How to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Massachusetts

Checked against Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Professions Licensure) · Verified 2026-10-14

Exam: Required
Training: Required
Term: A pharmacy technician license expires every two years on your birthdate. You may work as a pharmacy technician trainee for no more than 1,500 hours or one year, whichever is shorter, unless the Board grants an extension or another listed exception applies.
State fee: Technician license: $150 non-refundable fee per the Mass.gov application page (the state fee regulation 801 CMR 4.02, Mass. Register 5/23/2025, lists $60 for the technician application and $60 for each biennial renewal). Trainee license: no fee.
Regulated by: Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Professions Licensure)

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Who can apply

Technician license: be at least 18 years old (247 CMR 8.02).
Pharmacy technician trainee license: be at least 16 years old (247 CMR 8.03).
Be a high school graduate or the equivalent, or be enrolled in a program that awards one.
Be of good moral character and have no drug-related felony conviction (or admission to sufficient facts).
Everyone working as a technician must be licensed by Massachusetts, even if nationally certified.

Step by step

If you will learn on the job, first get a free Pharmacy Technician in Training (trainee) license through the Health Professions Licensing Portal before you train in a pharmacy.
As a trainee, work only under a pharmacist's direct supervision; you may not take prescriptions over the phone.
Qualify for the technician license by one of four Board pathways: pass PTCB, ExCPT or NRCPhT; finish a PTCB-recognized, ASHP-accredited or military program and pass its competency exam (75% or higher); work at least 500 hours as a trainee and pass an employer competency exam (75% or higher); or transfer an out-of-state license.
Apply for the pharmacy technician license in the Health Professions Licensing Portal and pay the $150 fee shown on the Mass.gov application page.
Upload a 2x2 passport photo, your Social Security number, education details, and any certification or out-of-state license verification.
Renew your technician license every two years on your birthdate.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Required unless you hold Board-approved national certification or an out-of-state license. Options: a Board-approved training program (ASHP-accredited, PTCB-recognized, U.S. Armed Services or Public Health Service, or a Board-approved program with at least 120 hours of theory and 120 hours of practical instruction), or at least 500 hours of work as a licensed trainee (247 CMR 8.02; Board Policy 2023-11).

Exam: Board Policy 2023-11 (adopted 10/5/2023) accepts PTCB, ExCPT or NRCPhT national exams, or a program-run or employer-run competency exam with at least 50 questions and a passing score of 75%. Applicants transferring a license from another state need no additional exam. There is no separate state exam.

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What it costs in Massachusetts

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Pharmacy technician trainee license (optional on-the-job route)$0
Pharmacy technician license application ($150 on the Mass.gov application page; the state fee regulation 801 CMR 4.02 lists $60)$
PTCE exam fee (PTCB), only if you use the national-exam pathway; ExCPT and NRCPhT are priced by their providers(optional)$129
Board-approved training program, only if you use the training-program pathway(optional)$

Estimated total in Massachusetts$0Plus 1 item with no state-set price. Add your quotes above to complete the total.

Cost details from the state

National certification exam fee if you use that pathway (PTCB PTCE $129 as of Oct 2026; ExCPT and NRCPhT priced by their providers)
Training program tuition if you use the training-program pathway (set by the program)
$23 handling charge for a returned check

Help while you start out in Massachusetts

Starting out on an entry-level wage? Check the SNAP income limits in Massachusetts by household size.

What other sites get wrong about Massachusetts

Myth: The Massachusetts technician license application fee is $136.

Fact: The Mass.gov application page lists a $150 non-refundable, non-transferable fee for the pharmacy technician license. source

Myth: Massachusetts technicians pay an annual renewal fee.

Fact: A Massachusetts pharmacy technician license expires every two years on the licensee's birthdate (247 CMR 8.07). source

Once you're registered

Renewal: A technician license expires every two years on your birthdate and must be renewed on time; working after it expires counts as unlicensed practice. A lapsed license can be renewed by paying back license fees and a late fee, and a license lapsed more than two years may face extra Board conditions (247 CMR 8.07). 801 CMR 4.02 lists a $60 biennial renewal fee. 247 CMR 8.07 lists no continuing education requirement for technicians.

Good to know in Massachusetts

Trainee time limit: You may work as a trainee for no more than 1,500 hours or one year, whichever comes first, unless the Board grants an extension, you are under 18, or you have not yet reached 500 trainee hours. If you passed the limit before turning 18, apply for the technician license within 30 days of your 18th birthday.

Transferring from another state: Send a verification letter on the other board's letterhead, whatever the license status. No additional exam is required (Board Policy 2023-11).

Certified technician title: A licensed technician who also holds certification from a Board-approved body is a 'certified pharmacy technician' and may do some extra tasks, such as certain prescription transfers. If certification lapses, you go back to the regular technician title and duties.

Who processes applications: Mass.gov lists Professional Credential Services (PCS) as the contact for technician license applications: (877) 887-9727, techlicense@pcshq.com.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Professions Licensure) before you apply.