ARRT Biennium Explained: When Is Your CE Deadline and How Do You Report Credits?
Every registered technologist has been there — you open your ARRT account, see a biennium end date staring back at you, and realize you have no idea if that’s your deadline to complete credits, report them, or both. The ARRT biennium system is genuinely confusing, and the official documentation does not make it easier. This article breaks down exactly how the two-year cycle works, how to find your personal deadline, how to enter credits into MyARRT step by step, what audits actually look like, and what happens if you let it slip.
What Is a Biennium?
A biennium is simply a two-year period during which you must earn your required continuing education credits. ARRT uses this cycle to ensure every registered technologist keeps their knowledge current without demanding annual CE submissions.
Here is the part that trips people up: the biennium is not the same thing as your reporting deadline. You have two separate dates to track:
- Biennium end date — the last day of the month before your birth month, in your CE reporting year. This is the deadline to complete your 24 credits.
- Reporting deadline — the last day of your birth month in that same year. This is the deadline to actually enter those credits into ARRT’s system during your renewal.
So if your birthday is in June and this is your reporting year, your CE must be completed by May 31 and reported by June 30.
How the Biennium Cycle Is Set
Your biennium begins on the first day of your birth month every other year. It runs for exactly two years, ending on the last day of the month before your next birth month. ARRT calculates your initial biennium start date based on when you passed your first certification exam. New R.T.s born in a month close to their exam date may find their first biennium begins in the following year’s birth month.
One important note: earning additional credentials does not change your biennium dates. The cycle you started with stays with you regardless of how many postprimary credentials you add.
How to Find Your Personal Biennium Deadline
Do not guess. Log in to ARRT’s website and check your dashboard directly.
- Go to arrt.org and log in to your account (formerly called MyARRT).
- On your dashboard, you will see your biennium start and end dates displayed.
- You will also see the RENEW button appear approximately two months before your birth month in your reporting year.
Your dashboard is the authoritative source for your dates. The ARRT CE page gives you the formula; your account gives you the exact dates.
The 24 CE Credit Requirement: Category A and A+
Most R.T.s — including nuclear medicine technologists, radiologic technologists, CT, MRI, fluoroscopy, and mammography practitioners — must complete 24 approved CE credits per biennium, regardless of how many ARRT credentials they hold. The exception is Registered Radiologist Assistants (R.R.A.s), who must complete 50 credits.
What Counts as Category A and A+?
All 24 credits must be Category A or Category A+. These are activities approved by a Recognized Continuing Education Evaluation Mechanism (RCEEM or RCEEM+) — organizations like the ASRT, AHRA, SNMMI, and similar professional bodies. Activities that do not carry RCEEM approval do not count.
Accepted activities include:
- Online CE modules from an ARRT-approved provider
- Live conferences and seminars with RCEEM approval
- Academic courses from an accredited institution (16 CE credits per semester credit hour)
- Advanced CPR certification (ALS/ACLS or PALS) — up to 6 credits once per biennium, from an ARRT-recognized provider only
- Authoring a published article in an ARRT-accepted peer-reviewed journal
What does not count:
- Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) at the standard level — only advanced-level CPR qualifies
- Clinical instructorships
- Newly earned credentials (though CE activities completed in pursuit of a credential may qualify)
How to Report CE Credits to ARRT: Step by Step
ARRT does not automatically know what you have completed. You report credits yourself during the renewal process. Here is exactly how it works:
Step 1: Log in to Your ARRT Account
Go to arrt.org, sign in, and navigate to your dashboard. Your renewal window opens two months before your birth month in your CE reporting year.
Step 2: Click “Renew Now”
When your renewal period is open, you will see the Renew Now button on your dashboard. Click it to launch the renewal application.
Step 3: Enter Your CE Activities
The renewal workflow will prompt you to report your CE credits. For each activity, you will enter:
- Provider/sponsor name (the organization that offered the CE)
- Course or activity title
- Completion date (must fall within your biennium — a wrong date will exclude the credit)
- Number of credit hours earned
- CE category (Category A or A+)
Enter all your credits before you proceed. Once you submit the renewal, no changes can be made — this is not reversible.
Step 4: Confirm and Pay
Review every entry carefully. Then complete the renewal by paying the annual renewal fee. The current fee is $30 for your first discipline and $15 for each additional discipline. Starting with renewals due in January 2026, ARRT is moving to a flat $65 fee regardless of the number of credentials held.
