What Does the RBT Experience Look Like?

Last updated: July 23, 2026

One of the most common questions we hear from BCBAs and practice owners is: "What will my RBTs and BTs actually experience in Alpaca?" This walks through their day to day, from the first login to getting paid, so you know exactly what to expect for your team.

The short version: RBTs spend their time with the client, not with paperwork. Alpaca handles the schedule, records and drafts the session note for them, tracks their hours, and pays them. Most RBTs are up and running after a single short onboarding.

Getting Started (One-Time Setup)

When you add an RBT to your org, they get an invite to create their login. Their first-time setup is short:

  • Finish payroll onboarding. They go to the My Payroll page, open the Onboarding tab, and complete the steps there (tax and direct-deposit info).

  • Add their SSN in My Profile (only if your state requires Electronic Visit Verification, such as Colorado Medicaid). This connects them to the state EVV system so in-home visits are verified automatically.

  • Set their availability in their profile. This matters more than it looks: availability is what lets Alpaca offer them open and substitute sessions, and keeps them from being offered times they can't work.

Their Schedule

RBTs live on the Schedule page. It shows their upcoming sessions, the client (by initials where privacy applies), the time, the location, and the session type. They start their day here and tap straight into a session when it's time.

Running a Session

This is where the RBT spends most of their time, and where Alpaca does the heavy lifting.

  1. Start the session. From the Schedule or Home page, they tap Start Session. If EVV applies, this clocks them in, and they'll see a green banner showing the start time. In-person and telehealth sessions both work; for telehealth they join the video link on the appointment.

  2. Collect data. During the session they collect data against the client's programs and targets on the Programs tab. Graphs generate automatically from what they collect. They can also use tools like the interval timer for differential reinforcement, and add, edit, or delete data points outside of a session when needed.

  3. Let Alpaca draft the note. Alpaca records the session audio and generates the session note for them. They review the AI-generated note, edit anything that needs it, and it's ready to sign. This is the single biggest time-saver for RBTs: no writing the note from a blank page.

  4. Clock out. When they finish and have reviewed the note and data, they clock out. For EVV, the clock-out time sets how long the session was and how much is billed, and it can't be changed afterward, so they clock out at the right time.

  5. Sign off. They confirm the session details and sign. The signed note is what turns into billable units, so signing on time directly protects everyone's payout.

Covering Substitute Sessions (Re-Staffing)

If another clinician cancels, RBTs on the client's care team may get offered the session. This is designed to be effortless:

  • They get a text and email with a link.

  • They tap the link, see the client initials, date, time, CPT code, and location, and tap Accept or Decline.

  • No portal login required. Whoever accepts first gets the session, and the family is notified automatically.

This is why a deep care team matters: it gives your RBTs more chances to pick up covered sessions, and keeps families in care.

Time Off

RBTs request time off themselves from the Schedule page:

  • Tap into a time block or Schedule Event, choose Leave Time, pick the leave type (PTO, Sick, Holiday, etc.), enter the dates, and submit.

  • They can see their accrued, used, and remaining balances under My Profile → Leave Time.

  • Requests show on the calendar but don't deduct from the balance until an admin approves them.

Getting Paid

RBTs don't touch billing or claims, that's all on Alpaca and the admin. Their signed notes flow into the payout cycle automatically, and they're paid on the regular payroll schedule. They can see their pay and time-off details in their own profile.

What Makes It Easy for RBTs

  • The note writes itself. Record, review, sign. No blank-page documentation.

  • Data collection is built into the session, with graphs generated automatically.

  • Accepting a substitute session is one tap from a text, with no login.

  • Time off and pay are self-service from their own schedule and profile.

  • It works on their phone, so they're not tied to a laptop between clients.

Point Your RBTs Here

For the step-by-step versions of everything above, send your team to the For BTs section of the help center, which covers scheduling and conducting sessions, adding and editing data, the interval timer, telehealth, microphone troubleshooting, time off, and payroll onboarding.