Illinois esthetician CEU requirements

Of those 10 hours, 2 are mandated topics with specific content requirements. The remaining 8 are elective, and that's where EPC comes in.

Mandated hours

• Sexual Harassment Prevention — 1 hour, every cycle. Required at each renewal without exception. It does not carry over.
• Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness — 1 hour, once. A one time requirement in your career, commonly satisfied at your first renewal. Sponsors for this topic are approved separately, so not every CE provider can offer it.

Elective hours

The balance is yours. Electives can cover advanced skincare and esthetics technique, client safety and sanitation, contraindications, or professional and business development. There is no requirement that they be clinical — a course on consultations and client retention counts the same as one on dermaplaning.

This is where we operate. Esthetics Pro Collective currently offers 15 elective CEU hours across 4 courses. Use your elective hours to learn something that actually adds to your skills, your treatments, and your career.

What counts as a valid hour

• The sponsor must hold a current IDFPR continuing education sponsor approval
• The hours must fall inside your current two year renewal cycle — you cannot bank extras for next time
• Since the May 2025 variance, any delivery format qualifies: in person, live online, self paced video, audio or correspondence
• You attest to completion at renewal; certificates are not uploaded, but IDFPR can request them later

Who this applies to

These requirements cover licensed estheticians. Illinois cosmetologists need 14 hours per cycle, and nail technicians and hair braiders have their own totals and dates. If you hold more than one license, you meet each one's requirement separately — though a single approved course can often be applied to both, so check before paying twice.

Continuing education is waived entirely for your first renewal after initial licensure.

Deadlines and fees

Esthetician licenses expire September 30 of odd numbered years. The next deadline is September 30, 2027 — 349 days from today. The renewal window opens roughly two to three months before that. The renewal fee is $50 for the two year period, separate from what you spend on the education itself.

Miss the window and the online portal closes to you; you then have to request a reinstatement application from IDFPR, which costs more and takes longer.

Step by step: how to renew your license  ·  Common questions answered