Massachusetts State Requirements

You must obtain a license from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy before working or training in a pharmacy. Note that you cannot begin work while your application is pending. Massachusetts offers a Pharmacy Technician Trainee license and a full Pharmacy Technician license. Licensed technicians with active Board-approved national certification are recognized as Certified Pharmacy Technicians.

You must obtain a Pharmacy Technician Trainee license before beginning workplace training. A trainee may generally work for no more than one year or 1,500 hours, whichever comes first. The Board may grant an extension, and additional exceptions apply to trainees who have not reached age 18 or completed at least 500 hours of employment.

You must be at least 16 years old for a trainee license and at least 18 years old for a full pharmacy technician license.

Trainee and full-license applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent qualification or be enrolled in a program leading to one.

Applicants must be of good moral character and cannot have a disqualifying drug-related felony conviction or an admission to sufficient facts supporting such a finding. The published application requirements do not require every applicant to undergo fingerprinting or a separate state and federal criminal-background check.

An applicant may qualify for a full pharmacy technician license by holding Board-approved national certification, holding an equivalent pharmacy technician license in another state, or passing a Board-approved assessment examination after completing an approved training program or at least 500 hours of employment as a licensed trainee.

A qualifying program may include an ASHP-accredited program, military or Public Health Service training, another Board-approved program, or a program containing at least 120 hours of theoretical instruction and 120 hours of practical instruction. The applicant must then obtain a Board-approved passing score on an approved technician assessment examination.

A licensed trainee may qualify for full licensure after completing at least 500 hours of employment-based training and passing an approved competency examination. Under the Board’s current training policy, an employer-based competency examination requires a score of at least 75%.

National certification is one pathway to full licensure but is not mandatory for every applicant. PTCB certification and NHA’s ExCPT certification are accepted. Note that a nationally certified technician must still obtain a Massachusetts pharmacy technician license before working in the state.

A Certified Pharmacy Technician is a Massachusetts-licensed pharmacy technician who also maintains certification from a Board-approved national organization. If the national certification expires, the individual may continue working under a valid Massachusetts license but may perform only the duties allowed for a standard pharmacy technician.

Applications for trainee and full pharmacy technician licenses are submitted online through the Massachusetts Health Professions Licensing Portal.

The Pharmacy Technician Trainee license has no application fee. The current fee for a full pharmacy technician license is $150 and is non-refundable and non-transferable.

A pharmacy technician license expires every two years on the license holder’s birthday. The license must be renewed before expiration, and pharmacy technicians cannot continue working with an expired license.

The biennial pharmacy technician renewal fee is $60.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health Policy 2023-02, adopted May 4, 2023 and most recently revised September 4, 2025, allows qualified licensed pharmacy technicians to administer designated routine vaccines to individuals aged 5 or older. Note that the technician must have the approval of the pharmacist on duty and work under the direct supervision of a pharmacist who meets Massachusetts immunization requirements. Pharmacy technician trainees are not authorized to administer vaccines.

Before administering vaccines, a licensed pharmacy technician must hold PTCB or ExCPT certification or have completed at least 500 hours of work after receiving a full technician license. The technician must also complete a 6-hour ACPE-accredited immunization program, including at least 2 hours of live training and a hands-on injection assessment; complete at least 2 additional hours of supervised workplace training; maintain current CPR certification; and have the required training records kept at the pharmacy.