Medical Skilled Trades
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Occupational therapy assistants help people build or regain the skills they need for everyday life, from children with disabilities to adults recovering from injury. The field is growing much faster than average.
1.Career snapshot
- Role
- Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Pay (planning range)
- $50K–$85K+ Wealth Playbook guide, 2026
- Training time
- ~2 years
- Pathway
- Rehabilitation & Respiratory
- Demand
- Employment of occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow 21 percent from 2025 to 2035 (BLS projections table); assistants and aides combined are projected to grow 20 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations.
- Patient contact
- High
- Occupation code
- SOC 31-2011 · O*NET 31-2011.00
- Schedule flexibility
2.What you'll do
Everyday work and where it happens
Working from the occupational therapist's plan, you guide clients through activities that build motor skills and independence. That might mean leading a child in play that develops coordination, teaching someone to get dressed or move from a bed to a wheelchair, or showing a person how to use special equipment that makes cooking easier. You record progress and report back to the therapist.
Typical duties
- Guide clients through therapeutic activities that build motor skills and functional abilities
- Lead children with disabilities in play that supports coordination and social development
- Teach clients new ways to complete everyday tasks
- Instruct clients and families in using adaptive equipment and home programs
- Observe and record clients' progress and report to the occupational therapist
- Handle related administrative tasks
- Where you could work
- Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, Nursing care facilities, Hospitals, Schools, Home health care
- Schedule
- Most OTAs work full time, and part-time work is common. Evening or weekend hours may be required.
- Physical demands
- You spend much of the day standing; kneeling and stooping are a constant part of the job, and you occasionally lift clients. Physical stamina and moderate strength are important.
- Patient contact
- High
3.How to get there
Education, training, exams and licensing
- Typical training
- Associate degree + license
- Training time
- ~2 years
1.Finish high school or an equivalent
OTA programs include coursework in anatomy, psychology and kinesiology plus several months of fieldwork.
2.Earn an associate's degree from an ACOTE-accredited OTA program
Programs generally take 2 years of full-time study and include several months of supervised fieldwork, which must be finished before you apply for the exam.
3.Pass the NBCOT certification exam
Passing the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam lets you use the title Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
4.Get your state license
OTAs usually need a state-issued license, which requires completing an accredited program and fieldwork and passing the exam; some states add a background check. Continuing education keeps certification current.
Exams and credentials
- COTA - Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy)
Licensing
Occupational therapy assistants usually need a state-issued license. That generally means completing an accredited program and its fieldwork and passing the NBCOT exam; some states also require a background check or other items. Certification is not the same as licensure. Requirements vary by state; check your state board.
Look up your state's license requirements (opens in a new tab)
4.What it costs
Tuition, fees, exams and financial aid
Costs vary by program.
NBCOT certification exam: $540 (USD) online application; $430 to reapply online; $595 for a paper application (nbcot.org, read October 2026). State licensing fees are separate.
Grants, loans and work-study can help pay for an eligible program. Start with the FAFSA at studentaid.gov (opens in a new tab), and ask each program what its total cost includes.
5.What you can earn
Starting, median and experienced pay, and where the figures come from
Planning range
$50K–$85K+
Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026
Local wage data isn't loaded yet, so this is a broad planning range, not a wage figure.
A planning range is broad and has no median: it is for planning, not a promise of pay. Starting, median and experienced wages will show here when BLS wage data is loaded.
For reference only (not this page's pay figure): BLS median, May 2025, national: $72,300 a year (source, opens in a new tab).
6.Jobs near you
Coming soon
We plan to show local openings here once a job-data source is connected. Until then, you can search current listings yourself.
7.Career ladder
Next certifications and roles
- Occupational Therapy Assistant(this career)
- Occupational Therapist(Needs a master's degree, per BLS.)
8.Your wealth path
From your first paycheck to owning and investing
Train
Certify
Get hired
Advance
Build wealth
Own / invest
Estimated take-home pay
Low end of the planning range: $50,000 a year
About $40,464 a year ($3,372 a month)
High end of the planning range: $85,000 a year
About $64,684 a year ($5,390 a month)
Estimate only. Assumptions: tax year 2026, single filer, the standard deduction, federal income tax, FICA at 7.65%, and a default state income tax rate of 5.00% (choose a state above to use its rate). No retirement contributions or other deductions. The Paycheck calculator uses the same engine.
9.Find training
Free U.S. Department of Labor resources. We don't list or rank schools.
Registered apprenticeships exist for some of these roles. For licensed careers, check that a program meets your state's licensing rules.
10.Compare careers
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Sources
- Pay: Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026 (a planning range, not wage data).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides (opens in a new tab)
- O*NET OnLine: 31-2011.00 Occupational Therapy Assistants (opens in a new tab)
- NBCOT: Eligibility (opens in a new tab)
- NBCOT: Get Certified (opens in a new tab)
- NBCOT: Apply for your exam (opens in a new tab)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Occupational Therapists (opens in a new tab)