ABPN CME Requirements for Psychiatrists (2026): 90 Credits, 16 SA-CME, PIP, Patient Safety

If you passed an ABPN certification or recertification exam in 2012 or later, you hold a time-limited certificate and are automatically enrolled in the ABPN Continuing Certification (CC) Program, formerly called Maintenance of Certification (MOC) [1][2]. Keeping that certificate means meeting a fixed set of requirements every 3-year block, plus an assessment every 10 years (or the article-based alternative) [2][3].

Everything here was checked against abpn.org on 2026-08-21; ABPN’s CC FAQ is dated April 2026 [2]. Holders of non-time-limited (“lifetime”) certificates are not required to participate, but may opt in [1][3].

Requirements at a glance (per 3-year CC block)

Requirement	Amount	Must be ABPN-approved?	Detail page
Category 1 CME	90 credits (average 30/year); includes the SA-CME below [2][3][4]	No, any Category 1 credit relevant to your practice [3][4]	this page
Self-Assessment CME (SA-CME)	16 credits, counted within the 90 [2][3][5]	Yes, from the ABPN Approved CC Activities List [3][5]	Self-Assessment CME guide
Performance in Practice (PIP)	1 activity (clinical module or feedback module) [3][6]	Yes [3]	PIP activity guide
Patient Safety Activity	1, one-time only, if your first CC block began in 2017 or later [7]	Yes, or institution/state-mandated [7]	Patient Safety activity guide
Medical license	Active, full, unrestricted, at all times [8]	n/a	this page
Annual fee	$175 (one certificate), $240 (two), $310 (three or more), due December 31 [9]	n/a	this page
Assessment	CC exam every 10 years, or 20 article exams per certification per 3-year block (ABCC) [10][11]	n/a	ABCC vs. exam guide
Attestation	Log in to the Physician Portal and attest to completed activities annually [2][3]	n/a	this page

One set of activity requirements (CME, SA, PIP) covers all the ABPN certificates you hold; you do not repeat them per certificate [2][3]. The assessment (exam or ABCC) is per certificate [11].

How the 3-year block is defined

ABPN organizes CME, SA-CME, and PIP into rolling 3-year blocks “beginning the first year after a diplomate’s initial certification award date” [11]. Deadlines are posted in your Physician Portal account [3]. For ABCC article exams, and by extension the block, the deadline is December 31 of the last year of the block [11]. ABPN’s own patient safety example uses the same convention: a diplomate who recertified in 2022 has a first CC block of 2023–2025 [7].

Two rules follow from this:

No carry-over. Credit “must be obtained within the designated time frame of a diplomate’s current three-year CC cycle. Excess credit during the current three-year cycle, or completed prior to this period, cannot be applied toward future CC Program requirements” [3]. The same applies to surplus ABCC article exams [2][11].
Yearly averages are only a guide. ABPN states the CME requirement as “an average of 30 … CME credits per year, averaged over three years” [4]. The enforceable number is 90 per block; you can front-load or back-load within it.

Requirement 1: 90 Category 1 CME credits

You need 90 specialty and/or subspecialty CME credits per block [2][3]. Any Category 1 credit relevant to your field of practice counts, and the activity does not need ABPN approval [3][4]. CME completed for one specialty or subspecialty satisfies the requirement for any other you hold [4].

ABPN accepts three credit types [4]:

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit, issued by providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or an ACCME-recognized state medical society [12];
AOA Category 1-A credit (American Osteopathic Association);
Category 1 credit from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

The AMA/ACCME glossary defines AMA PRA Category 1 Credit as the credit “physicians earn by participating in certified activities sponsored by CME providers accredited by either the ACCME or an ACCME-recognized State/Territory Medical Society” [12]. The AMA also awards Category 1 credit directly for completing an ABMS board’s continuing certification process [13]; ABPN says diplomates can claim 60 such credits after a 3-year cycle ends, once per cycle [4]. Those credits arrive after the block closes, so they cannot satisfy the block that generated them.

Your 16 SA-CME credits count toward the 90, so in practice you need 74 credits of “ordinary” CME plus 16 SA-CME [3].

Requirement 2: 16 Self-Assessment CME credits

Self-Assessment CME is “a specific type of CME activity that assist physicians in recognizing their current knowledge base in order to identify specific topics for gaining further knowledge” [5]. ABPN reduced this requirement from 24 to 16 credits per block [5].

Unlike general CME, SA activities must come from the ABPN Approved CC Activities List, “since not all Category 1 CME activities meet specific Self-Assessment activity requirements” [3][5]. Two alternatives exist:

ABCC pathway. Diplomates who complete their block’s article exams automatically satisfy the 16 SA-CME credits for that block [3][11]. This does not apply to a “catch-up” block [11].
Non-CME SA options (exam pathway only). Eight SA credits are waived for each of up to two activity types, such as passing an ABPN exam during the block, lead-authoring a MEDLINE-indexed peer-reviewed article, or participating in an approved registry [3][5]. These are not CME and are not recognized by state licensing boards [11].

