New York licenses occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions, with the State Board for Occupational Therapy. You must be 21 for an OT license and 18 for an OTA license. 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 York 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
License fee
$294
$147
Limited permit
$70, valid 1 year, supervised, hospital, health agency or school settings
$70, same rules
Background check
No fingerprinting step listed; good moral character questions on Form 1
Same
OT Compact
Not a member. An OT Compact bill has been filed but not enacted; you need a full New York license. (OT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
New York, step by step
New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions (State Board for Occupational Therapy)
Form 1 and the fee: file the Application for Licensure with $294 (OT) or $147 (OTA); online applications are paid by credit card. Age: 21 for an OT, 18 for an OTA.
Form 2 from your school: the registrar sends the Certification of Professional Education directly to the Office of the Professions. Six months of supervised OT experience is required; graduates of NYS-registered or accredited programs meet it through fieldwork.
NBCOT: OTs pass the NBCOT OTR exam and OTAs the COTA exam, and NBCOT sends the scores (or a verification if you passed earlier) directly to NYSED.
Limited permit (optional): apply with or after Form 1, the fee and proof you finished your program; $70, non-refundable, valid one year (renewable once only for illness or other extenuating circumstances). You work under a New York OT or physician, in a hospital, health care agency, or a preschool or elementary school, not in a private office.
Licensed elsewhere? New York is not in the OT Compact; you need a New York license, with NBCOT verification and the same forms.
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.