Step 5: Save Your Certificates
ARRT does not store your CE records. After reporting, keep copies of all completion certificates somewhere accessible — a cloud folder, a physical binder, or both. ARRT explicitly recommends keeping documentation for at least one year after reporting.
What ARRT Actually Audits
The audit process is not widely discussed, which is why it catches technologists off guard. Here is what actually happens:
ARRT randomly selects registrants for CE audits after renewal periods close. If you are selected, you will receive written notification giving you 30 days to submit documentation proving your participation in the CE activities you reported.
You must mail copies — not originals — of your certificates to:
ARRT
1255 Northland Drive
St. Paul, MN 55120
ARRT does not accept faxed or emailed CE documentation for audits. Each certificate must include: the sponsor’s name, your name, the activity title, the number of credits earned (preprinted), the reference number (preprinted), and the date of completion.
The practical takeaway: treat every certificate like a legal document. Download it the day you complete the course. Name the file something useful. Back it up.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Missing your CE deadline does not immediately end your career, but it starts a clock you do not want to run out.
CE Probation: Your Six-Month Window
If you fail to complete or report your required CE activities by your reporting deadline, ARRT places your credential in CE probation status. This gives you a six-month window to:
- Complete any missing CE credits
- Submit a CE Probation Report Form to ARRT
- Pay the CE probation fee ($50 currently; increasing to $100 for renewals due in 2026 and beyond)
During probation, you must report the activities using the CE probation form — not through the standard renewal process. Critically, credits earned during your probation period do not count toward your new biennium. You start the next cycle from zero regardless.
Discontinued Status: The Harder Problem
If you do not resolve your CE probation within six months — meaning you neither complete the credits nor submit the form and fee — your certification and registration will be discontinued.
At that point, reinstatement is not a paperwork process. You will need to retake and pass the appropriate ARRT exam to regain your credentials. If you earned a postprimary credential through a supporting category, you must retake the supporting exam first. This is not a situation you want to be in.
A Note on Annual Renewal vs. CE Probation
Your annual renewal and your CE biennium are separate obligations. Even in non-CE years, you must still renew annually and pay the renewal fee by the last day of your birth month each year. Failing to renew annually can also result in discontinued status — independent of your CE standing.
Practical Tips from Someone Who Has Tracked Both
Log credits as you earn them. ARRT’s system lets you enter CE activities at any point during your biennium — you do not have to wait until renewal time. Logging credits immediately means you always know where you stand.
Do not wait until the last three months. Courses sell out. Life happens. A family emergency in month 23 of your biennium is not a situation where you want to be scrambling for credits. Get ahead early in your cycle.
Check your biennium year. Not every year is a CE reporting year. If you are unsure whether your renewal this year requires CE, your ARRT dashboard will tell you clearly. Do not assume.
Keep a dedicated folder for certificates. Whether it is a Google Drive folder labeled “ARRT CE [year]” or a physical binder, consistency matters. ARRT cannot recover your records — that responsibility is entirely yours.
Catching Up Quickly: CE Options Worth Knowing
If you are in the final stretch of your biennium and still short on credits, online CE providers are the most efficient route.
eRadImaging offers an annual subscription at $54.95/year that unlocks access to more than 100 Category A credits across radiology and nuclear medicine topics. For technologists who need to complete their entire biennium requirement, this is one of the most cost-effective options available — a full year of unlimited access for less than the cost of a single in-person seminar.
RADUNITS takes a different approach: individual courses priced at $49/course, with full 24 Category A credit packages available. If you prefer to pick specific topics rather than subscribe to a catalog, RADUNITS lets you build your own CE pathway. A single course purchase can satisfy your entire biennium requirement if you choose a full 24-credit package.
Both are RCEEM-approved and provide downloadable completion certificates formatted to meet ARRT audit documentation standards.
Know Your Dates, Stay Registered
The ARRT biennium is not complicated once you understand the mechanics — a two-year window to earn 24 Category A credits, reported during your annual renewal in the year your biennium ends, with a hard deadline at the close of your birth month. The real risk is not the requirements themselves but losing track of your timeline.
Log in to arrt.org, confirm your biennium end date, and put it on your calendar today. If you are already behind, check your CE probation eligibility before that six-month window closes. Reexamination is a steep consequence for what is ultimately a solvable problem.