Fieldwork
2027 Requirements
Tools

The Best BCBA Fieldwork Trackers for 2027

TactiTracker, Ripley, MentraTrack, and spreadsheets compared against the 2027 BACB requirements: pricing, ads, auto-filled forms, supervisor e-signatures, and who each one is right for.

By the Tacti teamSeptember 7, 20265 min read

If you are doing BCBA fieldwork right now, you have a deadline most guides skip: January 1, 2027. On that date the BACB's updated fieldwork requirements take effect, with no phase-in and no grace period. A tracker built around the old rules will quietly let you drift out of compliance.

So this is not a list of apps that log hours. It is a short list of tools that can carry you through the 2027 transition without a voided month.

One disclosure up front: TactiTracker is our product, so we are biased. We link to every tool here and say plainly where a competitor is the better pick.

What changes in 2027

The full details are in the BACB's 2027 BCBA requirements. The changes that matter for tracking:

Monthly hour cap rises from 130 to 160. The 20-hour monthly minimum stays.
Supervision drops to 5% for Supervised Fieldwork and 7.5% for Concentrated (down from 10%).
Observation becomes a duration, not a count: at least 60 cumulative minutes per month (Supervised) or 90 minutes (Concentrated).
At least 60% of hours must be unrestricted.
New forms. The 2027 M-FVF and F-FVF replace the current versions for anyone applying on or after January 1, 2027.

Hours you have already earned stay valid. What changes is how every month from January 2027 onward is checked and documented.

What to look for

Real-time compliance checks against the 2027 thresholds, while there is still time to book a supervision session.
Auto-filled M-FVF and F-FVF forms generated from your log, so you never transcribe numbers into a fillable PDF.
A signing workflow your supervisor will actually use. The best tools do not make them create an account.
Exports you own, for the BACB's seven-year record-retention rule.

TactiTracker

TactiTracker is our tool, built from the ground up around the 2027 requirements. Every threshold it checks, including the 20-hour floor, the 160-hour cap, supervision percentage, and observation minutes, comes from the current standards.

Real-time compliance warnings as you log, before a month becomes a problem.
Auto-filled 2027 M-FVF and F-FVF PDFs, including the multi-supervisor version.
Supervisor signs from an email. One tap sends a secure link; they review and sign on the page. No account, no app.
Supervised, Concentrated, and mixed tracks, with the 1.33× multiplier applied automatically.
Audit package export: every signed form as a PDF plus session logs as spreadsheets.

Pricing: Free plan with full session logging, running totals, and printable records. Pro adds warnings, e-signatures, and form generation for $5.99/month or $49.99 for a year. No ads.

Pros: 2027-native, and the smoothest supervisor workflow we know of.

Cons: Web only for now, and the compliance features are Pro.

Ripley Fieldwork Tracker

Ripley is the incumbent, with more than 88,000 aspiring BCBAs and a long track record.

Supports both the pre-2027 and 2027 rule sets.
Prefilled forms, compliance alerts, and supervisor sign-off reminders on the Future BCBA plan and up.
You e-sign in Ripley, then the PDF is emailed to your supervisor to sign.

Pricing: Free with ads. Ad-Free is $6.95/month without form PDFs. Future BCBA, with forms and alerts, is $11.97/month. Exam Ready is $19.97/month.

Pros: Mature, trusted, 2027-ready.

Cons: The plan most candidates need costs about twice TactiTracker Pro, and your supervisor still signs an emailed PDF.

MentraTrack

MentraTrack is a supervision platform that also tracks hours, aimed at supervisors and organizations as much as trainees.

Supports both the 2022 and 2027 BACB requirements.
Hours, supervision ratios, competencies, and goals.
Monthly and final forms sent for signature and synced to your supervisor's dashboard, on the paid plan.

Pricing: Free tier without form generation. Connected plan at $9.99/month per trainee-supervisor connection.

Pros: The most complete option if your supervisor is driving the choice.

Cons: Expensive for an individual, and more platform than you need if you just want your hours tracked.

Spreadsheets and templates

The DIY option: a Google Sheet, or one of the "2027 edition" templates on Etsy for around $15.

Pros: Free or nearly free, fully under your control.

Cons: A spreadsheet cannot warn you that a month is about to miss the supervision percentage, and it cannot fill out the M-FVF. Under the 2027 rules, where observation is measured in cumulative minutes and unrestricted hours have a hard floor, that manual math is where months get voided.

Our recommendation

Just starting fieldwork: Pick something 2027-native from day one. TactiTracker checks every 2027 threshold as you log, fills the forms, and gets them signed by email, for $5.99/month.

Switching mid-way: Export everything from your current tool first, then choose a tracker that lets you enter past months that were already signed elsewhere. TactiTracker and Ripley both handle this.

Whatever you pick: Export your records at least quarterly and keep them for seven years. The tracker is a convenience. The records are yours.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need a fieldwork tracker, or is a spreadsheet enough?

A spreadsheet can hold your hours, but it will not warn you when a month drops below the 20-hour floor, exceeds the 160-hour cap, or misses the supervision percentage. Under the 2027 rules a single non-compliant month can be voided. A tracker that checks every requirement as you log is cheap insurance against losing a month of work.

What happens to my hours if I switch trackers mid-fieldwork?

Your hours belong to you, not the tool. Export your session log from the old tracker (CSV or PDF), then import or back-enter it into the new one. Good trackers let you record entire past months that were already signed elsewhere so your running total is accurate from day one.

Do the 2027 BACB fieldwork rules apply to hours I logged before 2027?

The rule set that applies is determined by when you submit your certification application, not when you accrued the hours. If you will apply on or after January 1, 2027, the BACB has advised planning to meet both the current and the 2027 requirements for every month, and you must use the 2027 Monthly and Final Fieldwork Verification Forms.

Does the BACB accept digital signatures on verification forms?

Yes. The BACB accepts electronically signed fieldwork verification forms. What matters is that the form is complete, the attestation language is intact, and you retain the signed copies for the required seven-year record-retention period.

How often do verification forms need to be signed?

The Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form (M-FVF) is signed once per supervisory period, which is one calendar month, by you and each supervisor. The Final Fieldwork Verification Form (F-FVF) is signed once when you finish your hours with a given supervisor or organization.