New Jersey licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the Occupational Therapy Advisory Council in the Division of Consumer Affairs. You apply online and have your school and other states send documents directly. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. OT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), AOTA, ACOTE, the OT Compact Commission or any state board; NBCOT, OTR and COTA are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
New Jersey at a glance
Occupational therapist (OT)
OT assistant (OTA)
Exam
NBCOT OTR exam (180 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
NBCOT COTA exam (190 questions, 4 hours), $540 to NBCOT
Board fees
$100 application + $160 license (first year of the two-year cycle) or $80 (second year)
$100 application + $100 or $50 license
Temporary license
$50, with your first application; direct supervision by a licensed OT
Same
Background check
Not stated on the council's application page; check with the council
Same
OT Compact
Not a member. You need a full New Jersey license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
New Jersey, step by step
New Jersey Occupational Therapy Advisory Council (Division of Consumer Affairs)
Apply online through the Division's licensing portal and pay the $100 application fee (N.J.A.C. 13:44K-11.1).
Documents sent directly: official transcripts and verification of fieldwork experience from your school, a Certificate of Good Moral Character form, and verifications from any state that has licensed you. Email is preferred (see the council's applications page).
NBCOT: OTs pass the OTR exam and OTAs the COTA exam.
Temporary license (optional): available with your initial application for examination, including when you have finished all degree requirements but the degree is not yet conferred. It costs $50, and you may practice only under the direct supervision of a licensed OT (N.J.A.C. 13:44K-4.1).
Initial license fee:$160 for an OT or $100 for an OTA if paid in the first year of the biennial renewal period, half that ($80 / $50) in the second year. New Jersey is not in the OT Compact.
Every state licenses occupational therapists and OT assistants on NBCOT certification: an ACOTE-accredited degree with its Level II fieldwork, then NBCOT's exam (the OTR exam for OTs, 180 questions in 4 hours; the COTA exam for OT assistants, 190 questions in 4 hours; 450 on a 300-600 scale passes; $540 to apply online). NBCOT certification is not a license: you apply to your state board separately, and NBCOT sends the board your score (the Score Transfer is free if you add it when you apply for the exam, $35 later). The full walk-through: How to get your OT license.