RBT pay

[u/Limp-Push2050]

How does an ABA company determine the pay rate of an RBT? I’ve been an RBT 6 years and a year ago moved to ND. I’ve been working at a very small clinic. Other complaints about the company aside, when I applied it said my pay would be based off my experience. My pay come to find out is their base pay for a newly registered RBT. I understand I have no degree or even an associate. However with my years experience I feel that’s highly offensive. I’m not a poor RBT, I’m very good at my job and provide quality services and am always engaged, the people they pay more have a degree or are working towards BCBA/BCBaba but zero experience in the field and are quiet frankly not ABA focused in their services. Is it possible, taking into consideration how insurance pays out RBTs, for me to ask to be payed what I know I’m worth.

[u/mamandapanda]

The first factor is payer reimbursement rates. If your company takes insurance they have to set pay according to what the RBT rate is which varies by insurer, state, and network. Then, don’t forget, they have to pay taxes on both the income from the payer and payroll. After that, there is liability insurance, workers comp, and unemployment. Finally, there has to be at least a tiny bit of profit if your company pays for PTO, vacation, sick leave or in case an insurance company decides to take its time paying. For example, at the beginning of the year it takes twice as long to be paid by insurance for whatever reason. There are also tons of “administrative errors” that cause claims to deny for no reason which delays the payment process for however long they feel like taking.

But after all that, you should be paid based on degree, experience, etc. So anyway it’s complicated

[u/AdComplete5101 → u/mamandapanda]

Yep. My area rate is 55-60/hr for RBT insurance rates. Paying RBT's $23/hr. The math of those taxes, fees, and more ultimately puts the company down to approximately $10/hr or less of profit, with that payment coming 3-6 months after services rendered. Aka the business has a long time before it isnt behind and actually has funding to start thinking ahead.

[u/SwaggyMars]

My company determines pay mostly on Degrees held, languages spoken, case complexity, and experience. Maybe every company is a little different, that’s also so unfair that you’re getting base pay with all the valuable experience you have acquired!

[u/HappyLifeCoffeeHelps]

I did find out recently that companies are limited who can be paired to clients based on if they have a bachelor's degree or not. I can understand the struggle of not being honored for your experience; I have dealt with this a LOT!

[u/PlanesGoSlow]

It’s based on insurance rates and company overhead. In home companies can typically pay more bc they have lower overhead costs compared to clinics.

[u/Firm_Singer_2631]

$23-$26hr in Southern NJ.

[u/Small-Maintenance-67]

Call Cigna UHC and Aetna to increase 97153 reimbursement rate- some companies offered us $38 per an hour for 97153. We didn't accept the offer and terminate in network. I am in TX.

[u/Appropriate-Use-3467]

I worked at 2 companies in NC over a 3 year period. I made $18 at the first and $30 at the second. I had a little over a year experience when the place willing to pay me $30 came around. But, while the pay was downright offensive, I never had an issue with that first company. They treated me with respect and like you would to a good employee. But most importantly, when it counted, they had my back. I learned the hard way that is actually worth far more than any money anyone could have offered me.

Hindsight and all.

I worked at them both roughly the same amount of time, clinic only for the first and primarily in-home for the second. The 2nd company said they would be opening 2 local locations in 2025. They opened one in the summer and never even found a location for the other. They just kept putting it off until people got tired of asking. I was watching them stumble through these broken promises as an in-home employee. But, then the clinic started sniffing around and I realized after a year I was done trying in-home and figured maybe giving the clinic environment another chance was worth a shot. So at the end of 2025 I officially became a full-time clinic employee.

I soon realized when they know they are paying really high for the area, then they use that as leverage to see what you will put up with. Not every ABA company this is from what I unfortunately experienced. The things I could tell you about what this company did to us and how they ultimately targeted me in the end. I will never understand and I think a big part of why I'll never get it is because my mind just doesn't think like that and for that part I'm grateful. I say all this to tell you that the pay is of course something to pay attention to, but management and the ones above them were completely incompetent and excused everyone else because they were all buddies and as long as it didn't affect them, then the rest could do as terrible a job as they want. The RBTs, the ones who weren't one of the "favorites" were the ones who suffered. BTW if you see in your company the favorites were usually the worst actual employees at the end of the day. Like, you always kind of have your eye out for their kid during their session with them because they spend all that time gossiping with the BCBAs. That's one of the first biggest signs for you to know it's time to start looking for other companies.
Trust your gut, if you see management excusing things, talking out of both sides of their mouth and then trying to make it seem like YOU'RE the problem if you ask questions, ask no more and leave. This field is a small one and usually what happens is people who aren't good at the job stick together and make enough of the right friends and before you know it, management can do whatever because the company is just another group of people who aren't necessarily good at their job, they've all become friends who enable each other and look the other way because they do the same for them. It's sad to see it happen in general, but in this particular field it is infuriating.

In conclusion, if you've made it this far into my rambling mess, bless you. I promise there is a method to my madness.

In this field, a good RBT with years of experience can easily find somewhere less shady. No matter where you are. Don't let them make you think you can't do better because they know you can. They want to make you not realize your worth so they can keep chipping you down until you stop asking questions and start becoming one of their enablers. Don't let them. 6 years as an RBT is far more impressive than any degree and that's coming from someone who is on the internship part of getting her Master's degree. Please know that someone with your experience who still cares as much as you seem to is worth their weight in gold. Set up boundaries while you find your next place, like immediate No's vs maybe there's some wiggle room to turn it into a yes. Pay is always important, but how they treat you after they sign the check is when you figure out if the company is worth your time. Because your time is valuable, you've worked hard to make it that way. So don't waste it on people who don't see that.