It Happens More Often Than You Think

Nobody plans to let their license lapse. But it happens — a lot. A renewal notice gets buried in a stack of mail. An email reminder lands in spam. Life gets hectic and a deadline slips by. Maybe you switched addresses and never updated your board.

Whatever the reason, you’re now sitting with an expired license and wondering what comes next. Take a breath. This is fixable in most cases, but the specifics depend on how long it’s been and what state you’re in.

What “Lapsed” Actually Means

First, some terminology. Licensing boards typically distinguish between a few different statuses:

Expired: Your renewal date passed and you didn’t renew. In most states, there’s a grace period (often 30-90 days) where you can still renew with a late fee. Your license may or may not be considered active during this window — check your state’s rules before assuming you can keep practicing.

Lapsed: You missed the grace period. Your license is now inactive. You cannot legally practice. Reinstatement is usually possible but involves more paperwork and fees than a simple late renewal.

Revoked or Surrendered: This is different from a lapse. Revocation is a disciplinary action. Surrender is voluntary but often happens under pressure. These situations involve a very different process and usually require legal help.

This post focuses on the first two — expired and lapsed licenses due to missed renewals, not disciplinary issues.

The Immediate Consequences

When your license lapses, a few things happen right away:

You can’t practice. This is the big one. Practicing without a valid license is illegal and can result in fines, criminal charges, and permanent marks on your record that make future licensure harder. If you discover your license has lapsed, stop practicing immediately until it’s resolved.

Your employer finds out. Most employers run regular license verification checks. If your license shows as inactive, expect a phone call. Many employment contracts require active licensure as a condition of employment, so a lapse can put your job at risk.

Insurance coverage gets complicated. Professional liability insurance typically requires active licensure. If you practiced while lapsed — even unknowingly — your insurer may deny coverage for incidents during that period.

It goes on your record. Most boards track lapses. While a single lapse due to an administrative oversight usually isn’t a career-ending issue, it does show up when other states check your license history (relevant if you ever apply for licensure in another state).

The Reinstatement Process

Reinstatement varies by state and by how long your license has been lapsed. Here’s the general breakdown:

Lapsed Less Than 1 Year

This is usually the simplest case. Most boards will let you reinstate by:

• Submitting a reinstatement application
• Paying a reinstatement fee (typically your renewal fee plus a penalty — often $50-$200 extra)
• Completing any CE hours you owe for the most recent renewal period
• Providing proof of CE completion
• Possibly completing a jurisprudence exam

Turnaround time varies. Some boards process reinstatements in a few days. Others take weeks.

Lapsed 1-5 Years

Things get more involved here. In addition to the basics above, you might need to:

• Complete additional CE hours beyond the standard renewal requirement
• Pass a competency evaluation or refresher course
• Provide letters of reference from colleagues or supervisors
• Submit to a background check
• Appear before the board or a review committee

The fees are higher too. Some boards charge escalating penalties based on how long the license has been lapsed.

Lapsed More Than 5 Years

At this point, some states treat you almost like a new applicant. You may need to:

• Retake your licensing exam
• Complete a supervised practice period
• Provide extensive documentation of any practice in other jurisdictions during the lapsed period
• Go through the full application process from scratch

This is the scenario you really want to avoid. Retaking boards after years away from the material is no small thing.

State-by-State Differences

Reinstatement rules are all over the map. A few examples to illustrate how much they vary:

Some states are relatively forgiving — they offer multi-year grace periods with graduated fees and minimal extra requirements. Others are strict — miss your renewal by 60 days and you’re looking at a full reinstatement application with additional CE, fees, and processing time.

A handful of states have adopted “retired” or “inactive” status options that let you take a break from practice without fully lapsing. If you know you won’t be practicing for a while (parental leave, career change, relocation), looking into these options before your renewal date is much easier than dealing with a lapse after the fact.

The only way to know your specific situation is to check with your licensing board directly. Their website will have reinstatement procedures, or you can call and ask.

The Financial Cost

Letting a license lapse is expensive. Beyond the direct reinstatement fees, consider:

• Lost income during the period you can’t practice
• Additional CE costs for extra hours required beyond your normal requirement
• Exam fees if you need to retest
• Legal fees if you inadvertently practiced while lapsed
• Higher insurance premiums after a lapse

For most professionals, the total cost of a lapse easily runs into thousands of dollars when you factor in lost work time. A $50-100 renewal fee suddenly looks like a bargain.

How to Make Sure It Never Happens

Prevention is straightforward, but it requires actually setting up a system rather than relying on the board to remind you:

Don’t depend on board notifications. Yes, most boards send renewal reminders. But they go to the address on file (which might be outdated), they sometimes arrive late, and they occasionally don’t arrive at all. Board notification should be your backup, not your primary system.

Set your own reminders. Put your renewal date in your calendar with alerts at 90 days, 60 days, and 30 days before the deadline. This takes two minutes and is the single most effective thing you can do.

Keep your contact information current. Every time you move, change your email, or get a new phone number, update your licensing board. This is easy to forget and causes a disproportionate number of lapses.

Know your deadline. It sounds obvious, but plenty of people don’t actually know their renewal date off the top of their head. Look it up right now and write it down somewhere.

Use a tracking tool. Apps like Course Counter track your renewal deadlines alongside your CE progress. When everything’s in one place, nothing sneaks up on you.

Front-load your CE. If you’ve already completed your CE hours well before your renewal date, the renewal itself is just a quick form and a fee. It’s the people who still need hours as the deadline approaches who are most likely to let things slide.

If You’re Lapsed Right Now

If you’re reading this because your license has already lapsed, here’s your action plan:

1. Stop practicing immediately if you haven’t already
2. Contact your licensing board to find out exactly what the reinstatement process requires in your specific case
3. Gather your documentation — CE certificates, identification, any forms the board requires
4. Complete any outstanding CE as quickly as possible through approved providers
5. Submit your reinstatement application with all required materials and fees
6. Follow up if you don’t hear back within the board’s stated processing time
7. Set up a system so this doesn’t happen again once you’re reinstated

A lapse is stressful, but it’s almost always recoverable. The sooner you start the reinstatement process, the sooner you’re back to work.