Requirement 3: One Performance in Practice (PIP) activity

One PIP activity is required per block, and only for diplomates who are clinically active or provide consultative care [3][6]. You choose one of two modules [6]:

Clinical module: review your own charts on a specific topic;
Feedback module: collect feedback on your performance from peers or patients.

Either way there are three steps, initial assessment, an improvement plan you implement, and reassessment, all within the block [3][6]. ABPN never collects patient data [3]. Approved institutional QI projects, registries, and the ABMS Portfolio Program also earn PIP credit [2]. Full details: PIP activity guide.

Requirement 4: One patient safety activity (one-time)

If your first CC block began in 2017 or later, you must complete one patient safety activity once, within the three years before or the three years after entering the CC Program [7]. Options include an activity required by your hospital or training program, an item on the Approved CC Activities List, an activity required for state licensure, or ACGME residency patient safety training attested by your program director [7]. Attest in the Physician Portal; keep documentation in case of audit [7]. See Patient Safety activity guide.

Requirement 5: Licensure and professional standing

You must “at all times, hold an active, full, and unrestricted” medical license in at least one US or Canadian jurisdiction where you practice, and every license you hold where you practice must be unrestricted [8]. Restrictions include probation, conditions, surrender, failure to renew, inactive status, and DEA prescribing restrictions; a restricted license automatically invalidates all ABPN certificates [8].

Requirement 6: Annual fee

Since the shift to CC, ABPN charges an annual fee instead of a recertification application fee [2]. For 2026 (unchanged from 2025) the fee is $175 for one certificate, $240 for two, and $310 for three or more, due December 31 and non-refundable [9].

Requirement 7: Assessment, exam or ABCC

For each certificate you choose, at the start of every 3-year block, between [10][11]:

CC Exam pathway: pass the CC exam in year 9 or 10 of each 10-year cycle. Two administrations per year; pass rates are about 95 percent [2].
ABCC pathway: pass 20 article exams per certificate per 3-year block (reduced from 30, effective 2025), with at most 27 attempts, each exam requiring 4 of 5 questions correct [10][11]. Since 2025 at least one passed article per block must carry the “professionalism” tag [11]. Completing the block’s articles satisfies the 16 SA-CME credits [11].

Switching into ABCC is only possible within the first six years of a 10-year cycle [11]. Details: ABCC vs. exam guide; program history: Continuing Certification overview.

Worked example: certified in 2024

Suppose you passed the Psychiatry certification exam in 2024 and hold no other ABPN certificate.

Item	Timing	Notes
First CC block	2025–2027 [11]	Blocks start “the first year after” the award year [11]; the exact dates are shown in your Portal [3]
90 Category 1 CME	By Dec 31, 2027	Average 30/year, but any distribution across 2025–2027 works [4]
16 SA-CME (within the 90)	By Dec 31, 2027	From the Approved List, or automatically if you finish the ABCC block [5][11]
1 PIP activity	Complete all three steps by Dec 31, 2027	Start early; step B requires time to implement a change [3][6]
Patient safety activity	Once, between 2021 and 2027	First block began after 2017, so it applies [7]; residency training may already count [7]
Annual fee	$175 each Dec 31	2025, 2026, 2027 [9]
Assessment	Choose at start of block [11]	ABCC: 20 articles by Dec 31, 2027; exam: pass in 2033 or 2034 [11]
Attestation	Annually in the Physician Portal [2]	Audit notice, if selected, arrives at the start of 2028 [3]
Second block	2028–2030	Nothing from 2025–2027 carries over [3]

If you completed an ACGME-accredited fellowship in 2011 or later and pass the matching subspecialty exam, the CME, SA, and PIP requirements for the block you are in at that time are waived; the annual fee still applies [2][3].

How to report and attest

Diplomates “must attest to completed CC activities on an annual basis” in the Physician Portal’s Activity Requirements section [2]. No documentation is submitted unless you are audited [2]. Activities completed for another ABMS board count toward ABPN [2]. ABPN treats “sponsor-provided CC activities” as verified; self-recorded entries are not, so keep your certificates [16].

Audits

Each year ABPN randomly audits about 5 percent of diplomates in the CC Program and 5 percent of CC exam applicants; anyone re-entering after a lapsed or invalidated certificate is audited automatically [2][16]. Notification comes by email at the beginning of the year after a block closes, and you have 90 days to submit evidence of CME, SA, patient safety, and PIP completion [2][16]. Failing an audit changes your status to “Certified – Not Meeting CC Requirements”; you then have the remainder of the next block to supply the documentation [2].

