Do Iowa SLPs Need the CCC? License, Medicaid and CE Rules

Iowa one-sheetOpen Iowa on the mapSLPA rules

Iowa at a glance

CCC	Not required
License renewal CE	26 hrs every 2 years
Whose CE counts	Any relevant CE counts
Clinical fellowship	Temporary clinical license for the nine-month clinical experience, valid one year (Iowa Code 154F.5).
School credential	CCC not required

Does Iowa require the CCC?

Iowa licenses an SLP without the CCC: Iowa Code 154F.3 requires a master's degree, 400 hours of supervised clinical training, nine months of supervised experience and a board-set exam. Medicaid rule 441 IAC 78.53 (IAC dated Sept. 2, 2026, effective July 1, 2026) pays for the same services a speech-language pathologist provides under Medicare, and the rehabilitation-agency rule 78.19 requires a "speech therapist" without naming the CCC. The chapter has no CCC or ASHA wording. Because 78.53 follows Medicare, check Medicare's speech-language pathologist definition for a CCC condition. The Iowa SLP provider manual asks that the SLP be in private practice independent of an employer, which is a separate issue.

Sources: Licensure: Iowa Code 154F.3 (Iowa Legislature); Licensure: Iowa Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology laws and rules (HHS); Medicaid: 441 IAC 78.53 and 78.19 (Iowa Legislature; IAC 9/2/26, opened); Medicaid: Iowa SLP Provider Manual, ch. III

Continuing education for Iowa SLPs

Hours: 26 hrs every 2 years.
Topic rules: None named; up to 13 hrs carry over.
Whose CE counts: Any program meeting the board's content standards.

Sources: 481 IAC ch. 742

Compare every state in our CEU requirements by state guide.

Clinical fellowship and background checks

Temporary clinical license for the nine-month clinical experience, valid one year (Iowa Code 154F.5).

Sources: Iowa Code ch. 154F

Starting July 1, 2027, applicants must submit fingerprints for a state (DCI) and FBI check (481 IAC 740.2(3), ARC 0596D). Current licensees must do the same at their next renewal. Compact member; not issuing compact privileges yet.

Sources: 481 IAC 740.2 (eff. 7/1/2027); ASLP-IC compact map

School-based SLPs

The Board of Educational Examiners issues a professional service license with an SLP endorsement: master's plus a school internship (282-27.3(3)). No CCC or board license.

Sources: Iowa Admin. Code 282 ch. 27

SLP assistants in Iowa

Iowa does not license SLP assistants; aides and assistants working under a licensed SLP are exempt from licensure (Iowa Code 154F.2). School paraeducators follow Department of Education rules.

Sources: Iowa Code 154F

Other notes

• Older spreadsheet note: SF 496 limits K-6 instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. Not re-checked in this update.

If your employer says you need the CCC

Many job posts and policies still list the CCC out of habit. Our employer education page has language you can share, and the Iowa one-sheet puts the license and the CCC side by side on two printable pages.

Checked against state sources through October 31, 2026. This page summarizes public rules for general information and is not legal advice. Rules change, and employers and payers can set their own requirements, so confirm with the board before you rely on it.