Since September 1, 2025, continuing education completed for one barbering or cosmetology license satisfies the requirement for the other. A barber who also holds a cosmetology operator license — or an esthetician who added a manicurist license — completes one 4-hour course per cycle, not one per license.
The cross-credit came in with the 2025 CE restructuring (16 TAC §83.25), the same rule change that reset the CE hours and gave barbers their first CE requirement. Before it, dual-license holders faced duplicate coursework.
Two boundaries to keep in mind:
- Renewals stay separate. Each license keeps its own expiration date and its own $50 renewal fee — the shared piece is the CE, not the renewal.
- The 15-year reduction needs both licenses to qualify. If one license is past the 15-year mark but the other is not, you still complete the full 4 hours.
All practitioner types in the Barbering and Cosmetology program take the same TDLR-approved 4-hour course, which is what makes the cross-credit work in practice — there is no barber-only or cosmetology-only CE course to coordinate.
What it means for your renewal
If you have been buying two courses every cycle, stop — one completion now covers all of your barbering and cosmetology licenses. Just budget for each license's own $50 renewal fee and watch both expiration dates.
Our 4-hour course ($22.95, no final exam) is reported to TDLR within 24 hours.
Authority: Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1603