California psychologist hours requirements
California requires 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience, at least 1,500 of them postdoctoral. This ledger counts the 1,500 postdoctoral hours; predoctoral hours are kept on the internship ledger.
The short answer
Headline figures: Total supervised professional experience 3,000 hours.
Supervision: Supervision for 10% of the total time worked each week.
Time limit: Predoctoral hours count only after 48 semester or 72 quarter graduate units, through an APA-accredited or APPIC or CAPIC internship, an exempt setting, or registration.
Post-degree experience · Title while gaining experience: Registered Psychological Associate, or a trainee in an exempt setting or an APA, APPIC or CAPIC internship · Authority: Board of Psychology
Requirements
| Requirement | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total supervised professional experience | 3,000 hours One year is 1,500 hours. |
| Postdoctoral experience (minimum) | 1,500 hours The figure this ledger counts. |
| Hours credited per week (maximum) | 44 hours Including supervision. |
| Supervision | 10% of the time worked each week |
| Exams | EPPP Part 1 and the California Psychology Law and Ethics Exam EPPP Part 2 is not required. |
Supervision
- Supervision for 10% of the total time worked each week.
- At least 1 hour a week of face-to-face individual supervision with your primary supervisor.
- Your primary supervisor must be employed by the same setting.
Time limits
- Predoctoral hours count only after 48 semester or 72 quarter graduate units, through an APA-accredited or APPIC or CAPIC internship, an exempt setting, or registration.
- Each year of supervised professional experience must fall within 30 consecutive months, or within 60 months if all of it is postdoctoral.
- Registration has a cumulative cap of 72 months.
What Accrue checks
- Counts toward the 1,500 postdoctoral hours. Predoctoral hours are kept on the separate internship ledger.
- Credits at most 44 hours in any 7-day period.
- Warns when the supervision you have logged falls below 10% of all the time you have logged. It checks the running total, not each week.
- Warns when a 7-day period with logged experience has less than 1 hour of supervision. Any supervision you log counts toward that hour; Accrue does not check that it was individual, face-to-face or with your primary supervisor.
What Accrue does not check
- Each year of experience must fall within 30 consecutive months, or 60 months if all postdoctoral. Accrue does not check this.
- Accrue does not track the 72-month cumulative registration cap.
- Your primary supervisor must be employed by the same setting. Accrue does not check this.
- Plans to gain experience in private practice need prior Board approval. Accrue does not check this.
Common questions
- How many hours do you need for the LP in California?
- The cited rule sets total supervised professional experience 3,000 hours. Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1387(a), (b)(4), (b)(5), (b)(6); Board of Psychology website, psychology.ca.gov, checked September 16, 2026. Supervision and time limits also apply; see the sections above.
- What supervision does California require for the LP?
- Supervision for 10% of the total time worked each week. At least 1 hour a week of face-to-face individual supervision with your primary supervisor. Your primary supervisor must be employed by the same setting.
- Is there a time limit for LP hours in California?
- Predoctoral hours count only after 48 semester or 72 quarter graduate units, through an APA-accredited or APPIC or CAPIC internship, an exempt setting, or registration. Each year of supervised professional experience must fall within 30 consecutive months, or within 60 months if all of it is postdoctoral. Registration has a cumulative cap of 72 months.
- Does meeting these figures make me eligible?
- No. The Board of Psychology reviews your application and your supervisors' verifications and decides. Accrue keeps the record and shows how the cited rule applies to it.
Sources
Sources checked
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1387(a), (b)(4), (b)(5), (b)(6)
- Board of Psychology website, psychology.ca.gov
Accrue is a record-keeping aid and is not affiliated with any licensing board, accreditor or school. Rules change; confirm the requirements that apply to you with the authority that sets them before you rely on a figure.