4.3 Program Fees and a Compliance Calendar

The fee schedule

Section 117.100 begins with a broad rule: fees paid to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation are nonrefundable. The schedule separates credential types, so the actor and transaction must be identified before choosing an amount.

The criminal-history evaluation-letter fee, returned-payment fee, and late-renewal fees are set through the cross-referenced Chapter 60 rules rather than a new amount invented in Chapter 117.

Examination and fingerprint charges are separate

The $34 current eStrategy catalog price buys access to the separate online jurisprudence product. It is not the $100 TDLR therapist application fee. The MBLEx and PSI state examination have their own administrators and charges. Fingerprint services also charge separately under current vendor instructions. An applicant's total out-of-pocket cost can contain several items, but each one retains its legal purpose.

The $60 amount shown in the current PSI bulletin applies to the different State of Texas Massage Therapist Examination. It should not be used as the jurisprudence fee. Likewise, a school's tuition is not a TDLR examination fee.

A compliance calendar

Money is only one part of compliance. A useful calendar ties each fee to its prerequisite and deadline:

Before initial therapist licensure

• Complete acceptable 500-hour education.
• Apply on the department form and pay $100.
• Follow the department's fingerprint instructions.
• Complete the approved examination route and jurisprudence requirement.
• Ensure transcripts and score verification reach TDLR.
• Wait for license issuance before compensated independent practice.

During each two-year therapist term

• Complete 12 qualifying CE hours and save records for five years.
• Complete an HHSC-approved human-trafficking course for the renewal.
• Maintain client-service records for at least two years.
• Keep the issued license properly displayed, or carry the current identification card when there is no primary office.
• Update TDLR in writing when name, address, telephone number, or employment changes.

At renewal

• File before expiration.
• Pay the normal $75 fee.
• Confirm CE and trafficking requirements are complete.
• Provide criminal-history material when required.
• Do not practice if the credential expires before renewal becomes effective.

Other license cycles

Establishment, school, and instructor licenses also have two-year terms. They are separate from the therapist license. A therapist who owns a nonexempt establishment can have both an individual renewal date and a business renewal date. A school may hold a school credential and establishment credentials tied to its instructional locations, and each fee must be matched to the transaction described in section 117.100.

Ownership and location changes are not routine renewals. A massage establishment license cannot be transferred to a new owner or location; the relevant new application and approval are needed before operation. A massage school also has specific change rules, including a $300 location-change fee and new-owner application. Paying the wrong category of fee does not authorize the change.

Information updates and truthfulness

Under section 117.90(r), the licensee keeps the licensure file current by notifying TDLR in writing of changes to name, address, telephone number, and employment. Section 117.90(m) separately prohibits false information in material submitted to the department. An accurate mailing address matters because notices and renewal communications use the department's records, but the licensee remains responsible for timely renewal.

Common fee traps

• $34 versus $60: $34 is the current online jurisprudence catalog price; $60 is associated with the PSI state exam.
• $100 versus $75: $100 is the therapist initial application; $75 is the normal two-year renewal.
• $25: it can be the student permit or a duplicate/replacement credential, depending on the facts.
• $200: it is the standard establishment application or renewal and also the CE-provider application or renewal.
• $1,500 versus $1,000: initial school application versus school renewal.
• Late fee: apply the Chapter 60 multiplier to the normal renewal fee; do not confuse it with an administrative penalty.

Final method

Underline the noun in the question—therapist, student, instructor, establishment, school, location, provider, exam, or replacement—then identify whether the transaction is initial, renewal, late, duplicate, ownership, or location. That two-step method is more reliable than memorizing an undifferentiated price list.