professional education activities sponsored or approved by a national or state professional association of speech-language pathologists" (the rule also names audiologists and hearing aid dispensers). It does not say how courses from ASHA Approved CE Providers are treated. 16.26.5.11 NMAC says "The Board does not maintain a list of continuing education providers. The licensee must determine where to obtain the required continuing education." Other programs "must be submitted to the board office prior to approval." Ask the board before you count a course.
Keep your proof. The board audits a percentage of renewals each year. If you are not audited, you sign an affidavit, and 16.26.5.11 NMAC says attendance records and agendas "should be retained by the licensee for a minimum of two years immediately preceding the current renewal." Keep "contact information for the provider of each course" too. If you are selected for audit, the board emails you and sets a deadline.
First renewal? 16.26.5.9 NMAC says the hours "may be prorated by the board office." A licensee whose next renewal comes less than 12 months after the license was issued earns one hour per month, up to 10 clock hours. Ask the board office how it applies to you.
No required ethics topic appears in 16.26.5.9 NMAC. If you also hold an audiology or hearing aid dispensing license, you need 20 hours every two years in each field. This page covers the standard SLP license, not assistants, clinical fellows or apprentices.
We read 16.26.5 NMAC as published in the New Mexico Register, Volume XXXVI, Issue 13, July 15, 2025, and 16.26.4 NMAC on srca.nm.gov. We checked both on Nov 8, 2026.
Find free CEUs for your 20 hours.
Need ethics hours for ASHA or your license? Start with the 12 free ethics CEUs for SLPs, then check them against the rules above.
Also licensed in Texas or California?
Free courses to look at
4 courses. Checked as listed. Offers change, so confirm on the course page before you start.
New Mexico's rule approves activities sponsored or approved by a national or state professional association and does not say how ASHA Approved CE Provider courses are treated. Every course below was listed for ASHA CEUs when we checked it. Topic matches are yours to judge, and the board has the final say. Confirm with the board before you count one.
ASHA counts hours and CEUs. 1 hour is 0.1 CEU, so ASHA’s 30 hours is 3.0 CEUs. New Mexico’s rules above are in hours. Those are the ones that apply to your license.
About ableU rows. ableU courses are free to take. For ASHA reporting, see ableU's FAQ.
| Course | Provider | Length | Credit | Price | Topic match | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diverse and Ethical Representation in AACCovers AAC, plus bilingual and culturally responsive practice. On demand from ableU (AbleNet).ableU note aboveSuggested: ethics | ableU (AbleNet) | 1 hr | 0.1 CEU | Free | Ethics | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Bilingual AAC at HomeCovers AAC, plus bilingual and culturally responsive practice. On demand from ableU (AbleNet).ableU note aboveSuggested: Content Area 2 | ableU (AbleNet) | 1 hr | 0.1 CEU | Free | Cultural responsiveness | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Feeding and Swallowing in the SchoolsCovers feeding and swallowing, plus school-based practice. On demand from ableU (AbleNet).ableU note above | ableU (AbleNet) | 1 hr | 0.1 CEU | Free | No specific topic | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Making the Shift: Prioritizing Communication in Stuttering TherapyCovers fluency. On demand from ableU (AbleNet).ableU note above | ableU (AbleNet) | 1 hr | 0.1 CEU | Free | No specific topic | Oct 19, 2026 |
Rows marked Suggested are our read of the course page or ASHA's course listing. By topic means only the topic matches ASHA's list. You decide if a course fits a content area. See ASHA's content areas.
ASHA is separate
Your license and your ASHA CCC have separate rules. ASHA wants 30 hours every 3 years, including 1 hour in ethics and 2 hours in cultural responsiveness, self-reflection or collaboration. Here's how ASHA maintenance works.
Dec 31 renewal checklist
Is your ASHA interval ending Dec 31, 2026?
- 30 professional development hours in your 3-year interval. That is 3.0 ASHA CEUs.
- 1 hour in ethics. 12 free ethics courses on our list.
- 2 hours in cultural responsiveness, self-reflection or collaboration (ASHA's Content Area 2). 28 free courses with a topic match on our list.
- Your Compliance Form by Dec 31. If all 30 hours are on the ASHA CE Registry, it is sent for you. ASHA on the form.
- Your New Mexico license has its own hours and deadline. They are at the top of this page.
- Short on time? See the free CEUs you can still finish before Dec 31.
Takes you to the signup box on this page. One email each Tuesday. Unsubscribe anytime.
SLP CreditsTuesdays
Want the next free ones on Tuesday?
Free courses come and go. Each Tuesday we send the free ones we checked that week.
Next email: Tuesday morning.
Takes you to the signup box on this page. Unsubscribe anytime.
Log each course you finish and see where you stand on your 30 hours.
See the tracker previewQuestions
When are New Mexico SLP CE hours due?
Before you renew, and earned inside the renewal period (16.26.5.11 NMAC). You need 20 hours every two years under 16.26.5.9 NMAC. The renewal rule we read, 16.26.4.8 NMAC, says January 30, but 16.26.5.2 NMAC still says "annually renew," so ask the board for your date.
Is ethics required in New Mexico?
No set ethics hour in 16.26.5.9 NMAC. The hours have to be in your field of licensure.
Do ASHA courses count in New Mexico?
Not confirmed. 16.26.5.10 NMAC approves activities sponsored or approved by a national or state professional association, and the board keeps no list of providers (16.26.5.11 NMAC). The rule does not say how an ASHA Approved CE Provider course is treated, so ask the board before you count one.
Can online courses count?
The rule does not ban them. 16.26.5.10 NMAC lists how a sponsor verifies completion of a self study program as part of course approval. The sponsor or approver still has to fit the rule.
How long do I keep my proof?
At least two years immediately preceding your current renewal, per 16.26.5.11 NMAC, with the provider's contact information. The board audits a percentage of renewals each year.
Sources
- 16.26.5 NMAC Continuing Education (New Mexico Register, July 15, 2025)
- 16.26.4 NMAC Renewal of Licenses (version we read)
- ASHA: what are ASHA CEUs
- ASHA maintaining your certification
Courses checked Oct 19 to 21, 2026. New Mexico rules checked Nov 8, 2026. ASHA rules checked Oct 19, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with ASHA or your board before you count on anything here.