What happens if you fall short

ABPN reports three statuses [2][3]:

Certified – Meeting CC Requirements.
Certified – Not Meeting CC Requirements. Assigned if, by the end of a block, you have not logged in, paid the fee, attested to completed activities, and kept an unrestricted license on file. You can restore “Meeting” status by completing the missed block’s activities, the current block’s activities, and all fees.
Not Certified. Assigned if you fail to complete two consecutive blocks (6 years) of requirements.

After certification lapses, partially completed activities and fees expire with the certificate and cannot be reused [2][3]. Re-entry requires completing one full block of CC activities and passing a CC exam [2]; the re-entry exam or ABCC fee is $1,750 for one certificate ($2,400 for two, $3,100 for three or more) [9].

CME vs state license requirements: they are separate

ABPN certification and your state medical license are unrelated systems. ABPN requires 90 Category 1 credits per 3-year block for board certification [3]; your state board sets its own hour count, renewal cycle, and mandated topics for licensure, and has no view into your ABPN Portal. ABPN itself notes that its non-CME self-assessment options “are NOT recognized by state medical licensing boards as Category 1 CME” [11].

Let the same Category 1 activities serve both, then check the state-specific topic mandates (opioid prescribing, implicit bias) that ABPN ignores. State-by-state summaries: California CME requirements, Texas CME requirements, New York CME requirements, Florida CME requirements, and the full index on each state page.

Common questions

Is “ABPN MOC” the same as Continuing Certification? Yes. ABPN now calls the program Continuing Certification (CC); the requirements described here apply to what was formerly called MOC [1][3].

Do I need 90 CME per certificate if I hold two ABPN certificates? No. One set of CME, SA, and PIP requirements per block covers all your ABPN certificates [2][3]. The annual fee and the assessment (exam or ABCC) are per certificate [9][11].

Can I use extra CME from this block in the next one? No. Excess credit, and credit earned before the block began, cannot be applied forward [3].

Do SA-CME credits count toward the 90? Yes. SA-CME “contribute to the overall number of CME credits” [3].

Does ABCC give me CME credit? Not from ABPN, which is not a CME provider. Completing a block’s articles satisfies the 16 SA-CME requirement [11]. Separately, you may apply to the AMA for direct Category 1 credit after a block closes [4][13], or earn credit through a society such as the APA if you accessed the articles there [11].

What if I miss the fee deadline? Missing the fee or attestation by the end of a block moves you to “Certified – Not Meeting CC Requirements”; two missed blocks result in “Not Certified” [2][3].

References

ABPN. Continuing Certification (CC) Program Booklet, section A (certificate history, enrollment since 2012). https://abpn.org/wp-content/uploads/CC-Booklet.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Frequently Asked Questions about the CC Program (April 2026). https://abpn.org/wp-content/uploads/CC-Program-FAQ_Combined.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Continuing Certification (CC) Program Booklet, sections B–E (requirements, SA options, PIP, statuses). https://abpn.org/wp-content/uploads/CC-Booklet.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Continuing Medical Education (CME). https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/moc-activity-requirements/continuing-medical-education-cme/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Self-Assessment (SA). https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/moc-activity-requirements/self-assessment-sa/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Performance in Practice (PIP). https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/moc-activity-requirements/improvement-in-medical-practice-pip/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Patient Safety Activity. https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/moc-activity-requirements/patient-safety-activity/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Policy Regarding Licensure. https://abpn.org/wp-content/uploads/Policy-Regarding-Licensure.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. ABPN Fee Schedule (posted 2026-01-05). https://abpn.org/quick-links/abpn-fee-schedule/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Article-Based Continuing Certification Pathway (ABCC). https://abpn.org/continuing-certification/article-based-continuing-certification-pathway-abcc/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. ABCC Pathway FAQs. https://abpn.org/wp-content/uploads/ABCC-FAQs.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
AMA/ACCME. Glossary of Terms (August 2021), entry “AMA PRA Category 1 Credit”. https://accme.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/11_20210826_revised-AMA_ACCME-Glossary_of_Terms-1.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
AMA. AMA PRA Credit System: Frequently asked questions for physicians, Q2 and Q54. https://edhub.ama-assn.org/DocumentLibrary/edhub/applications/ama-pra-credit-system-faq-physicians.pdf. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. ABPN Approved CC Activities List, filtered to Psychiatry, SA-CME. https://apps.abpn.org/activities/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
Psychiatry and Psychopharmacology CME 2026 (accreditation statement and membership tiers). (provider site) Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. ABPN Diplomate Audits. https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/abpn-diplomate-audits/. Accessed 2026-08-21.
ABPN. Continuing Certification (program overview). https://abpn.org/maintain-certification/. Accessed 2026-08-21.