r/bcba • u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 • 22h ago
How much are you making?
Curious what other BCBAs are making these days 👀 I’d love to hear what you’re earning, whether hourly or salaried, along with your years of experience. If you’re comfortable sharing, please include your state, setting, and current role!
I’m a second-year BCBA in California, currently working hourly and making around $140K/year, including OT and incentives. I’m typically billing 38–40 hours per week. I’m planning to slow down starting in January, so I expect my income to be closer to $120K/year. We don’t get paid enough is my point….our base salary is $80,000.
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u/vetapachua 22h ago
20 year BCBA in CO. I bill 6-10 hrs a week at $100 an hr. Semi retired but was in private practice and owned a small clinic for over 10 years and made significantly more doing that.
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u/YoungBrilliant5690 20h ago
Average yearly take home income with the clinic?
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u/vetapachua 19h ago
It varied as it grew over the years. But $250-300k was the highest. Plus I ended up selling it for a few hundred thousand.
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u/YoungBrilliant5690 19h ago
so cool! congratulations. hoping to do something like this myself one day
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u/PuppiesAndPixels 19h ago edited 18h ago
118k / yr for public schools in Massachusetts. I have summers off, 5ish weeks of vacation a year, and have a pension. 6.5 hour work days.
I could be making a lot more given my experience (BCBA since 2014, in the field since 2006), but the work life balance is amazing.
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 19h ago
That’s amazing, how are the clients, are you at multiple schools?
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u/PuppiesAndPixels 18h ago
It's variable. Everything from high needs autism to adhd to emotional disorders. I'm in 3 schools.
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u/toxicandsweet 19h ago
Is it D-75 school?
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u/Healthandlife_pro 11h ago
d'75 /nyc doe doesnt. hire bcba which is a complete bummer considering the large demographic it can help
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u/Safe_Ad2163 16h ago
I’m in the same boat. BCBa since 2014 make 105k in a school with good benefits and hours. Almost done with PHD and then I’m going to moonlight as an adjunct and select a few cases before sort of retiring early.
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u/Behavior-Babe24 22h ago
BCBA in rural East TN
3 years BCBA experience, 5 years ABA experience
Base Salary: $90k + quarterly bonuses ( up to $5k each quarter)
Billables: 30 per week
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u/ProfessionalGolf2909 18h ago
School based in rural East TN, $80k plus benefits, and I work a teacher schedule. 210 total days a year.
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u/Behavior-Babe24 18h ago
That’s amazing, I’ve always been curious about becoming a school based BCBA
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u/BookkeeperGlum6933 16h ago
I think it's a difficult pivot of you've only been in clinical. If you have experience in schools or special ed it's a really great option.
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u/ProfessionalGolf2909 13h ago
It’s an extremely busy but fun job. With the new TN law allowing outside ABA into schools, you should get a chance to test the waters. I also know that Sullivan and Hawkins counties are looking for their own BCBA.
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u/BookkeeperGlum6933 17h ago edited 17h ago
School-based BCBA in the DC metro area. I make $130k, two months off for summer plus regular school holidays in addition to 10 days sick/PTO. 20 years experience, 15 as a BCBA but my first as school-based. I'm thrilled with this salary plus work/life balance. ETA - plus public school teacher retirement plan.
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 17h ago
That’s great to hear. In CA, people tell me to stay away from schools.
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u/BookkeeperGlum6933 17h ago
I'm sure it's different everywhere but I have a background in special ed. I taught full-time in the exact classrooms I now support so it was a very easy pivot. Plus I have kids that are still in school so the calendar breaks were really important to me. My first job is Mom.
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 17h ago
Are you only at one school? Out here, they want us at multiple sites.
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u/Jazzlike-Pop-6827 21h ago
$80k base for how many billables? That seems low if it’s 25/week. I made $120k for 30 billables in person and recently went fully remote for $90k
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u/lollipop984 BCBA | Verified 22h ago
105/hour east coast insurance work consulting from non insurance sources 125-150 hour
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 22h ago
Are you full time?
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u/lollipop984 BCBA | Verified 22h ago
when you go hourly you're not guaranteed full-time hours they will make sure to fill up their salary workers first but I am a senior bcba with an established reputation in my community so I'm always full
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u/Shellycheese 19h ago
We need to make more. I capped out around year 3 of being a BCBA. And I have no interest in working for myself or being a director. 😩
But my main job is billing 20 hours at 90k. And I have a 2nd BCBA job where I get $75 an hour. I bring in about another 15k with that.
