After starting your journey in cosmetology, your knowledge and skills will keep you competitive, but that’s not everything you need to stay at the top of your game. You will also want to renew your licence on time so it doesn’t expire. Still, it’s easy to forget to do this when trying to balance personal responsibilities, your job, and maybe even professional development efforts.
But remember that working with an expired cosmetology licence will have serious consequences. From hefty fines to the suspension of your licence, these repercussions aren’t something you want to experience at all. And while they vary in severity from one state to the other, they will obviously ruin your work experience.
Read this post to the end to learn more about working with invalid cosmetology licences and what you can do if yours has expired.
First, What Happens if You Work With an Expired Licence?
An expired cosmetology licence, at the most basic level, simply means you no longer meet the state’s requirements to continue with your practice. In many states, professionals are required to take continuing education (CE) courses torenew cosmetology licenses, in addition to paying a renewal fee before a predetermined deadline.
Failing to meet such requirements results in the expiration of your licence. This means you are no longer allowed to continue offering your services until you’ve fixed the licensing issue. Deciding to ignore this obligation makes you an easy target for serious penalties that range from fines to suspension or even revocation of your licence.
So, Then, What Should You Do If Your Licence Expires?
Now that you know there are nasty consequences of continuing to operate as a licensed cosmetologist even after your licence expires, you must be wondering what to do if your licence has expired for whatever reason. Here are the steps you should take in this regard:
1. Stop Practising
The most important thing to do as soon as you realise your licence has expired is to stop offering your services immediately. This will often require you to come up with creative explanations to cancel appointments with your customers. The good thing is that if your licence just expired recently, the renewal process won’t be complicated, thus you will be back in service in no time.
2. Determine How Far You Are Past the Renewal Deadline
Renewing your licence after it has expired can be a straightforward or complicated process, depending on how long past the renewal deadline you are. Less than one year past the renewal deadline is the optimal situation here, since all you need is, more than likely, a reinstatement application and paying the required fees.
Crank this up to one year or more, and you may have to reapply for your licence, often without taking exams. If you ignore the licence renewal for more than five years, it’s more than likely you will have to reapply for the licence and even retake your exam.
That’s why it’s so important to understand how deep you are in this mess. On the positive side of it all, these processes aren’t as exacting as they may sound at first, so don’t be afraid of reapplying.
3. Prepare the Necessary Information and Forms
After determining the additional requirements for renewing your licence based on how long it has been expired or inactive, you’ll need to gather all the information and forms required during the renewal or reapplication process. Some of the particulars you want to have with you include your licence number, application forms, and the required fees.
Of course, your state’s licensing board website is the best source of information on the exact forms and information you need during the reinstatement process. Still, you can trust information from state-recognised education providers like RocketCert.
4. Submit Your Application and Fees
At this point, you have practically everything you need for the reinstatement process. Now, all that will be remaining is submitting your application and paying the reapplication fees. You may have to meet a couple of prerequisites before sending your application, so follow the guidelines on the licensing board’s website to ensure you don’t miss anything.
After completing this step, all you have to do now is wait. In most cases, the reinstatement process takes just a couple of weeks to a few months. Cases are different, so some patience is needed here. If you feel like it’s taking too long, you can always contact the licensing board.
Avoid the Trouble of an Expired Cosmetology Licence
The easiest way to steer clear of the consequences of practising with an expired licence is to ensure your licence doesn’t expire in the first place. This is a straightforward process that only requires you to track important dates and deadlines to avoid lapses.
If you hate continuing your education since it feels like all CE courses out here are complex, we have a fantastic solution for you. Consider investing in an expertly written and fully narrated course from a top provider like RocketCert. This not only makes the process of meeting your CE requirements easier, but it also helps you understand the content much better.