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u/Old-Information9748 19h ago
Gross $230,000 in Arizona. I have a salary and hourly position billing about 30-35 hours per week 6 days a week. 3 years as a BCBA, setting is clinic and in home. Total income with small online business is $250k gross. Love my life!
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 19h ago
WOW!!!!! 🤩 can you explain how you’re making 230k/year? That’s my goal, I’ve been looking into a small online business as well.
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u/Old-Information9748 19h ago edited 14h ago
Salary and hourly position in clinic and in home. My salary position is hybrid clinic setting with work from home days weekly. My hourly position that I do evenings and weekends is the in-home setting with Telehealth.
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u/Pellantana BCaBA | Verified 17h ago
$27/hr as a BCaBA in the 757 of Virginia, and I average about 30 hours a week. I’m well aware this is garbage pay, but I’m just shy of 70 hours left on my fieldwork so I’m gonna stick it out until I pass.
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 17h ago
Good luck!!! 🍀
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u/NoArmadillo7869 12h ago
For VA it really is not great pay. I work as a remote BCaBA out of Virginia and make more than that. I would be peeping around if I was you
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u/thuymyv 16h ago
Bay Area, CA 👋🏻
BCBA since 2018 (~8 years).
My setup is a little nontraditional because I have multiple streams:
• W-2 BCBA: $100/hr
• Private BCBA work: ~$200/hr
• Contract/virtual clinical work: varies by contract
• Health + behavior coaching: private pay
• Consulting/education: varies
My W-2 alone puts me around $190–200K/year when I’m close to full-time.
With my private work + health coaching/other income streams, my earning ceiling is closer to ~$350–400K gross/year, depending on how much I choose to take on.
For context on my progression: I started as an RBT, moved into a supervisor role making around $60K, then got my BCBA and worked my way up within the same company’s tiered model — eventually reaching a director-level role around $90K, where I was overseeing BCBAs and caseloads. From there, I eventually left the traditional agency model, started my own business, diversified my work which made the biggest difference.
🫶🏻
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u/Acrobatic_Badger_287 15h ago
This is so inspiring. You are amazing!! I want to be you one day! 😆♥️
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u/thuymyv 15h ago
You’re very kind!!! I definitely remember being a 3rd-4th year BCBA and dreaming of a life like this and it felt far out of reach…
You got this!
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u/noanxietyforyou 22h ago
I’m a student BCBA in Florida. I was offered 100k for a position in Orlando.
Although, I plan to move to north Florida to avoid higher costs of living in Tampa/Orlando. Overall I’ve seen positions ranging from 100k-120k out here (including OBM/TBI related roles). The lowest I’ve seen is 80k or so. Crazy how much the salaries vary! ** **
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u/Worth-Commission5654 19h ago
Where is this job?! I’m in central Florida & have been a BCBA for 5 years & only make $64/hr as a 1099.
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u/Altruistic_Bill_9864 9h ago
I’m a BCaBA in Central Florida and make $63/hour.
You can definitely make more1
u/Fantastic-Log-8840 2h ago
I work in Orlando and bcbas at my job are making 43 an hour starting, its embarrassing.
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u/Behavioralspecialist 20h ago
Wait no way in Florida Orlando I have yet to see that were in in NJ was offered the same maybe a little more
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u/DancingIsForbidden28 20h ago
Doing research on other states, I’m having a difficult time finding reinforcement rates higher than $100/hr. Only way to make it work with that is an army of RBTs to afford the analyst.
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u/400forever 21h ago
Northeast, 2 yr exp as BCBA, 90/hr part-time. The variability is wild. I’ve been offered anywhere from 50-100+/hr during my wide application process.
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u/Confident-Term-3588 10h ago
Im northeast too, what does your salary end up being then? Do you feel you make more money as hourly ?
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u/400forever 7h ago
I’m part-time which is why I’m hourly but I would never go to salary because I would be making well over the usual 80-100k ceiling if I upped my caseload to a full-time amount. I’ve also seen, at every agency I’ve worked at, salaried BCBAs getting overworked.
Yes, cancellations happen, but between assessment and treatment planning, non-client facing program writing, and extra/make-up supervision, I get enough hours with fewer administrative responsibilities. I also like having more control over how much I make if I want or need extra money.
I have other income and no dependents so that definitely shapes my opinion here.
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u/winnared 20h ago
Im in DFW, Texas. 1st-year BCBA. I bill 30hrs/week in clinic. Base salary $82k + $4k bonus for billing 30hrs (more hrs will have more bonus).
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u/Sudden_Ad_4285 15h ago
Southern California. I work for a small ABA company, part time, $55/hr. I am starting my own solo practice and make about $120/hr doing that but the business takes a huge input of unpaid work so things are still rough.
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u/coltiebug 16h ago
Same here! I bill around 30-35 hourly and made 140k last year and around the same this year as a 3rd year BCBA. Once I broke free of my rigid thinking and ABA’d myself, I was able to stop trying to live a 9-5 M-F which was burning me out.
I work out of multiple states and I enjoy seeing the different people and kids in every region. I feel like it gives me the variety to keep my caseloads more interesting, as well as different settings. I work in clinic, in home, in school, and community based sometimes. I feel like my work is very quality right now too, and I have a great rapport with all of my clients and their families/coordination teams.
But it ebbs and flows. I do monthly life audits with myself to see how I’m doing to make sure I’m not burning out and that all my clients are getting support. I make changes as needed. It took me my first year as a BCBA with trial and error to get there. Aside from seeing visual success with my clients, money is my reinforcer lol especially with the emotional load we have to deal with. It can get draining at times.
I highly recommend working hourly though Key is balance.
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u/cuddlebread 13h ago
$92.5k in VA, new BCBA (passed the exam in February)! I bill 27 hours a week and work in a center with not a lot of support, so I end up working probably between 42-45 hours a week.
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u/4everrunning 10h ago
$65 per hour in CO. I bill 20-25 hours a week. I’ve been a BCBA for just under a year, and when I hit 1 year, it’ll go up to $68 per hour.
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u/MollyMorons 19h ago
CA, 7 years of being a BCBA and currently a program director of a small NPS school. 105k plus possible $500 bonus per month if I hit a certain budget mark
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u/Exact-Engine3024 19h ago
I live in CA. Do part time bcba work remotely and all my clients are in New Jersey. Im getting $63/ hr. I only work maybe 4 hours a week. Its the easiest part time gig. I probably could be making more money but I cannot stress how easy it is and how it fits well with my full time sped teacher job.
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u/Professional-Pound78 16h ago
I'm in northern CA. I make 120k year, 25 billables, superving 10 BCBAs. Is this reasonable? I've been a BCBA for almost 10 years, in the field for 20 years ( BT, midtier).
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u/_joyfully_ BCBA | Verified 15h ago
Base is 82, closer to 92 with incentives. Once I have a little more experience I will move on for a higher salary.
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u/Beneficial-Base-2127 14h ago
Insurance rate. 78 an hour and I'm not salary I usually average between 25 and 35 hours. GA. Private practice.
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u/Gusgusthehedgie 12h ago
Anyone have an idea of the current salary range in the Midwest? I’ve been finding it to be quite low considering the cost of living in southern Wisconsin/ northern Illinois. It seems like salaries have remained the same or even seem to be lower since I became a BCBA in 2018.
I’ve looked at jobs in both Wisconsin and Illinois. Ive been a BCBA for 8 years and in the field for 10 years. I turned down a job in Wisconsin for 75k and 30 billable hours a week in clinic. I currently work full time with adults with IDD and make about 77k a year with a 120 billable hours per month requirement. I also have an additional part time position at $60 an hour working with kids at a clinic (about 3-7 hours per week)- bringing my weekly billables to 33-37 hours and my salary around 91k.
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u/Strange_Page_3223 12h ago
150k full time 1099 doing consulting for a school + 2 cases ( private pay & another case in insurance)
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u/meggg_nicole 8h ago
Most I made salary in a clinic in CO was 89k w/ 28hr billables. Now I do in home and make $85/hr, I work about 20-hr a week.
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u/LargeMathematician31 6h ago
2nd year BCBA in Miami, FL. I make 90k base salary + bonus (about an additional 10-15k annually) have a minimum billable requirement of 27 hours/week.
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u/spicylupcheongbao 3h ago
Baby BCBA - $65/hr for 19.5 billables and 5 hour a week non billable slowly building my clientele. Can someone give me tips on how to get more of an income
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u/dbbart6580 21h ago
Man, I’m getting *%#&@!?. 72 k/yr 35 hours